NAMIBIA'S PROPERTY, HOME & LIFESTYLE PLATFORM

For this issue’s project, I rendered a study and gaming room for a client’s home in Windhoek. The brief was to create a versatile space where she could comfortably work from home when needed, while also giving her husband a dedicated area to display his collection and enjoy gaming. At the same time, the room needed to retain a modern look without it feeling overly themed or designed specifically as a gaming room. 

THE PROJECT
The space can be described as a contemporary organic interior with eclectic influence. The room has two distinct identities but still works perfectly together: A calmer space for the woman to work in and a gaming area for her husband to game away.  

THE STYLE
Contemporary organic interior with eclectic influence: Overall, I combined warm, natural-textured materials with clean lines and an olive-green palette. The eclectic influences are added by blending design styles, modern furniture, natural timber, olive-green walls, neutral textiles, contemporary lighting, plants, gaming equipment, pop-culture collectibles and playful artwork – a true mixture, yet it all ties together.

Before

After

Paint colours: I also used the olive-green paint on the ceiling, which makes it the strongest design feature in the room. It makes the room feel more “complete” and brought together. The olive green wall makes the collectables stand out. The other walls are painted a warm off-white with a beige undertone, to create a softer space.  

Furniture: Here you see a functional look for the furniture. The original desks and textured hanging shelves were used to tie the whole room together, together with new, darker storage units that create a bit of contrast to the natural-looking desks. The use of 2 different office chairs was intentional to identify which space is which. Hanging shelves were chosen rather than cabinets with doors, because the collectables are to remain on exhibit as they clearly add to the gaming room character. 

Décor items: The eclectic style is portrayed strongly. Instead of relying on one theme for décor items, I chose different pieces, collectables, books, plants and artwork which reflect both personalities in the room. The games area is clearly defined with all its pieces on the shelves and the woman’s side is evident in the choice of the botanical artwork, trailing plants, neutral ceramics and sculptural accessories.  

Lighting: Too avoid extra expense, the client wants to retain the ceiling downlights previously installed in the room. We decided to add a sculptural wall-mounted light next to the hanging shelves in the gaming area and LED strip lights to the shelves for more ambience and to highlight the collectables.

Choose furniture with a modern look and feel, but the pieces should not feel cold or perfectly matched. Natural materials are important, like oak, ash, walnut, rattan, cane, linen, leather and stone. Combine furniture pieces that relate to one another.  

Keep the main colour palette warm and nature-inspired. Use colours like cream, beige and taupe as the base of the room. Then add layers with earthy greens, browns, terracotta or muted ochre to introduce warmth and depth. The eclectic character can then be added through smaller touches of stronger colour in artwork and accessories. 

Combine natural materials with sculptural objects, artwork, books and meaningful accessories. Displaying vintage pieces is a good way to bring in eclectic styles. Group selected pieces in thoughtful arrangements and allow enough empty space for each item to make an impact. 

Do not focus on one central light in a room; layer your lights. Make use of a general light, task lighting and decorative lighting. Choose fittings with natural materials. Lighting also works especially well as the eclectic influence, because an unusual lamp or pendant can function as a decorative feature in its own right.