BOOKCases

Country English Butler’s Pantry Whatever your needs -- storage, serving, or even a caterer’s prep station -- this grand butler’s pantry design blends beauty and functionality to maximum effect. Inspired by the architectural elements and furnishings once found in English manor homes of the 18th and 19th centuries, this Country English design reflects the spirit of the English garden with its soft, light finishes, hand-rubbed, worn looks and elegant cabinetry designs. Practical storage above and below, ample countertop work surfaces, glass –front cabinets, plate racks, and other elements add to the fabulous functionality

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Choose hardworking furniture made for corners. Some desk units are made for corners, whether it's a large piece like this ...

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Install a fireplace. The worker bee in this room can enjoy the warmth from the adjacent desk; a lounger can enjoy the cozy view of the flames from the club chair across the room.

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You can always place chairs and tables in front of corner shelves. Note the way this rug placement takes a cue from the corner.

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Angle shelves and cabinets into the corner behind the desk. This curved desk and angled built-in work well together.

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Angle in a desk. If you want to look out onto the whole office, nestle yourself into the corner with the desk facing out into the room. I also like this approach when a workspace is in the bedroom — you don't feel so imprisoned at your desk when you have a wide view of the whole space.

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Tucking an office chair into the corner takes advantage of space where cabinet drawers would have been knocking into each other and creates extra leg room. This strategy also works great in a small space or in the corner of another room, like a kitchen or an office. The cabinets provide enough storage space to keep the office mess tucked away.

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Nestle in a work area. A curved desktop counter gives smooth and easy access to file and office drawers as well as extra desktop space within arm's reach.

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Angle shelves around the bend. Bookshelves that go 'round the bend make the most of a corner's storage potential. This creates a good spot in which to float a comfortable reading chair or chaise longue.

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When a fabulous library shares space with a previously underused dining room, guests will be inspired to take a fresh look at their own underused spaces. Dining rooms and formal parlors can be lonely rooms, but they can come alive again when filled with amazing books.

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Give yourself something great to look at. This gallery wall would inspire anybody - and how great are the furniture and accessories? Talk about inspiration.

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Get clever with artwork. “Artwork can even be placed in such a way as to hide work binders or office accessories that are not in use,” Gordon says.

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Let your furniture multitask. Place an extra-deep console or narrow table at the back of a sofa. “It functions as a desk during the day for work and can be easily transformed into a decorative piece when entertaining or watching TV at night,” says Gordon.

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Create decorative storage. When you’re using the room as a den, the last thing you want is to stare at unappealing office storage. “Use creative storage to store and tuck away papers and binders when they are not in use,” says interior designer Elizabeth Gordon. “These can include attractive built-in or freestanding shelving, decorative bins and boxes, or cabinets with drawer storage.”

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4. Black and white split in Minnesota. This U-shape counter provides ample surface area in a home office for two. Houzz readers saved this photo for its simple black and white palette and the extra-deep shelving next to the windows.

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3. Casual Rhode Island workspace. Sometimes a single wall is all the room a home office has. This open doorway provides some separation from the rest of the home, and off-white built-ins help to distinguish the space too.

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1. Manhattan corner office. Any nook or corner space can become a great home office when you have the right tools. Houzzers loved the clean, white built-ins and the elegant powder-blue chair in this small home office.

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Adding larger doors to built-ins while still leaving the top shelves exposed creates a more streamlined look without eliminating display space.

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The bookshelf/media center is perfect for today's multifunctional family spaces.

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Keep reference books and supplies at your fingertips with a built-in for your home office.

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A clever way to fit a built-in into a tight space is to frame out a doorway.

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Adding doors to the bottom of built-ins gives added storage options for things you might not want on display.

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Bookcases framing a doorway make a dramatic architectural statement.

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Not completely ready for the commitment of built-ins, but love the look? Have freestanding bookcases built to fit existing niches.Not completely ready for the commitment of built-ins, but love the look? Have freestanding bookcases built to fit existing niches.

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