Moody Navy Blue & Plaid Home Office Plans with Ralph Lauren Vibes

As I’ve shared before, the only room in our new build that was fully planned out almost immediately is Kurtis’ office. And while “moody” doesn’t usually go along with most of our design style, Kurtis’ ideas for his office were confirmed when he went golfing with our brother-in-law last fall, and saw a nearby updated clubhouse that had similar vibes. Today I’m sharing our plans for his moody navy blue and plaid home office that will be heavy on the Ralph Lauren Vibes!

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

If you’re new here, we are building a new home that should be ready in July or August. We’re finally at the “fun” stages of the process where some of the design elements are really coming to life! Here are my prior posts on our new home if you’re looking to get caught up:

• We’re Moving! Again!
• New Build Progress: Part I
• New Build Progress: Part II

Kurtis’ future office will be upstairs in a room that was designed by the builder and architect to be a bunk room. But, since this isn’t a beach house rental and we don’t have kids, we knew it would be the perfect spot for Kurtis’ office. I basically never watch TV unless it’s a series Kurtis and I are watching jointly, so we also don’t have a need for a second media space outside of our living room. However, when planning the space we kept in the back of our mind that a future owner may need a second living area (or want to still convert the room to a bunk space).

Here’s a look at the space currently. These first two pics are on wide angle so that you can see the full space, but it definitely stretches the room a bit. The v-groove ceiling has been installed and caulked. The trim is up in areas where it could be complete, and the shelving has all been installed in the closet.

Kurtis is most excited about his view out the window, which will look a lot prettier once everything greens up again.

Let’s jump into the specifics on what we have planned.

Office Built-In Cabinet Design

Although we haven’t finalized every single item for the space, the overall design is pretty clear. We’ll have custom built-ins laid out much like a media cabinet (but will house files, printer, etc. for us) and we’ll be color-drenching the space navy blue (everything from walls to ceiling to trim and doors).

When we met with the cabinet team, we explained that we wanted something that could work for office built-ins for us, but down the road could also be used as an entertainment center once Kurtis retires (or future homeowners need a secondary TV room). Here are the plans we came up with. The entire thing will be painted Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (including the “countertop” area, as we didn’t feel it was necessary to have stone here).

We’ll likely hang a Frame TV in here right away even though he can’t see it when he’s sitting at his desk. But very likely we’ll have a sofa in here that will face the TV opposite his desk and the TV.

We may ultimately regret having a few open bookshelf sections, but the reality is I think we need something to break up all the dark, navy blue cabinetry (and walls and ceiling). He has a lot of business-esque books and leadership/motivational books in his office currently, so I’m guessing we’ll house all of those on the left shelves and I’ll have control over the right so his background on Teams calls isn’t pure chaos 😉

Design Boards

In an effort to put together a quick board for Kurtis, I searched with pretty specific keyword terms to find placeholders to fill the design boards. Ultimately, many of these items will not be used in the space, but rather, are visual representations of what we’re looking for. For example, these windowpane drapes are similar to the look we want, but I’m not spending that much on drapes, when I know something similar can be used once I dig into it. So, just keep that in mind when looking at the boards.

I made a tutorial several years back on how I make design boards. Since that time, I’ve mostly switched over to Canva, but occasionally still use PicMonkey. It’s a fairly easy process to create, using stock photos of the products you want to include in your design. I narrowed down the desk options based on what he wanted and this was the one he selected. Since he frequently flips back and forth between his personal computer and work computer (but shares one very large monitor), the open shelving on one side was critical for him to hide all the laptops and cords. It’s similar to his setup now, which he loves, so it helped narrow the search fairly quickly.

The leather & brass chandelier was a resounding yes from him, so we ordered that on sale during Black Friday. It might actually be the only place I’ll be using brass in our home which I know may surprise some of you! We also picked Benjamin Moore Hale Navy rather quickly after using it several times in the past, and seeing how great it looked in this space. Here’s the tentative plan:

SOURCES: Chandelier | Frame TV Art | Leather Desk Chair | Desk | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here) | Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

On the opposite side of the room, we’ll place one of our current sofas, if our house isn’t sold furnished. We refuse to get rid of these things because we love them so much (and I’ll likely be using a blue version in our new living room).

SOURCES: Sofa | Side Table | Vase | Linen Pillow Covers | Plaid Pillow Covers | Chandelier | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here) | Floor Lamp | Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

After making both of the design boards above, I was served a Facebook ad for this company and they make fairly reasonably priced custom rugs in a lot of patterns that Kurtis would like. So I ordered a box of samples and really liked them! Since the room is a bit oddly shaped, it would be an easy way to get a rug that fills the space much better! We need to see more of the elements installed in the space before making a decision, but his top contenders are this pattern and this pattern. Once that decision is made I can hone in on some drapes that will pair well.

3D Design Rendering of Moody Navy Blue & Plaid Home Office Plans with Ralph Lauren Vibes

After making a design board, I love to create a 3D rendering. This is the part that gets Kurtis really excited too, because the above just doesn’t really cut it for him when trying to visualize a space.

Using my trusty tutorial for 3D room designs, I plugged in some of the info and images from above and here is the design ChatGPT returned. Clearly it has its flaws (like the uncentered TV and chandeliers) and the desk should be butted up to the window, but it really helps Kurtis see the overall picture! Side note: ChatGPT just released a version that now makes it easier to modify an image (they don’t recreate from scratch each time) and I’ve found it much more helpful!

SOURCES: Chandelier | Frame TV Art | Leather Desk Chair | Desk | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here)

Here’s a slightly different iteration that feels a bit more lived-in. This one is making the room appear larger than it should, but I like the addition of some accessories.

SOURCES: Chandelier | Frame TV Art | Leather Desk Chair | Desk | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here)

SOURCES: Chandelier | Frame TV Art | Leather Desk Chair | Desk | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here)

And here is the 3D rendering of the other side of the room. Again, not perfect but gives you a general idea. The sofa will be pushed into the far right side of the room, and since the desk will be up against the window, there should be a fairly clear view of the TV still.

SOURCES: Sofa | Side Table | Linen Pillow Covers | Plaid Pillow Covers | Chandelier | Plaid Rug | Windowpane Drapes (look for less here) | Floor Lamp | Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

That wraps up our plans! I’ll keep you posted as the space progresses and we make more decisions. More design plans coming soon for the rest of our house!

If you would like to follow along on more of my home decor, DIY, lifestyle, travel and other posts, I’d love to have you join me on any of the below channels:

Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | LTK