This post is sponsored by Mohawk
Remember when I promised to show you my office? The photo above shows a corner of my previous office in our old house. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing an update with “after” photos of my new office — including the brand new flooring! This basement makeover has been a long time in the making, and I’m thrilled to finally reveal progress.
Houses change, ideas evolve, and sometimes we even move faster than I can keep up. Since moving into our new home, the vision for how we’ll use the lower level and the office has continued to expand. Today I’ll recap how the office looked before the makeover and explain why we needed more creative space so you can see where we’re headed.
If you’ve visited The Inspired Room before, you probably know I run my business from home. For anyone new here, The Inspired Room began as this blog, but it has grown into so much more. I’m the author of several books about home, write for other outlets, create and style rooms, photograph projects for the blog and collaborations, and lead a growing team for our home and wellness brand Pure & Lovely.
My daughters are deeply involved in the business, which is such a blessing. While I could always use more help, my middle daughter has been my full-time partner in The Inspired Room for the past few years. She’s a self-starter and creative leader, and together with her sister they bring a lot of energy and talent to our projects.
As our work and dreams expanded, so did the need for dedicated, functional space. In our old house we had a small office with an adjoining garage used for storage and projects. Replacing the original carpet with hardwood made a big difference, and we loved working in that upgraded room.
Now that we’re settled in a new house, we’ve continued to plan for future growth. New ideas made it clear we needed more room than ever before. The lower level began to feel like the perfect place to create a proper “headquarters.” Our immediate goal: build a dedicated office that offers quiet and focus.
Here’s a look at the area we had to work with:
That space in the basement used to be one large open room — great for cartwheels, but not ideal for concentrated work. The carpet was worn and dated, and I knew a quieter, more beautiful office would help my productivity and well-being. I’m easily distracted by sounds and activity, so creating a peaceful workspace is essential.
The back corner to the left of the stairs looked like the perfect spot for a new office. By adding a couple of walls, a door, and fresh flooring, we could carve out a calm, attractive workspace without compromising the rest of the lower level.
Because the room was a good size, I worried that partitioning it might make the lower level feel dark or chopped up. To visualize the layout, we taped the floor to outline the new room. Right away I could tell the new office would feel natural and would actually make the remaining lower level feel larger and more useful.
We loved the Mohawk flooring we used in our previous home, so we chose Mohawk again for this project. To suit the style of our new house and the lower level’s needs, we selected a laminate called Concertina in Smokey Chestnut. The warm tones fit the space beautifully.
The reveal of the family room flooring showed how much impact a new floor can have; it warmed the space and changed how the whole lower level felt. Flooring is one of the most transformative elements in a room — it freshens the look and inspires the rest of the design. Seeing the family room transformation helped shape our plans for the office and the rest of the lower level.
Below are some progress photos to remind you of the room’s rough beginnings and the work involved in turning it into a functional office.
These progress shots were raw but exciting — it was fun to watch the room come together. The flooring was still in transition the last time you saw the office, but tomorrow I’ll share the completed office progress report with full “after” photos. I can’t wait to show you the finished floor and reveal the next steps in expanding our creative space.