The adage ‘dress for success’ is also true of office nooks. Having a work space at home that’s organised and conducive to your practice, projects and thought processes is a recipe for good things, especially when that space is part of a larger room and often feels like just an accessory.

To this end, we’ve put together five room ideas to help you make your office nook more stylish. With their careful balance of work and play, these looks are sure to inspire.

Check out all the stylish options below:

Image 1 Left:

Wall in Resene Soothe, mural arch and lines in Resene Sebedee, mural circle in Resene Merlot, mural stripe (at far right) in Resene Coral Tree and other mural shapes (at left, top and bottom) in Resene Streetwise. Floor in Resene Sea Fog, desk in Resene Jaguar, chair in Resene Yuma and plant pot in Resene Coconut Cream. Furniture stylist's own.

An arched mural is the ne plus ultra of simple wall features. Whether you use one as a handsome faux headboard or as a statement piece, a painted arch creates a dynamic focal point. It is because of this that we’ve incorporated one in an open office space: the vivacity of the orange Resene Sebedee clearly demarcates this nook from the rest of the room. Complement the curve of the design with similarly sinuous shapes in dark red Resene Merlot and slate blue Resene Streetwise, or repeat the arch’s colour through a few short and sharp dashes.

 To offset the brightness of the mural, bring in a desk in inky Resene Jaguar, add a wooden chair in yellow-beige Resene Yuma and keep your floor’s palette simple with a hue similar to Resene Sea Fog. Complete the look with office necessities – good lighting, tech, storage and stationery – and some verdant, leafy house plants.

Image 1 Right:

Wall in Resene Wishing Well (with Resene Influential and Resene Time After Time feature), floor in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash and side table in Resene Half Tea. Large rounded vase in Resene Soulful and small ribbed vase in Resene Cleopatra. Rug and table from Freedom Furniture, art by Emma-Kate from Endemic World, lamp from Nood, throw from Kmart.

 A moody navy, such as Resene Wishing Well, is an easy to use base colour if you want to create a cosy office. Create interest with an abstract mural in mustard Resene Influential and grey-meets-indigo Resene Time After Time, then mirror those hues through an expansive rug peppered with similar colours. Balance this look with creams and metallic accents, and add a print clad in a crisp white frame. Gentle pinks and apricots blend well into this colour scheme too, so consider incorporating vases and soft furnishings in these shades to amplify the room’s snug factor.

Image 2 Left:

Walls in Resene Just Dance and Resene Smoulder. Floor in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash and peg board in Resene Half Tea with Resene Shilo, Resene King Tide and Resene Smoulder. Side table in Resene Half Tea, large round vase in Resene Shilo, tall carafe vase in Resene King Tide, pencil cup in Resene Shilo with Resene King Tide and plant stand in Resene Smoulder. Desk, chair and lamp from Freedom Furniture, rug from Kmart.

 Contrasting walls in coral and wine red are a perfect pairing, in part because of their shared warmth and in part because of the sense of comfort they both quietly exude. Get this look by employing Resene Smoulder and Resene Just Dance across both walls, remembering to use good quality painter’s tape to achieve a seamless dividing line between them. Add a round rug and a round side table to soften the sharper lines and include a wooden desk with a natural finish for extra richness. Balance all of this with cooler hues like a pegboard in Resene Half Tea and a plush chair similar in colour to Resene King Tide.

Image 2 Right:

Lower half of wall in Resene Coast and top half of wall in Resene Poured Milk. Floor in Resene Poured Milk, desk in Resene Influential, chairs in Resene Yes Please and Resene Shilo and bookshelf in Resene Raging Bull. Mini drawer unit (inside bookshelf) in Resene Poured Milk, Resene Yes Please, Resene Coast and Resene Influential. Pencil pot in Resene Yes Please, little bowl on bookshelf in Resene Raging Bull and vase on desk in Resene Yes Please. Rug and alarm clock from Allium, floral stationery accessories from The Warehouse.

Carry your ideas, inspiration and more with a circle motif pin board. The assorted and contrasting shapes in Resene Influential, Resene Raging Bull, Resene Yes Please and Resene Coast mean you can dedicate certain colours to particular things for a more organised space. Repeat the circle shape with a fluffy rug and echo those colours through your chair, desk, bookshelf and ceramics for a striking, coordinated space.

 Top tip For added contrast, create a two-toned wall by painting the lower half of your wall in Resene Coast, a stark blue, and the top half in Resene Poured Milk, a blue-grey white.

Image 3:

Wall in Resene Moonlight and tongue-and-groove panelling in Resene Untamed. Shelf (on top of panelling) in Resene Noir, floor in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash and spare chair in Resene Moccasin and Resene Noir. Hooks in Resene Moccasin, pencil holder in Resene Moccasin, tall textured vase in Resene Moccasin, round dimpled vase in Resene Mystery, low plate (with apple) in Resene Family Tree, table in Resene Noir with Resene Family Tree legs and chair in Resene Pohutukawa. Desk and rug from Freedom Furniture, throw from Nood, pencil holder and hook set from Kmart, art by Contour Creative Studio from Endemic World, purse from Miniso.

If your office nook is part of a larger, multi-purpose room, use tongue-and-groove panelling to give it structure. For a fresh feel, paint the panels in Resene Untamed, an olive green, then finish the upper half of your wall in Resene Moonlight, a soft yellow. As this palette takes its cues from nature and is slightly citrusy, hues like terracotta, pale blue and black will help to anchor the room. Try painting a chair, shelf or pencil holder in Resene Moccasin, vases in Resene Mystery and your desk’s trims in Resene Noir. You’ll have an inviting space that’s fit for purpose.

styling Annick Larkin, Laura Lynn Johnston and Vanessa Nouwens

images Bryce Carleton