Designing a Home Office That Works: Full-Time WFH Tips & Our Moody Home Office Aesthetic
- Katie Kelly
- Mar 11
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 25
As most of us starting clocking into work from our living rooms or spare bedrooms, having a home office that's both functional and inspiring is not really optional anymore— it’s essential! If you're ready to transform your work-from-home setup into a space that sparks creativity and keeps you focused, a moody design scheme built around sage greens, cognac leather, light ash wood, and gold accents might be exactly the vibe you didn’t know you needed.
With both my husband and I working from home 80-90% of the time, a home office was a necessity for us. Having a space that's dedicated to work where our brains can tune into productivity and creativity was so important for both of our personalities, especially considering having a small toddler running around the house. After moving into a new house, we put our heads together to come up with a home office design that we both loved, a perfect balance of femininity and masculinity with calming earth tones and classic gold accents.
The Color Story: Sage Green as Our Mood-Setting Muse
Sage green is the unsung hero of calming interior palettes. It’s earthy, muted, and pairs beautifully with neutrals, warm woods, and metallics. On the walls, sage brings depth without being overpowering, especially in rooms with good natural light.
Tip: Use a matte or eggshell finish for your sage walls to enhance that soft, moody atmosphere. Not ready for a full repaint? Add sage through linen curtains, a vintage rug, or wall art.
After years of painting everything in sight white, it seems like every room in our house is slowly getting a timeless makeover with rich woods, deep wall colors, gold accents, and a mixture of textures and patterns, and our home office is no exception. Some of our favorite colors that we were choosing from for the walls were ranges from Sherwin Williams's Illusive Green and Behr's Hillside Green. If you're not ready to fully commit to a color, Sherwin William's Illusive Green is a great green/gray option that's neutral enough to change your accent colors over time, but dark enough to give a moody office vibe when paired with the right pieces.
The Anchor: Cognac Leather for Warmth and Sophistication
Cognac leather adds instant richness and a touch of luxury to the space. Whether it’s a statement office chair, a reading lounge chair in the corner, or even a set of leather desk accessories, this warm brown hue is perfect for grounding cooler tones like sage.
Tip: Choose an office chair that’s beautiful and ergonomically sound. Look for lumbar support, adjustable height, and real leather if budget allows — it lasts longer and ages better with time. My husband is 6"2' and has a really sensitive back and absolutely swears by this Cognac High Back Office Chair on Amazon. We've even sent it to some of our friends and they've all said the same thing: it looks great, has adjustable height, easy to clean, and super comfy even if you're chained to the desk all day on zoom calls.
Another cognac leather accent we have in our office is this statement lounge chair from Poly & Bark. My husband had his eye on this chair long before we bought it and let me tell you, it has not disappointed. This chair is the anchor piece of our reading corner of the office for the days when we need to change our view, have reading to do, or just need to take a small break from the screen. The warm cognac leather matches the office chair perfectly and adds warmth to even the far corners of the office.
Keep It Light: Ash-Wood Furniture for Balance
To keep the space from feeling too dark or heavy, light ash wood adds a natural, Scandinavian-inspired contrast. A sleek ash desk or open shelving unit introduces brightness and texture without clashing with the moody palette. The gray-ish color of the ash wood furniture acts as almost a balancing neutral color that keeps the energy light while letting the bolder features in the room shine.
In our office, we have a few pieces of the Sauder Aspen Post Collection. This collection is a series of this light, airy ash wood furniture with black hardware, again adding to that neutral elegance. Here are a couple items we have in our home:
Sauder Aspen Post Library w/ Doors - we have two of these flanking either side of the desk for symmetry.
Sauder Aspen Post Desk - *we actually have the Executive Desk which works great for a larger space. The Desk with File Drawer linked above is a great option that doesn't overwhelm smaller home office spaces.
Tip: Choose furniture with clean lines to prevent visual clutter. Avoid bulky pieces unless your office space is large enough to accommodate them comfortably.
The Finishing Touch: Gold Accents for Elegance
Brass or gold accents are the polish on this refined yet earthy palette. Think: an antique-meets-classic gold mirror to reflect natural light and add dimension, simple gold sconces, and even tiny shimmers along the floorboards with matte gold outlet covers. Almost all of the gold accents we have in the office are either brushed, matte, or have a vintage finish to them. This biggest thing to remember is not to overdo it — subtlety is key. One or two standout gold elements are enough to elevate the room without veering into "glam" territory.
We've had a quarter sawn oak mantle in storage for over five years, moved it around from house to house, all with the thought that eventually we would mount it somewhere. As we were piecing together our home office, it was a no-brainer to us that we would mount this mantle to the wall as a "hearth" or centerpiece of the office. It's not a true fireplace, but it's a beautiful earthy focal point of the room that you see immediately when you walk into our house. With the rich wood, we wanted to balance it out with these brushed and matte gold accents. My first pick: a vintage gold mirror.
These mirrors have been everywhere lately and you can find some that lean towards a more modern design or vintage/decorative design, but our favorite one to fit this space is this Arched Antique Gold Mirror on Amazon that's propped up on the mantle and sized at 24x36." The slight decorative design at the top is just enough to give that classic, vintage feel we were looking for.
Something we haven't mentioned yet, but is super important: lighting in your home office. The beautiful thing about working from home is that you can escape the fluorescent overhead lights and create a calming work atmosphere with just a few simple lights. In our office, we actually don't have any overhead lighting and rely on natural light from the windows, a desk lamp, and wall sconces.
Since there was no existing lighting in the office, we started a search for battery powered wall sconces that are easy to set up and match our moody home office goal. These Battery Powered Wireless Vintage Wall Sconces on Amazon are controlled by a small remote and provide the perfect amount of mood lighting in the office without being too overpowering.
A moody, well-designed home office isn’t just for aesthetics — it supports your mental clarity and helps us personally transition into “work mode” without leaving the house. Sage green soothes, cognac leather warms, ash wood balances, and gold accents refine. Together, they create a space that feels both grounded and elevated — exactly how you want to feel as you take on the workday. For my fellow work from homers, here are a few tips that help creating a home office that you'll actually use:
1. Zone Your Space
Even in small rooms, define specific zones: a dedicated desk for focused work, a comfy corner chair for calls or breaks, and closed storage to hide away clutter.
2. Invest in Lighting
Layer your lighting. Combine natural light, a desk lamp, and a warm ambient light (like battery powered sconces) to reduce eye strain and keep your energy up throughout the day.
3. Organize with Intention
Clutter kills creativity. Use ash-wood shelves, sage fabric bins, or leather catch-alls to keep things organized in a way that complements your palette. Daily cleaning up the clutter only takes a few minutes, but will help with hours of productivity.
4. Use Tech Thoughtfully
Cord management is crucial. Look for minimalist cable organizers in wood or leather, and keep chargers and hubs tucked away but accessible. Some of the Sauder office furniture pieces listed about have cord cubbies that help with this.
5. Personalize Without Distracting
Add a plant, an inspiring quote in a gold frame, or a candle that matches the room’s earthy tones. These details make the space yours without overloading your senses.
And there you have it! That was our personal approach in creating a work from home space that we actually use, helps us disconnect from the chores laying around the house, and is also inspiring and thought provoking.
Here are all of my favorite picks for our home office linked from Amazon all together*:
Furniture Amazon Links:
Gold Accents (Hardware & Decor) Amazon Links:
WFM Electronic Setup:
Other Small Decor Home Office Picks Amazon Links:
*NOTE: All Amazon links are from Amazon Associates and eligible for commissions to Louella Paper Co.
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