Ideas for the Study

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to incorporate my existing furniture, art and accessories in my new house. Certainly I can't afford to replace everything -- nor do I particularly want to as I rather like much of what I own, even if I want to go in a slightly difference direction for the new house. And so, much of what is in my current living room will be making a new home for itself in my upstairs den. Similarly, my guest room furniture will make a similar shift to one of the three spare bedrooms upstairs. As for the furniture in our existing study, Dave will be using the large mahogany desk in his "man room" (aka the media room, which we've decided to paint out in Benjamin Moore's Slate Teal -- and, yes, he picked that), but I'm going to be repurposing our existing daybed (the Overlapping Squares daybed from West Elm) for my new office, which will be on the first floor across from the formal dining room. I'll also be moving the wing back chair (recovered in Mod Green Pod's discontinued grand jubilee fabric in cream) that currently resides in my bedroom to my new study, since it's far too fabulous to be relegated to an upstairs' room.

Playing off of the creamy, feminine pattern of the chair, I've decided to go big and bold (shocking, yes?) and paint the walls a deep plum (Benjamin Moore's Purple Lotus) and the ceiling a lighter version of the same shade (Benjamin Moore's Beach Plum). The cream and plum color palette (which is a departure from, but should still speak to, the blue and white dining room across the entryway) will be accented with lots of shine (think chrome, mirror, crystal and silver). The end result will be a very feminine space, but since this is the one room in the house that is exclusively mine, I seized the opportunity to really glam it up.

Clockwise, from top left:

1. Thomas Paul "Feathers" wool rug from Weego Home (5x8, $676). This is definitely a rug that's been on my wish list for a very long time and, while it's a bit of a splurge, a 5x8 will nicely anchor the seating area in my study and tie in the cream and plum color palette perfectly.

2. Fairfield 5-arm chandelier from Pottery Barn ($199.99). The study is actually two stories tall, so a large-scale light fixture is definitely in order to help fill in some of that vertical space. While I would love to get a Murano glass chandelier, at 3 grand, it's just not in the budget. This clear-glass version from Pottery Barn is a fraction of the cost of the real deal and looks almost identical. I'm tempted to go ahead and buy this chandelier now since it's currently on sale.

3. Throw pillows from Crate&Barrel ($39.95-$59.95 each). I'm not normally a huge fan of C&B pillows, but these are all great. I love the graphic style (which also brings some great texture since the circles are all layered onto the pillow itself rather than just screen-printed).

4. Encore coffee table from ZGallerie ($399.95). I thought this table would relate well to the sawhorse work table. I'm envisioning two small "areas" in this room -- a seating area with the daybed and wing back chair and a work area with my desk, files, etc. I'll then tie these areas together with similar finishes and fabrics.

5. Sawhorse work table from West Elm ($449). I love the look of a classic sawhorse work table, especially in glass and chrome. This one is new for fall at West Elm and the price is reasonable, though I may do a bit more hunting to see if I can find a better deal for this. Since storage is always an issue with this style of desk, I'll also need to come up with a small cabinet or filing drawers (this room does not have a closet).

6. Overlapping Squares day bed from West Elm ($429) - ALREADY OWN. This daybed is currently in my study and outfitted in a great Pottery Barn fabric. Of course, the fabric will have to change (maybe a sturdy white cotton duck?), but I still like the style of the day bed. I'm thinking of painting it out in a glossy black to give the look of lacquer and play up the Asian feel of the piece.

7. Vintage wing back chair covered in discontinued fabric by Mod Green Pod - ALREADY OWN. I don't even want to talk about how much I ended up spending to fix up this freebie chair that I scored from a close family friend. That said though, I absolutely adore it.

8. Puma table from Modern Dose ($345). I first saw this table over at Revival Home and Garden (but in red) and I've been thinking about ways to incorporate it into the new house ever since. Fortunately, Modern Dose carries the same table in white (for $5 less, I might add) and I think it will work perfectly here. I just love how well dark, rich walls set off white furniture.

9. Spheres table lamp from ZGallerie ($169). Crystal lamps are timeless and they work in just about every space. The spheres table lamp from ZGallerie also happens to come at a reasonable price. Some simple grosgrain ribbon in black/plum around the edge of the lampshade will really up the ante on these.

10. Silver mirror (Ruffled edge mirror from Brocade Home ($599) shown) - ALREADY OWN. When my parents moved out of their house earlier this year they did a lot of downsizing and clearing out. One of the pieces I claimed for myself was a large mirror with an ornate gold-painted wood frame. This weekend I plan on repainting the frame in silver to help freshen it up a bit, but I rather like the contrast of a very ornate mirror with more modern furnishings. If you aren't a DIYer, Brocade Home has some great mirrors in silver or white that will give you the same look without the effort (though obviously, at a much higher price).

11. SKRUVSTA swivel chair from IKEA ($149) slipcovered in Clara fabric from Mod Green Pod ($39.75/yard). The truth is that most "work" chairs are hideous, high-tech monstrosities that look out of place anywhere other than a sterile office environment. That said though, if you're going to be spending a lot of time in a chair, it does need to be comfortable. The SKRUVSTA swivel chair from IKEA is comfortable, affordable and doesn't look half bad, especially when recovered in the fabric of your choice. I'm planning on using the Clara fabric from MGP, which is a very similar pattern in the same white and cream as the grand jubilee fabric on the wing back chair.

12. Bungalow tall bookcase from Crate&Barrel ($599) - ALREADY OWN. Every office needs some bookshelves, and I just so happen to have this one currently in my living room. This one will display not only my many books but also some of my favorite blanc de Chine and all-white Jonathan Alder pieces. I'm contemplating painting the wenge-colored wood a glossy black to match the daybed.

Thoughts?