Easy French Shabby Chic Office Decorating Hacks You Need to Know Part 2

Mood Board & Concept Boards

Part 1: Inspiration for a French-Inspired Home Office

Part 2: You are here!

I recently refreshed my home office and decided to would write about my experience. Previously, this room was my scrapbooking/craft office, as I was active in design teams in the scrapbooking industry in another lifetime.

After starting my home office refresh, I wanted to think about how to design a French Country Cottage/Shabby Chic look with a calming and inspiring atmosphere. This had to be accomplished on a budget, and so my husband began our thrifting adventures for office furnishings. All of this occurred in the midst of the pandemic in the fall of 2020.

Moodboard

Even though I knew exactly what I wanted, my husband insisted that we thrift for furnishings. With this in mind I decided to start with my design concept, so I knew what I would be looking for, in order to achieve the look I have been dreaming of. As a part of our process of understanding my clients' interests, I look at images of interiors, furniture, artwork, and exhibitions that are inspiring to them.

The overall mood for this space is to be: Tranquil, Calm, Spacious, Feminine, Classy, Orderly, Soft, Romantic in the styles of Shabby Chic, French Country Cottage, and Traditional.

Images credits: Upper Left Freepik.com, Author @**4595886**; Middle: **Freepik.com, Author: @4595886**; Right: Great Room, Château de Montaigne; Tennessee - Source: mouldings.com

Floorplan

The first step in my process was to create a floor plan since this was going to be a major change from my floor plan for my craft room. The power position for a desk is to be facing the door, so with that in mind, I knew I wanted a symmetrical layout with storage on either side of the window behind me.

Since an area rug grounds the design, I knew that I wanted to layer an area rug over the existing Berber carpet. The benefits of this would be to add interest through color, pattern, and texture to the room.

Leftover from my craft room was a loveseat that I adore, so comfy to sit in, and it also serves as a spot for my Bichon frisé dog, Friday, to visit with me. Already the right style, however, signs of wear began to show. This gave me an opportunity to source a beautiful slipcover.

Concept Design Boards

The concept board is an important step for a designer to show how all the pieces fit together. As the creative inspiration material or the starting point of a creative process, a concept board is also known as a presentation board. A collage of images, texts, textures, and colors can make it easier to explore different aesthetics. This document can be used to communicate design ideas, describe the direction of a project, and guide designers. The visual presentation can also be compared to an advertisement since it outlines the characteristics and advantages of a particular item.

I create my concept boards using Design Files and/or Photoshop. It is easy to make changes based on my eye for design, and for adjustments in the budget. The benefit for my clients is that they get to see the complete vision before making any purchases. This is the secret sauce for any good design.

Initial Concept Design Boards

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Final Concept Design Board

While the first rug that I selected for the space turned out to look bland in person, that was why you need to see something in a space before making a final decision. Sometimes you need to live with something for a little while before making a decision. Overall, this concept design captured the calm, tranquil, feminine atmosphere that I wished to create in a style that combined Shabby Chic and French Country.

Watch for an upcoming post on the final result!