Cozy in Love Spaces brings inspiration and function to the home office.
Photos by Sarah Peterson of Braevin
Even though she has worked as an interior designer for seven years, Angel Phillips had never given much attention to her home office until the pandemic hit. “If I was going to be working from home full-time, the setup I had wasn’t going to cut it,” Phillips says. But with stay-at-home orders in place, Phillips, the creative behind Cozy in Love Spaces, turned her attention toward a room that had served many purposes over the years, including pet area and storage space. I chatted with Phillips about the most important elements of her project, which won Best Home Office Design in the 2021 Oregon Home Structure + Style Awards.
Angel Phillips (photo by Jason E. Kaplan)
Access the Space
“It was really important for me to have a project table. I wanted to have something where I could lay out all of my design boards and client materials and inspirational objects. I created the design around that. You don’t always start with a table, but I like asking my clients if there is a particular piece or object they want to keep and design around, whether it’s a rug or an inspirational artwork.”
Light Up the Room
“Oregon can get a little gloomy, I have so many lights in my office. I have an overhead light, I have a floor lamp, and I have three table lamps. I light up the entire space so that anywhere I am, I can see what I’m doing. Lighting depends on your budget, of course, so I did a lot of Pottery Barn and Target.”
Determine the Layout
“I have two entrances and windows. I’ve played around a lot with where the desk should go. I used a program called SketchUp to analyze the best layout. For my space, it made the most sense to have the project table be on the back wall toward the garage, and put my glass desk facing the window toward the street, where I can get a nice view and some sunshine coming in, and storage and shelving on the other wall.”
Hide the Clutter
“I have a filing cabinet for all of my important paperwork, but my stand with the baskets is where I keep all of my samples, books and supplies. My project table also has little cubbies where I can keep client objects and things for the project. My go-to sources are Target — specifically the Studio McGee line — some Magnolia Storage, and some cubbies from Threshold, the Target brand. I spent more on the project table and less on the storage items.”
Show Your Wins
“I’m so proud of my Oregon Home award for bathroom design back in 2018, and it’s something I really wanted to display. And I wanted to do that in a pretty way, so I framed it and hung it prominently.”
Love Your Workspace
“I really love to make my workspace more inviting by taking local artists and creating a gallery wall, incorporating greenery and plants, and giving warmth to the space through textiles and pops of color. I’ll buy art thinking: This will be for a client someday! But I end up wanting to keep everything.”
Get Inspired
“I always have my goals up on my pinboard. On my desk I have a little dish with aromatherapy and lotion and Post-it Notes, where I write down what I’m grateful for and any inspirational quotes that help me.”
Own Your Throne
“I have one rolling chair from Pottery Barn. I really wanted something soft you could spend eight hours or more in during the day. The project table is a little higher, from McGee & Co., so it’s the perfect height for project work. One is usually covered with design samples and materials, and the other is more of a computer desk.”
Keep It Comfortable
“If I had to do it again, the glass table feels cold, and you have to clean it all the time. I’d probably just get a wood desk next time. The project table is fantastic. I always have a blanket over the chair, drapery to add softness to the windows. I find having everything organized helps keep me in the right state of mind and I feel more inspired in a pretty space. My dogs, Dixon and Dakota, are usually in there as well.”
