One thing I really love having in my house is a room for a home office. Being a blogger and working from home 99.9% of the time, it’s really great to have a space that’s dedicated to knocking out posts and getting things done. Even if you don’t work from home all the time, it’s still great to have an office space to balance your checkbook, answer emails, and keep all your paperwork in order.
A great home office is clean and uncluttered (a clean room = a more productive mind!) and while searching for this month’s Get the Look for Less Post I stumbled upon this great modern home office space at Room and Board:
I really like how bright and minimal this space is – perfect for cutting distractions and getting down to work! I’m also a HUGE fan of the baggage tag prints as hubby and I like to travel and that leather armchair just looks like the perfect place to hang out with a magazine. Now, looking at the prices of the Room and Board pieces, I realized that an office like this would be WAYYY out of budget for most people. So I decided to find my own look-alike picks for a fraction of the cost, which makes this kind of office more affordable for everyone! Check out my picks below and let me know what you think 🙂
Room and Board Home Office Desk
Any functioning office needs a desk to work on! A plain black desk is a great choice as it helps white papers and documents to stand out and it always looks sharp. Room and Board’s version has a hidden USB/Power Outlet cord in the leg, which is useful, but my Ikea find has the same great sharp look and modern lines while keeping costs down.
Office Chair
If you’re going to be sitting and working for any length of time in a home office, it’s crucial to have a supportive office chair. Ergonomics and saving your back and joints pain is important and worth splurging for, but not worth splurging over 1k for the Room and Board chair. You can get the same great function and comfort by getting it from somewhere else like Wayfair! Both feature mesh backs for breathability and comfort, plush seats, and adjustable settings!
Desk Lamp
No office is complete without a desk lamp to work by! LED lamps are a great choice for an office as they offer great light disbursement, are energy efficient and last a long time! The sleek design of the Room and Board lamp is nice as it doesn’t take up much space, but $500 bucks for a lamp is a little out of my price range. I found a copycat version (still LED) at Lamps Plus for a much lower wallet-friendly price!
Sideboard Cabinet
A sideboard or wood cabinet is a great stylish option for storing all your files in paperwork instead of the traditional bulky metal filing cabinets. Keep all your work and papers in order by adding dividers and trays to the interior. I love the mid-century modern lines and rich textured wood on the Room and Board version, but I found an almost exact look-alike at Crate and Barrel for a fraction of the cost!
Leather Chair
Having a comfy chair in a home office space is a great addition. You can make a cozy reading corner or just a place to kick back and relax for a break during the workday. This leather chair from Room and Board is super modern and stylish with the light leather and the swivel base, but for a chair that provides more esthetics than daily use, $1,500 is a bit steep. I found a great affordable option at Sears, which has the same light leather and swivel base for maximum form and function!
Storage Basket
If you are adding a reading/resting nook or corner to your home office, it’s great to have a place to stash some magazines, knitting supplies, or eyeglasses nearby! A woven storage basket is a great option as it’s flexible to be put into the smallest of spaces and is also a safer option if you have little ones crawling around. Plus it adds a fun texture to the room and just looks great! But over a hundred bucks for a simple basket? No way. If you’re into this look, try my more budget-friendly Wayfair version instead!
Bookcase
Any good scholar needs a place to store his or her books! Having a bookshelf in a home office is a great way to keep reference books and supplies within easy reach. For a simple, short black bookcase, Room and Board’s option seems a little steep, so I found a similar black bookcase at Wayfair for a much better price. Mix up the look and add visual interest by adding little trinkets and decor items and interspersing them among the books for a lighter and more impressive look.
Baggage Tag Art
And last, but not least, one of my favorite pieces about this space: the baggage tag art. My husband and I love to travel and see new sites, so naturally our home is peppered with all things travel. These art prints are a great way to memorialize a favorite trip or just add some fun graphic elements to your home office. $400 is a bit much for a single art print, though, so I found a fantastic option from artist Neil Stevens. Only a little over $40 and he has TON of locations to choose from which you can check out HERE. Plus love the added bonus of supporting an independent artist!
Now, if you were to buy all the Room and Board pieces brand new, your grand total would be $6,322.00 before tax. That’s a LOT to spend on one room in your home at one time! Now, however, if you were to buy all of my budget look-alikes your grand total would be… *drumroll please*… $1,381.68 before tax. Ahhhh, MUCH better! That’s a savings of 78%!
Of course, if you want to save even more money, buy these pieces in stages or look on Craigslist or at garage/estate sales for your own look alikes! Having a beautiful home really can be done on a budget with a little searching and hardwork!
What type of room or store should I do next? Sound off in the comments below!
