Welcome to my Scandinavian inspired home office. It was a lengthy 5-month project (due to unforeseen difficulties) but we got there in the end! Designed around its setting, this office cabin sits effortlessly amongst the woodland backdrop and replaces what was previously a run-down, old tool shed.
I purchased the Barbados 3 summerhouse by Lasita from Cabins Unlimited, a log cabin and summerhouse distributor based in Norwich. The team there were fantastic, they came and installed the eco-friendly base and erected the cabin within a day (less than, even) and then my builders insulated and boarded the walls, laid both the underfloor heating and wood flooring, painted the inside and also painted the outside. My Dad and brother-in-law, well, they carried out all the electrical works – thanks guys!
I wanted to achieve a minimalist and functional work space that was light, bright and in-touch with nature – all the core elements of Scandinavian design which I wanted to reflect in my office style. Wood floors tend to remain uncovered and lighter wooden tones are frequently found in Scandinavian homes. And, of course, live plants are a popular choice when it comes to bringing the outdoors in.
The most fitting choice of colours for the ‘Scandi look’ are from the monochrome colour palette. White or off-white walls are ideal as they create a bright, clean backdrop whilst white, grey, blue, black, and cream are best for furniture colours.
I decided to paint the cabin in black barn paint which believe me, was quite a conversational topic when I mentioned this to Matt and my builders!! They are looked at me and said, “honestly?!”. It was however, such a good move as the cabin almost disappears into its surroundings, becoming part of the woodland. Perfect for my Scandi design.
I opted for all white walls and stayed true to the natural form of the Scandinavian softwood which is used on the Lasita cabin, by keeping the ceiling and beams exposed. The oak flooring is by v4 Wood Flooring (gifted) and is called Water Meadow. It is made up of extra-wide engineered European oak planks that have been finished using traditional hand tools to plane and scrape the oak surface following the natural contours of the grain.
The wall lights are designed by a Belgium company called Lucide which I purchased from from Wayfair (linked here). I absolutely love the simplicity of their design, their excellent quality and the individual switches that can be turned on/off independently to the main light switch.
The bespoke acrylic wall calendar was something that I have had my eye on for sometime – I just needed to find a supplier to make me one! I found loads in the US but that just wasn’t going to work due to the high delivery and duty rates. After much searching, I found a company on eBay who were able to print my own design on to their own acrylic supplies. They are so pleased with the results that they have actually decided to list my calendar as a regular stock item! (linked here)
The shelving, filing units, side table, peg boards (which I love and are so useful) and a few of the accessories were all from Ikea, my desk was from John Lewis although its not stock anymore BUT I have found my exact one on eBay, second hand, with a current bid of £77 (linked here, ends in 1 day – so be quick if you want it!), the Eames style desk chair was from eBay and my sofa bed was from Wayfair.
The display books were from my local Oxfam book shop. If you haven’t explored second hand book shopping, you simply must! There are often some hidden gems and it is a great way to recycle pre-loved books! The artwork and frames were from a previous paid partnership with Desenio. I would highly recommend to anyone to have a look at Desenio for affordable prints and frames.
The wired planter was from Sainsbury’s (along with the real plant) but I have managed to source a similar one (linked here).
If you fancy creating a similar look, I’ve pulled together a list below of the items within my Scandi-inspired home office;
Shop the Look
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think by leaving a comment!
SJ x
I can’t believe how amazing it looks! Coordinated so well and with such beautiful styling and an eye for detail. Very well done x
Amazing. Well do me you on another great venture. xox
Looks fabulous, such a calm space 👍xx
You really do have a magic touch! So gorgeous!
Perfect! Love the black paint!
Love it 😍 I want one!! Xx
Absolutely gorgeous SJ! It actually reminds me of the offices at Scandinavian Airlines HQ in Stockholm as I have gone to a lot of meetings there. I’ve always admired Swedish and Norwegian design. Well done xxx
Looks fab! Think you got the outside colour spot-on – very brave – you have a great eye!
Looks amazing! Would love to know how easy it was getting the electricity and heating out there and what the process was? We’re thinking of doing something similar so practical stuff like that would be really useful!
I have been so excited to see the final reveal of this project and I am not disappointed. Your style and attention to detail is always so inspiring. You amaze me with how much you achieve alongside your busy schedule of being a mum. Absolutely fabulous once again and thoroughly inspired for a garden room for my daughter who is desperate for a beauty room. Thanks for sharing 😘
Fabulous and thank you for the list of the items you used.
It really is beautiful SJ. Your vision and energy are truly inspiring. The way you bring a project together is amazing and a real pleasure to observe. Thanks so much for sharing xx
Author
Thanks Jackie, this is so lovely to read. X
Thank you so much for putting this together! I am just about to furnish/style my new garden office pod and have decided to copy you (it’s just beautiful), using your links etc. Such a time-saver for me so I really appreciate your efforts! Thanks,
Claire