A Once-Boring “Bare” Spare Room Just Got a “Cozy Glam” Office Glow-Up

It’s a tale as old as time in homes and apartments lucky enough to have a spare bedroom. The space falls to the bottom of the decorating list and turns into a drop zone of sorts for things that don’t have a permanent home. 

That’s exactly what happened with a client of Madelaine Mayer, who is the founder and design principal at ADROIT Architecture & Interior Design (and the 2023 AT Small/Cool Best Vibe winner!). Her NYC-based client lived in a 1923 prewar apartment and had a 125-square-foot blank canvas that needed a little decorating love. 

“The original office was the quintessential spare room: bare white walls, no art, minimal window treatments, and no floor coverings,” Mayer says. “There was a simple desk that didn’t meet the client’s work-from-home needs, an uncomfortable sofa bed, a 10-year-old TV, and an exercise bike — none of which were actually used.”

Once Mayer’s client realized she’d be working from home at least two days a week for the foreseeable future, she jumped at the opportunity to hire ADROIT to make the space not only an office that she wanted to spend time in but also a guest room with all the amenities for her out-of-town visitors. 

Mayer starts every project with a questionnaire that goes deep; it’s not just about favorite colors and textures (though that’s there, too, of course). The questions touch on where clients like to travel, what books they like to read, how they like to spend their time, and beyond. “It helps us form a picture of who they are as a person and how they want to live,” Mayer says. “In this case, we learned that our client’s uncle is an artist whose fantastic paintings were being stored in a closet.” 

Those paintings turned into the inspiration for the room, a jumping-off point that provided the project with an overall color palette of blue, gold, and orange. “Our client also loves geometric patterns, which informed the wallpaper and rug selections,” Mayer says. 

The structure of the room would remain the same: floors, walls, moldings, doors, windows, and ceiling light location. “The goal here was transformation through color, patterns, texture, and a more rational furniture layout that maximized the space and allowed the room to perform all of its necessary functions,” Mayer says.

For the walls and ceiling, Mayer got to work selecting all of the gorgeous finishes you see here. The star of the show? The Fabricut wallpaper and drapery material pairing. “The tiger print was designed by acclaimed designer Vern Yip — it’s even on the cover of his new book,” Mayer says. Tribal Geometric ceiling wallpaper by Spoonflower rounds out the pattern-drenched look. 

Underfoot, the team brought in a washable rug from Wayfair. “We wanted something that worked for a rolling chair, a pull-out sofa bed, and as a yoga underlayment, so a flat pile was essential,” Mayer says. 

That brings us to the furniture’s selection and placement. “The layout and custom desk came from working out how to fit all the necessary functions (office, guest room, yoga area) in the small and quirky space,” Mayer says. “The flow of the space was dictated by the functionality and how to accommodate the sofa bed in its extended position.”

They went with an L-shaped, built-in desk topped with gorgeous green marble to make the most of what could easily become a dead corner. “Our custom desk was designed with storage in mind,” Mayer says. “The right side has a “box/box/file” configuration, allowing the client to store documents as well as miscellaneous desk items. The left side has a large cabinet with adjustable shelves, perfect for small exercise equipment and storage boxes.” 

Above, two floating gallery shelves provide a space for books and keepsakes. “Replacing the [nearby] closet doors with drapery panels facilitates access for larger items,” Mayer says.

The velvet sleeper sofa is from American Leather, and the chandelier is by Pooky. The radiator and air conditioner covers were a custom fabrication, “but they are designed to be easily removable should the need ever arise,” Mayer says. They give the space that extra bespoke look. 

One of Mayer’s favorite details in the room? Hanging that special family artwork on chains from the full perimeter curtain rod. This is a great way to continuously change out your art, too, since pieces aren’t affixed directly to the wall.

The actual installation for the office guest room took three weeks, but Mayer’s firm spent months planning, ordering, and procuring all of the elements. “We definitely had a few surprises and setbacks, most notably with the unevenness of the floor,” Mayer says. “There was a lot more on-site trimming and adjustment of the custom millwork than expected, which took time and made such a mess!”

But it was all worth it in the end. “My client loves how wonderfully cozy the room is and how it feels almost like a secret room,” Mayer says. “She was also thrilled that it is completely unrecognizable compared with where it started and that she has the dramatic change she was looking for.”