Have you ever found yourself with a room in your home that just depresses you or doesn't serve any purpose? I had two such rooms in my house—a neglected storage space and a bathroom that I wouldn't even step into. ( It was scary.)

The backdoor to the garden wouldn't budge because a massive pine tree was causing structural issues. We weren't sure if we could knock down the walls, but we knew a change was necessary. After some thought, we decided to transform these boring rooms into a home office—the whole process of redoing the downstairs floor was an adventure that started with the typical Italian ruin, rubble phase. Once that was done, each room downstairs got painted in different cool white colors from Farrow and Ball, but I wanted a relaxed vibe for this one, so I went with Wimborne White. The original flooring was this weird metallic grey. But since we already had so much wood, we kept it simple with sleek limestone instead. We had this Indonesian hardwood table in the garage, and it became the centerpiece of the new office. We scored a cupboard at a thrift store with great bones but a terrible finish. A little elbow grease and some Farrow and Ball Ash Grey turned it into the perfect storage solution.

The bench I'm using is actually the underside of a really vintage closet that belonged to my grandma and has been with me in every home I've lived in. You should check out the seagrass basket from Zara Home; they're pretty. The lamp is a midcentury vintage piece that adds so much character. Now, all that's left to do is to find the perfect ceiling lamp and choose a print for the back wall. The natural light flooding in has completely transformed these once-unused rooms, making it swell to work in the office and move seamlessly from the downstairs kitchen to the terrace, carrying lunch or drinks. The space now feels cheerful and purposeful, a dramatic change from its former state.