Looks for Less: White and Gold Office

White and gold is all the rage these days, and I’ve seen the combo in a lot of home offices lately, like the above photo from thefashionistasdiary.com. I think the white makes things seem clear, open and organized (better for focusing!), while the gold still makes it feel luxurious and warm. Because it is such a neutral palate, this is easy to put in a corner of another room, like a guest-room, living room or dining room. Here are some of my favorite, more inexpensive items to help create this look.

One thing though – you want to be able to have room to work! A lot of what I’ve seen on blogs is too cluttered for my taste. You want your home office to be practical, too! In my opinion, you need a desk, a lamp (on the desk or a floor lamp right next to the desk), something to hold accessories, and maybe some flowers or a picture frame on the desk or a shelf above the desk. Why do you need those gold antlers lying on your desk?!? (By way of office accessories, though, Target happens to have a TON of gold office accessories right now – scroll to the bottom for all of these!)

A word to the white though – with a basic white template, a little gold will go a long way. I recommend having 3-4 gold accessories on your desk (depending on how big the desk is and how many shelves you’ve got).

Here is my favorite combo (scroll down for more options). I’d put some white shelves (maybe with a gold bracket holding them up) above the desk for the magazine rack and one of the vases and I’d put the other vases around the room to tie it all in.

: 11

: 5

: 3 – X-Slat Desk, $123.50

Desks

Obvi the most important part of your office. Luckily, white desks are everywhere. This means there are a ton of choices out there and, therefore, a ton of factors to consider. Cheaper desks will (most likely) be particle board. One thing I’ve found is that furniture with a lacquer / shinier finish tends to look a bit nicer. Other considerations include whether you want any side drawers or shelves or any top storage. Personally, I like very simple desks right now — but that means you’ve got to have somewhere else to put your stuff. This post will focus on more simple, open desks. I like the idea of hanging shelves above (and off the desk), that way you’ve got storage but you’ve also got a clear desk with a lower thumbprint (because drawers and shelves tend to make items look bulkier. Glass also helps to make a smaller space not look so crammed. Here are a few of my favorite options:

: 1 – Writing Desk, $129.99

: 2 – Writing Desk, $153.99

: 3 – X-Slat Desk, $123.50

: 4 – Basic Desk, $104.50

: 5 – Writing Desk, $95.00

: 6 – Matte Gold Writing Desk $149.99

: 7 – Leaning Desk, $119.00

One way to spruce up a plain, more inexpensive white desk (or any desk for that matter) is to add some of your own hardware. I’d add a sleek gold handle or knob.

Lamps

Again, Target is a goldmine for gold and white lamps right now. AND LOOK AT THAT ARMADILLO LAMP! AND THAT LLAMA LAMP!