When we took on “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” home office project, the mission was pretty clear. The goal was to take an uninspired workspace and turn it into a room that feels considered, colourful, and deeply connected to the rest of the home. Our approach to interior design always balances hard-working functionality with a heavy dose of unexpected joy.
Here is how we transformed a standard, builder-basic room into a vibrant, sophisticated home office that means business, but absolutely isn’t corporate.
The Challenge: Solving the Generic Office Dilemma
The original office worked, technically. There was a desk, a chair, and somewhere to put paperwork. But visually, it could have belonged to almost anyone.
The challenge was to add ample storage without turning the room into a wall of office cabinetry. We needed a functional workspace for daily work and Zoom meetings while reflecting the client’s personality and love of travel.
The Spatial Fix: Purposeful Built-Ins & Balancing Visual Weight
To create a room that works hard but looks effortless, we had to rethink how the space was anchored and where things lived:
Custom Two-Tone Millwork: We designed a wall-to-wall custom built-in that does two completely different jobs. The lower portion offers closed storage for paperwork, while the open shelving displays the objects the client loves.
A Strong Central Anchor: Because the built-in occupies the entire wall and features such a saturated colour, the rest of the room needed substantial visual weight to balance it. We brought in CB2’s Reid Oval Brown Wood Storage Desk. Its dark brown wood repeats a colour found in the adjoining hallway, while its rounded corners provide necessary relief against the strong horizontal and vertical lines of the shelving.
Grounding the Floor Plan: The striped Otti rug was a selection that pushed the client slightly outside her comfort zone, but its bold colour and graphic pattern give the built-in something substantial to sit against visually. It grounds the lower half of the space rather than allowing all of the visual weight to live on one wall.
The Style: Clean Lines Meets Collected Personality
A functional workspace shouldn’t mean completely sacrificing your personality. The office balances the masculine weight of the deep wood desk and strong linear forms with softer elements for a layered, sophisticated aesthetic.
Burgundy Brilliance: Rather than defaulting to white or wood cabinetry, the built-in was painted a stunning Benjamin Moore Burgundy (BM-2075-10) in a satin finish. The colour was pulled directly from the wallpaper at the front entrance to create a cohesive visual thread. Paired with satin brass and walnut cabinet pulls, it makes a dramatically better backdrop for video meetings than a virtual beach on Zoom (iykyk).
Curated Collections: The open shelving was designed to display artwork, vessels, baskets, and sculptural pieces collected through years of travel. We carefully balanced scale, colour, and negative space to give each meaningful piece room to breathe. We also made the client’s artwork an integral part of the composition, centering a colourful piece within the millwork.
Playful Patterns & Textures: A sage green swivel chair with high-low checkerboard upholstery adds playful contrast to the purple millwork without competing with the rug. Overhead, a woven abaca rope ceiling fixture adds natural texture that ties the office to the primary bedroom and ensuite.
High Function, Heavy Personality
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” home office proves that a workspace can be functional and full of life. With thoughtful planning, custom millwork, and a bold colour palette, we transformed a generic room into a personalized sanctuary.
The finished office is dramatically more functional than the original, but function isn’t the first thing you notice. You notice the colour, the client’s collections, the art, and the personality. It’s an office because of what happens there, not because it looks like one.
Looking for a local interior designer to rethink your home’s trickiest spaces? Reach out to explore how we can bring functional, personality-filled design to your next project.