Reimagining My Guest Room as a Functional Home Office

This Post Is Sponsored By Arhaus! As Always, All Opinions Are My Own! Thank You For Sponsoring CityGirlGoneMom.

If you’re familiar with my blog then you know I have four kids, two dogs, a husband, and absolutely no space in our house to call my own. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been working from home on our kitchen counter—actually all over it. Papers spread everywhere, laptops, wires, folders, phones, products—Bobby isn’t the biggest fan of it but what can I say? I’m a creature of habit and it doesn’t help that I have nowhere else to work!

Forty-three percent of women quit their jobs when they have children. Of those women, 70 percent eventually return to work—but only 40 percent come back full time.

Taking on the Arhaus Designer Challange

So when my friends at Arhaus heard I was low on space and had basically taken over the kitchen counter, they knew it was time for me to have my own office. So you know what I did? The Arhaus Designer Challenge!

I worked with three amazing Arhaus designers—Stephanie Strott, Donna Verdi, and Patricia DiLullo—to solve my work-from-home crisis! They offered to help me carve out a functional working space in this crazy, crowded place that is my home.

Understanding What I Need

Each designer came up with a uniquely elegant solution that could solve my work-from-home problems. I needed to get off the kitchen island, have a decent amount of space to work, have all my things in one spot, and enough storage that everything could stay neat and organized. And since it was the Arhaus Designer Challenge, each designer offered a completely different solution to make my workspace functional, beautiful, and fun!

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Finding What Works For Me

Stephanie suggested a way for me to work all over the house, anywhere I want with a workstation in my living room. She redefined the home office with the Telegraph Lateral Storage Cabinet with removable files so I could literally take my work anywhere in the house. Kind of a traveling office so I could work where and when I needed it. Plus she paired it with my Peacock Feather Triptych that I already own and love!

Donna decided I needed a little more privacy (yes!) and suggested updating my podcast room. With the smaller Tremont Modular Desk, it offers more room in the closet-turned-studio, and with the addition of the Robin Wishbone Dining Chair, I can rotate the room as needed whether I’m working or recording. The Factory Cabinet she suggested would give me the storage I needed, while the Black and White Hair on Hide Rug would give the space a pop of personality to keep it from being too drab or dark.

Patricia reimagined my guest room and created a plan that had me moving my guest bed, adding in a Tremont Wardrobe for storage, a matching Tremont Modular Desk as a workspace, and Breezy Blossoms wallpaper as a new focal point. From here, she noted I could see everything going on in the kitchen and living room, while still having some privacy and, bonus, the desk and storage could double as a workspace for guests!

Designing My New Office Space

After hearing all the designers’ ideas, I got to choose one for my house and while I loved them all, Patricia’s plan was just perfect for what we needed—plus we got to decorate two spaces at once! It solved two problems—finding a home office and offering more storage for extended-stay guests. We pushed the bed to the perpendicular wall, added a beautiful, bold wallpaper, desk and hung the Linnea Round Mirror for a focal point.

Because I love to give everything just a touch of that modern farmhouse feel, I added Stikwood’s sandstone peel-and-stick reclaimed wood planks to the opposite wall for a warm, inviting space. Thankfully, it was super easy to use and apply! It gave the room another dimension for guests to enjoy and added some visual texture to an otherwise blank wall.

Now it’s a room I never want to leave! Even Lucy is loving the transformation! It’s quiet, great for guests, and lets me have space that’s all my own! It meets all of my needs, and probably best of all, gives my family back the kitchen island.

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Loving My New Home Office

Trying to work with the kids, distractions, and everything else going on in my house was absolutely impossible, so I’m so glad I took on the Arhaus Designer Challenge and they were able to help me create a little office to call my own.

If you need a work-from-home space, a more organized kitchen, a stylish patio (really anything) check out Arhaus design services. They are completely free, so you should take advantage of them and say goodbye to your kitchen table! What do you think of this transformation? What’s your favorite part of the room?

A 2019 survey found that 65 percent of professionals think they would be more productive working remotely than in a traditional office. With 49 percent saying they go to their home or home office when they really need to buckle down and get work done.