New Home Office Paint Colors + Office Desk Organization

We’re sharing the new home office paint colors that give it a warm + cozy feel, as well as walking through the desk setup! [affiliate links may be used, thanks for supporting north country nest!]

If you’ve been around here any length of time, you know how much I love changing things up. Kitchen cabinets and entryway, I’m lookin’ at you.

Given this fact, it should come as no surprise that yet another room has been subject to the whims of change. Brett went out to Utah for elk hunting and as I always do when he leaves for an extended period of time, I got the bug to change something up. I set my sights on the office and decided to give the walls a little refresh.

Let me begin by first sharing that I really did love the blue and white combo (check it out here in the first home office reveal). The only problem is the office doesn’t have windows and it got to be a little too dark. With Witt and Company, both video and stock photography play a big role in the content that’s created an as time goes on, I’m realizing how important it is to have a lighter space. Obviously we aren’t going to move the office entirely, so changing up the wall color was my next best option.

When we first chose the blue and white combo, it did cross my mind that it might be too dark. But, I thought the white shiplap would help balance the dark blue. It did and it didn’t. Because the blue was on top, it ended up reflecting off my face more often than not and the dark shadows were especially apparent on video calls. Given that I do a lot of video with clients, it wasn’t ideal – and definitely didn’t do me any favors on camera 😛

The first step in this quick and easy refresh was deciding on a new color combination. I picked up a few more samples and tested them out on the walls. I knew I wanted something lighter and a little warmer, so decided on a green, blue and gray, all with yellow undertones.

I really loved the blue but thought it was still a little too dark. Don’t worry, it’s in the back of my mind as a great option for our guest bedroom). And the gray didn’t look that great paired with the green, but it’s also in the back of my mind as a potential hallway color. So, that left the green.

Quick note on paint samples: Because the sample was so small, the color-to-white ratio was a little different than with a larger size container. You can see below – the edge is the quart size and right above it is the paint sample – they look like two completely different colors.

If you remember back to our entryway renovation, the biggest realization we had was that a lot of white anything in our home just doesn’t work. I originally thought it wouldn’t be a problem in the office but Gunner is my big shadow and lays against the wall while I’m working. Of course it started to leave a dark mark on the white wall, so painting the bottom half green was an easy decision. Thank you, Gunner!

For the top, I was originally going to do the white color (Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster) but then decided to test out our kitchen wall color, Hazy Skies by Benjamin Moore (color matched at our local home improvement store). I think it makes the entire space feel a little warmer. It could be that we’re heading into the cold winter months but I am craving warm and cozy colors – I must say this pairing hits it outta the park!

A slight concern was the area rug – I purchased it because it had some hints of blue that really pulled out the color in the walls. Thankfully, it ended up pairing really well with the new color scheme. Maybe it’s my eyes playing tricks on me, but I’m seeing more green in the pattern with the new wall color. Although I wouldn’t have sprung for a new rug right now, it would have been one of those little things that annoyed me, so mini-crisis averted with that!

The other catalyst for the makeover was getting a new technology setup. It was the Monday afternoon before Brett left for elk hunting and both my laptop and desktop weren’t syncing with Adobe Creative Cloud – the software I use to design for clients at Witt and Company. After talking with Adobe support for an hour, they that because the computers were old (circa 2010-2012), the Adobe software no longer synced with them. Well, we made an impromptu trip to Best Buy and purchased a new laptop and monitor. Instead of having two different computers, I condensed down to one and now use a monitor when working at the desk. Brett does the same thing for his office, except he upgraded and has two monitors with his laptop – fancy, I know.

Obviously working from home is the norm these days, so I wanted to share how the new setup is going. In a nutshell, really, really well. I like the flexibility of still being able to grab the laptop and work at the couch in front of the fireplace but then get the benefit of a big screen when sitting at the desk.

The other update in here is the office chair. I spent so much time searching for a chair when we first put this room together and the one I chose was very cute. However, it was not at all comfortable.

I found myself sneaking downstairs to Brett’s office and hauling up his big chair any time he went on the road for work. I finally found this one that wasn’t a huge stretch on the budget and after sitting in it now for two months, I can confidently say it stands up to the comfort test.

And that, my friends, is the new mini office makeover. Once again, I’m amazing at how much a room can transform with a little paint. Now back to our regularly scheduled renovations… for now 🙂