Just off of our front entryway, our Study (as it was always referred to growing up) is one of my very favourite spaces in this house. Each and every wall is lined with shelves that I can’t wait to fill with books, just like they were when we were younger. There’s a beautiful wood burning fireplace (with a gas start making it easy to start a fire the mood strikes us). There’s a perfect spot for my desk (which holds quite a story behind it!), with loads of storage tucked in behind and a nice big window across from it. Most of all, this room it filled to the brim with memories of my Mother-in-law. It was always her special space, though she would of course welcome anyone and everyone in to enjoy it too.
It’s the most cozy & welcoming little space – it somehow feels like it’s own snug little cocoon, yet it holds a prominent spot right off of the main entrance to our home.
We spend a ton of time in here (myself especially). It’s where I sip my morning coffee every. single. day. It’s where Carson wanders in to say good morning, finding a comfy chair to curl up in to ease into those first moments of the day. It’s where I scour the internet for inspiration, hash out all of my ideas, & write up every blog post. It’s where I curl up in the evenings with a cup of tea and my latest read. It’s always been my favourite room in this house.
There’s no question that this room is the most special to us, simply because of the deep connection it holds to my Mother-in-law for us all. And, because of that, we plan to leave much of it just as it always was. Sure, some things in here definitely need to change (pink carpet and purple marble tile I’m talking to you!), but for the most part, we won’t be making a whole lot of changes to this space. Instead, we’re going to focus on playing up the character and charm of this little room to make it feel as warm and cozy as it used to.
While I know that covering the wall, shelving and fireplace with a single colour would look absolutely stunning, we just don’t want to risk losing those feelings of nostalgia that all of the oak brings for us. So instead, I decided to find a paint colour that would compliment the oak a little better than the boring beige it used to be.
And let me tell you, that one small change made ALL the difference!
Finding the perfect black that matched the warmth of the oak wasn’t easy and taking the leap with such a BOLD colour felt pretty big, but in the end, this warm, black-brown-charcoal colour was exactly what this room needed to really bring out the character in here. I struggled a bit with whether the ceiling in here should be painted white or black (read more about that saga here), but in the end, I think the darker ceiling is what really gives those cozy cocoon vibes.
And then, I painted this beautiful old desk of ours with the prettiest chocolate brown.
And all of a sudden, I find myself feeling inspired to just finish the job in here and maybe, just maybe, we might be able to have ourselves at least one finished room in this house (although, I don’t think any space is ever really “finished”).
So, off I went in search of all the inspiration and you know it was all just too good not to share! Below, you’ll find some of the beautiful spaces I’ve been pulling inspiration from to create our own cozy little study.
Inspiring Study Design Ideas
I hope you found just as much inspiration in these lovely spaces as I have! My head is spinning with ideas right now and cannot wait to dive into them all with you soon!
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day my friends!ย
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