I love the opportunity to design commercial spaces just as much as I do residential areas. Commercial design offers different challenges and unique opportunities for decor, so when I got the call from Nova Home Loans here in Yuma, AZ to redesign their new offices, I was pretty eager to get started.

After my initial tour through the 4,000 square foot building, one thing was clear: there was a lot (and I mean, a LOT) of wall space to work with which presents a significant challenge when it comes to decorating. Basically, I needed to find industrial decor and artwork that worked well together without going overboard, all while implementing more warmth to tame the cool vibes running throughout.

Here is where we started: the lobby.

Recently painted varying shades of bluish-grey with grey luxury vinyl flooring, this office was predominantly cool (think color wheel here) without any warmth to balance it out and make it inviting. My immediate thought was to introduce deeper blues (navy) but also bring in pops of orange and hints of rust to create more of a balance. The furniture also needed to be reconfigured in order to define the space and make it work better overall.

In an effort to make this space feel more like home, we embellished those bare walls with a desert wall mural scene, framed out in a stained wood molding, with a laser cut wood sign to match (Lazy J Signs). The furniture was rearranged, a large area rug was added, along with matching end tables and coffee table, new lamps, and throw pillows.

The entryway also received an updated look. Originally sporting two small chairs and one accent table, this area needed to house more options for seating and become the welcome area it was designed to be.

One bench, four mirrors of varying sizes and styles, along with some fresh accent pillows, and it’s a whole new space.

The receptionist area also got a brand new look. Kyle Hardin of Hardin Development created this awesome accent counter piece that literally makes the whole room! Talk about adding some warmth and interest to an area? And texture?! Love it!

Next up? The second lobby in the back office space. We used the existing couches and spruced up the rest of the area by adding in throw pillows (they’re miracle workers, I swear), a (faux) floral arrangement, new coffee table, and a geometric area rug for some added character.

While the “before” pics got overlooked, the “after” shots did not …

Moving on to the office break room.

I really wanted to make this a fun, unconventional space because a break room implies just that—a break! I loaded this baby up with a whole bunch of clocks for the feature accent wall. Clocks in all different shapes, sizes, and colors because breaks are always limited and most definitely associated with time—so why not?! I also wanted to give a bit of encouragement/motivation by means of vinyl wall decor, and implement a few fun touches by means of oversized utensils and a (totally unexpected) dinosaur cookie jar. Fun, functional, but still adult and professional.

E338D39B-B913-4B8E-9440-8233801FAE25-1 copy.jpg

And what’s a break room without coffee and cool coffee mugs?

Remember all of that wall space I was referring to earlier? It took a decent amount of time curating the right amount of wall decor to define each space within this large office. I wanted to use pieces indicative of the Yuma area, along with elements that upped the cool factor.

Photos were a must and Yuma has a lot of landmarks and symbols that I wanted represented on the walls at Nova Home Loans. I asked the ever-awesome, Vanessa Brack of Vanessa Brak Photography for help and she captured my vision perfectly. Just beautiful.

Now, there are a number of hallways throughout Nova, so I thought a corner gallery wall would be a great option. A number of the images and artistry featured in these frames were found on Etsy while the collage of different-sized frames are from Pottery Barn. So fun!

See what I mean about wall space? Lots of it—but that’s what makes the challenge so fun!

Moving on to the cubicle section of this office, there are two identical areas that needed attention. I knew in one of these sections I wanted to create some interest using skeleton keys. Skeleton keys are really neat and since this was a home loan office, it just made sense. I was able to purchase a large and small set (Amazon, Etsy) to use for this specific wall treatment. The smaller set was spray painted copper and Hobby Lobby mounted and matted these babies for me. Love how they turned out!

Opposite of the skeleton keys was a small space to create some added interest using clay pots, succulents, concrete elements, and industrial pipe shelving. Simple but effective.

In our second identical cubicle space, we used two large decor pieces and placed them together to use up most of the upper wall space shown here. Still gives the industrial feel and adds some texture to the area as well.

And then a really cool rustic map from my stockpile found it’s way on the wall opposite of this structure. Thanks, Dandy Home & Ranch!

Moving on, two more main walls were given a slight makeover. Just a few pieces and these spaces were complete. Again, the goal was not to overcrowd but to create a space that worked well together and would draw interest, as well as one that was inviting, fun, and functional.

Vintage bike wheels and a wooden/metal combo ladder for the win here.

So, before I close out this blog post, one more area was in need of a little help and that’s the conference room. This area is used quite a bit and was in need of a buffet/credenza/side table unit for luncheons and the likes. Using Walls of Wisdom (Etsy), this area got a custom Yuma sign, new buffet/server, side tables for some extra serving space, and custom Yuma street signs. All of this was pulled together just in time for Nova’s Open House event which was an awesome success.