H&W Co-Founder Aimee Lagos Marries Style and Function in Her Husband's Home Office
When her husband, Chief Soccer Officer and Technical Director for Minnesota United FC, suddenly found himself working from home, H&W co-founder Aimee Lagos turned an all-but-forgotten room into a home office that combines both of their design sensibilities with high functionality.
What inspired this design?
After our remodel in 2019, we sat on this former guest room for almost a year and it became the room where we put stuff we didn’t want to deal with. But once the pandemic started and we were all working from home, it became a priority to create a nice place to work from every day.
We started by nailing down what Manny wanted in there and how he planned to use the space. He wanted to be able display memorabilia from his long career in soccer, and also needed a TV for watching games and scouting videos. From there, I started working on the design. I knew he’d want something mostly neutral with lots of display space and then I tried to inject some style into it.
Why did you select Palma (Sand)?
Manny is pretty wallpaper-phobic (though he always likes it once it’s installed), so I knew I’d have to start with something very neutral to get him to sign on. He was worried that pattern along with all the memorabilia and other stuff we have on the walls would feel busy, so I opted for something abstract and textural. Palma was the perfect fit. We then decided to paint the trim and doors the same color. The end result is stunning and quite cozy.
How did you marry two different design styles in a way that made sense and made you both happy?
It took a lot of cajoling, and I drew a lot of floor plans. Manny’s not great at visualizing things in the abstract, so I had to show him where things would go and make moodboards to get him to understand my vision. My only agenda was to create a space that he enjoyed being in all day. Usually these projects involve spaces we’ll both use, so I’ll want them to appeal to my design sensibility as well as his. Now it’s a room that we both enjoy spending time in. My favorite thing is that the room really celebrates his career, past and present. I know he’s eager to get back to “the office,” but until that can happen, he deserves a nice space to work.
What are your home office essentials?
I’ve been working from home for a long time now, and there are a few things that I can’t do without. The first is plenty of natural light. I’m lucky to have windows on two walls of my home office and being able to look outside throughout the day energizes me. I can’t live without my Sonos speaker—I have music or news on all day (if it’s too quiet I can’t concentrate!). About a year ago, I finally invested in a high-quality ergonomic chair and that was a game-changer. No more sore back or shoulders at the end of the day. And of course last, but never least, offices are a great place for wallpaper. Wallpaper is a perfect, simple way to showcase your personality and having a beautiful setting always inspires creativity. Plus, there’s no better Zoom background!
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