How to Decorate a Home Office in American Country

Even an office that has the most up-to-date technological gizmos can be decorated in American country style. Here are some ways to pull off the look.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brushes
• Keyboard Trays
• Colonial-style Exterior Shutters
• Antique-look Glazes
• Baskets
• Curtains
• Desk Chairs
• Desk Lamps
• Desks
• Embossed Wallpaper
• File Cabinets
• Light Fixtures
• Paints
• Pictures
• Quilts
• Tables
• Wastebaskets
• Baskets
• Pictures
• Tables

1. Select a desk with style roots from several decades ago - a rolltop is one option. Or convert a country table, perhaps with Colonial-style turned legs or straight Shaker-style legs, by outfitting it with a computer keyboard tray.

2. Choose a chair for comfort. Some manufacturers offer old-style wood office chairs that will suit your decor, but it may be better to break from country style with a more contemporary-looking, ultra-comfy chair. You can leave it as-is or slipcover it with an old-fashioned fabric such as a tea-stained floral or gingham check.

3. Select lighting that has a casual, traditional look. An overhead fixture might be a candle-style chandelier, and a desk lamp might be an old banker's light or brass pharmacy-style lamp.

4. Look for a file cabinet that suits American country style - perhaps an antique or antique-look oak model or a new trompe l'oeil painted cabinet. You can hide a small, two-drawer file cabinet under a round skirted table (a quilt makes a great covering). You can also cover it with embossed wallpaper or coat it with a glazed and painted "antique" finish.

5. Aim for a hardwood floor, possibly stenciled or with a scraped look. A hooked or braided rug is a fine floor covering as long as it won't be a problem for a rolling desk chair.

6. Select an inventive wastebasket, perhaps an antique fruit crate or an old crock.

7. Accessorize carefully - try to avoid an overly cluttered office, which promotes disorganization. Hang a few pictures, possibly ancestor photos or primitive prints or paintings, or perhaps some old advertising art.

8. Set the printer or fax machine atop an old-style spindle table or dry sink (wash stand).

9. Keep the window undressed or simply adorned with a tab-top or simple push curtain. Colonial-style shutters also fit the look.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative with office-supply storage - use straw baskets for items such as notepads, paper clips and pens, and place bigger items such as file folders and reams of paper in an old cedar chest.