These ‘His and Hers’ Home Offices in a New York Brownstone Prove Bold Schemes Can Boost Focus – Not Distract From It

For years, the home office has been treated as a purely practical space – all white walls and just enough personality to pass as inoffensive on a video call. But we deserve better than that.

In this New York brownstone, designer Sarah Brown created a pair of ‘his and hers’ colorful offices that, at first glance, don't scream 'home office'.

Connected by pocket doors, both spaces embrace as much pattern and color as any other room in the house. 'Working spaces that are decorated with stronger colours have atmosphere and are much more inviting than those painted in stark white,' says Sarah.

Initially, these two offices read as entirely different spaces – one a classic gentleman’s study, the other a softer, more decorative sitting room-style office for the wife.

As Sarah explains, 'We wanted to create two rooms that felt distinctly British, a gentleman’s office for him with a traditional desk and a feminine sitting room for her that felt like a living space rather than an office.'

The room color distinction is key to how each connecting room functions. His office leans into blue tones with a traditional feel, while hers is intentionally more relaxed – a space that blurs the line between work and unwinding.

Crucially, they were never designed to exist in isolation. 'The rooms needed to sit happily next to one another in terms of their style, as the pocket doors between the two would often be open and each room visible from the other,' Sarah continues.

In his office, Sarah chose Farrow & Ball's Oval Room Blue, 'a mid-mood blue that worked well with the dark stain of the casement windows and the other antique wooden furniture in the room,' she explains of the blue room idea.

Next door, the mood lifts with a wash of Pink Ground, a soft, warm hue that, as Sarah notes, 'paired well with Oval Room blue and worked as a backdrop to the delicate fabric choices in her office.'

Where the blue leans masculine, the pink room idea introduces an almost romantic quality, softening the room and allowing the layered textiles to take center stage.

'We often use bold colors in offices as it allows us to bring more decorative items in and create ‘real’ rooms that can be multi-functional,' Sarah advises.

Color aside, both offices were designed from the furniture up – with one key piece in each space setting the tone for everything that followed.

In his office, the large antique home office desk takes center stage. The scheme is deliberately restrained, with minimal upholstery to keep the focus on the craftsmanship and patina of the wood. 'His office is slightly smaller, so we chose a Soane armchair for comfort and size, with an accompanying footstool,' giving him a comfortable spot to step away from the desk to read documents.

Sarah also approached the pattern palette in his space with the same restraint. 'We kept the fabrics to a minimum, and only the chair and footstool are upholstered,' she explains.

'It felt right to have fewer fabrics to create a more masculine feel and make the large antique desk the focal point in the room,' Sarah adds. 'We didn’t use any window treatments in the offices as the windows had been newly restored, and we wanted the beautiful detailing and shutters to be visible.'

In contrast, her office begins not with a desk, but with comfort. 'The antique Howard and Sons sofa in her office is wonderfully comfortable and upholstered in a Claremont fabric. This gave us the idea to create a mini sitting room for her,' says Sarah.

From there, the layout unfolds more like a living space than a workplace, with layered seating that includes a frilly footstool in Soane fabric, side tables, and an antique bookcase. 'This was our chance to indulge her taste in country house style.'

'We used three or four fabrics, all of which worked together to balance the room; a check on the desk skirt, a small print on the footstool, a blousy floral on the cushion – they all have a job to do to make the room feel considered and not overwhelming,' Sarah explains.

For all their charm, these rooms are designed to work hard behind the scenes. Much of that functionality is cleverly concealed by Sarah.

In her office, a skirted hidden desk makes an unexpected focal point. 'It was a trick to make the room feel less like an office and more like a small sitting room,' she explains. 'There are a multitude of wires hidden under the desk that don’t distract from the pretty look we wanted to achieve.'

'His office has a jib door where all the files are hidden away from view,' Sarah adds. Elsewhere, practicality is addressed more directly.

'It is essential that an office chair is both comfortable and ergonomically suited for work. This is sometimes the one compromise we make for clients when it comes to aesthetics, but we may also suggest re-upholstering in a fabric or leather that works with the scheme,' Sarah continues.

'Including adequate home office storage and keeping the room as uncluttered as possible helps with focus, and decorating in a way that feels connected to the rest of the house, hopefully makes our clients want to spend more, not less time in their offices.'

The success of these two offices lies not just in how they look, but in how they’re arranged.

Originally one big space, Sarah divided up the room into two, ensuring both benefited from their own windows. 'We added the pocket doors to give the clients flexibility over the two rooms, sometimes it’s nice to have company and other times we all need time for quiet work.'

It’s also the personal details that give these rooms their depth. Each office is styled with pieces that reflect the clients’ lives and interests. In his office, an antique map of New York shipped over from London, introduces a sense of place and narrative.

Across the way, her office takes a more expressive turn, with 'Henrietta Mollinaro prints that tie in with the color of the sofa fabric and the large antique framed suzani bought by our client.'

'It was important that their offices should feel very personal to them too so we have included their wedding photos and special mementoes,' Sarah adds.

Together, these two offices make a case for rethinking what a workspace can be. Rather than defaulting to blank, utilitarian schemes, Sarah's approach shows how color, comfort, and character can sit comfortably alongside practicality – and enhance it.

Where one room is traditional and masculine, the other softer and more decorative, both are united by a shared design language and a clear understanding of how the spaces will be used day to day.

Every choice, from the palette to the patterns, has been made to support focus while making the experience of working from home so much more enjoyable. Ultimately, these are spaces you actually want to spend time in – how many of us can truly say that about our WFH set-up?

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