How to Decorate a Home Office in Cottage Style

The cottage style gives a light, bright atmosphere to a home office. And because the style includes genteel, homey and often secondhand furnishings, the room will be a comfy place to work.

Things You'll Need

• Baskets
• Craft Paints
• Desk Chairs
• Desk Lamps
• Fabrics
• File Cabinets
• Home Furnishings And Accessories
• Old-style Picture Frames

Instructions

1. Find a light-colored, traditional-style desk, possibly with a painted or stained finish (antique finishes work well). Options include white painted wicker, an unfinished piece, secretary style, or an old-style kitchen table with a keyboard tray added.

2. Mate the desk with a comfortable chair. Spindle-back designs are popular for cottage-style decor, but for long stints at the computer, a padded, adjustable and more commercial-style chair may work best. Use a vintage-style slipcover (pillow-tick stripe or gingham check) that blends with the rest of the office.

3. Find a desk lamp that provides the proper lighting. A traditional banker's lamp or brass pharmacy lamp may work well.

4. Stash files in trompe l'oeil file cabinets or baskets. Consider painting or wallpapering a typical metal file cabinet.

5. Stow books, software boxes and such on open wooden shelving that's painted or stained in a light color. Match the shelves to the desk if you wish.

6. Leave the windows unadorned for optimum light or use a simple treatment such as off-white tab-top, Priscilla or Cape Cod curtains. White wooden blinds are good as well.

7. Stash office supplies in baskets; convert a vintage vase into a pencil holder. A wicker wastebasket can catch trash.

8. Hang antique-type pictures in old-style frames on the walls. You might include vintage advertising art, old florals or secondhand pictures of children or animals.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the look light, airy and completely relaxed. Cottage-style interiors are comfortable and unpretentious.

• Scout secondhand stores and thrift shops for budget-priced furnishings.