New interior project – a cool, minimalist home office in a Shoreditch loft apartment

Did you catch the first part of this project reveal yesterday? We’ve seen the soft beige bedroom in this converted warehouse apartment in east London, and now it’s time for the room next door – a cool, minimalist home office with dusty pink accents.

This room is a little different to the neutral tones of the elegant, understated bedroom. That space has a muted colour palette and soft textures conducive to relaxing and a good night’s sleep. This room, on the other hand, is a smaller space for working and reading. I wanted to pack a punch with a bold, dark, gallery wall to provide some creative inspiration. I was so happy that the client went with me on the colour scheme rather than playing it safe.

I think with small spaces, sometimes more is more. Rather than try to fight the dimensions of a space, my tip is to just go for it, whether it’s embracing the darkness of a small room by enveloping it in hue or creating impact and intrigue with wallpaper or eye-catching displays (for instance, here the gallery wall draws your eye up the wall, helping give the illusion of height).

Interior design and styling: Cate St Hill, Photography: Kasia Fiszer

But let’s go back to the beginning – the initial mood board. I wanted to pay homage to the industrial heritage of the building by using subtle cues to highlight some of the original details. A black feature wall (Off Black by Farrow & Ball) provides the focal point, while a muted, dusty pink (Boro by Atelier Ellis) picks out the woodwork and the beautiful, old, double warehouse door. The pink isn’t too girly or sickly sweet next to the exposed brick walls and dark features. The look I was going for was cool and minimalist with clean, contemporary details and a few playful, artistic touches.

Above is the first visualisation I created for the room and below is the finished result! Before the space was used as a bedroom – gone is the double bed and instead we have a large HAY desk below the gallery wall and a cosy reading nook opposite. The IC S1 pendant from Flos lighting adds a contemporary counterpoint to the industrial features. The brass matches with the arm of the &tradition Bellevue lamp on the desk.

There’s a unique feature where the wall bends round to meet the window frame – Space Copenhagen’s Loafer lounge chair slots in there nicely, echoing the same smooth curve. I love the contrast between the peachy pink velvet and the rough painted brick – the chair adds an element of luxe to a very utilitarian space. The chair was originally designed for the SAS Royal Hotel lobby in Copenhagen – designers Space Copenhagen sought to create a chair that created a sense of intimacy in an open space. ‘It’s a comfortable design that somehow also makes you feel protected,’ they say.

A utilitarian, black String shelf system adds an industrial-style detail to the brick wall opposite the desk. This modular design is perfect for displaying favourite books, magazines and objects – I think it helps to have focused areas of detail in a room (the String shelves and the gallery wall) to prevent a space feeling too cluttered. You can use String’s handy online configurator to create your own configuration of shelves and brackets to suit your space.

I also love the Scenery pinboard by Ferm Living for pinning up inspiration. The black stained ash frame ties in the with black details elsewhere in the room. The gallery wall can evolve and be added to slowly over time – affordable postcards and notes help to give a more personal touch to the bigger art prints. It helps frame the computer and creates an inspiring, minimalist home office to work in. The pink of the woodwork is picked up again in artwork and smaller objects.

Even though there’s an almost black wall, this minimalist home office doesn’t feel dark or dingy. Almost the opposite, it feels fresh and bright. I love how the muted pink complements and softens the dark, industrial-style scheme. It adds a subtle feminine touch without overpowering the space with hue. Pink might not be an obvious choice for a converted warehouse building but sometimes you need an element of surprise to bring a home to life.

What do you think? Do let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!