Work From Home: A Two-Person Workspace in Landsdowne

Vicky Little and Lynn Kayne, co-founders of Dipped Interiors, have worked on a range of projects from kitchen and bath renovations to custom furniture design. But like many residential designers, they’ve seen an uptick in requests for home offices since the pandemic began. One of their favorite jobs involved a custom workstation for two in Lansdowne. Their clients purchased the 6,000-square-foot modern farmhouse when they relocated to Charlotte from New York, and they initially hired the design duo to dial up the decor in their living room, dining room, and foyer. Last year, the homeowners tapped them to reconfigure their home office, too. Little and Kayne transformed the “blank canvas of a room” into a clean and sophisticated office with custom millwork, tons of storage, and a beautiful backdrop for Zoom meetings.

STORIED DECOR

Instead of cluttering up the desks with accent pieces, Little placed family photos, baskets, and a bourbon-tasting tray on the open shelves. To keep a light and airy feel, she displayed books with spines facing inward. The brass tabletop lamps match the existing chandelier, and the woven millet wall baskets above one computer balance the window above the other. A brass picture light from Visual Comfort illuminates a painting from designer Shea McGee’s Target collection, Studio McGee.

SLEEK AND STREAMLINED

The designers freshened up the walls with a coat of Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace and chose a “California-casual” palette of cream, brown, and tan with black accents to stay consistent with the rest of the home. “What stands out in this space is the customization of the cabinets from P.S. Carpentry,” Little says. “Both husband and wife work from home and need their own space without clutter or feeling cramped.” They replaced the mismatched desks with side-by-side, built-in workstations so the couple wouldn’t appear in each other’s virtual calls. All electrical wires run behind the two-toned, white oak cabinets, and the printers and fax machine fit inside the drawers.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

The matte black pulls from Atlas Homewares complement the black window grids, and the bicast leather chairs from World Market roll on a clear mat to prevent scratching on the floor. Because the office gets sun all day, Little chose a textured linen drape and a cream liner to provide shade without blocking the light. The barrel accent chairs are upholstered in sandy velvet, and the Boutique Rug has fringe for some added texture and visual interest.