Rachel Hochhauser’s Home Office Makeover Made Our Jaws Drop
When Rachel Hochhauser, author of the novel Lady Tremaine, welcomed her second child, her home office became her daughter’s nursery. Still, she needed a quiet space to work. So, she and her husband measured an untouched nook at the end of an upstairs hallway. “The alcove was an odd shape but had nice windows,” she says. “We realized we could convert it into a small-but-very-much-my-own office.” Here, Rachel shares the before-and-after photos…
BEFORE
Alcove entrance
The room itself
On getting creative: This was the first time where I sat down and really envisioned how I wanted a room to look, from soup to nuts. Our house has lots of neutral furnishings and white walls, and I wanted my office to feel different. Deciding to drench the room in color felt like mentally claiming the space as my own.
DURING
On parallel projects: I was writing my novel Lady Tremaine in here during construction, when we still had unfinished built-ins. Right after the room was finished, I received my first copies of the book. So, this room felt very emotionally tied to Lady Tremaine’s coming to life process.
On choosing the color: I’m also the co-founder of the puzzle company Piecework, and there’s a murky shade of green in our puzzle Blossom that I’m drawn to. I brought it with me to the paint store and held it up to different chips. After narrowing things down, I went with Behr’s Dried Rosemary.
On wishlists: I had this fantasy of having a nook where my kids could hang out, so we added this built-in bench by the window. Before this process, I had never picked out custom upholstery, and finding the right bench fabric felt overwhelming. For a while, I wasn’t happy with my final choice — it felt too safe. But once I saw it with the paint color, everything felt calm and tonal.
AFTER
Dress: Ganni.
On first reactions: I was so happy. With two little kids, our home life is full and chaotic. I’ve found that having a space of my own has been so valuable for my creative process and feeling in-tune with myself, especially in these early stages of motherhood.
Chair: Magistretti. Cowboy print: Daniel Falcón. Vase: Isabel Halley.
On chameleon color: I love this paint because it reads differently throughout the day — it’s pale and milky in the morning, then dark and moody at night.
Side table: “I found this on the side of the road, a few blocks from our house.” Throw: Maison Deux.
On writing: My writing happens during childcare hours, when my kids are either at school or with a caretaker. I feel pressure to use the time well, which I’ve learned isn’t a bad thing. Good creativity can come out of a pressure cooker. You don’t always need some golden sense of inspiration, it’s about sitting down and doing the work.
On family art: My sister is an artist who paints on vintage textiles. She found this vintage handkerchief on eBay, and then painted a scene inspired by 19th-century English pastoral paintings. I begged her for it!
On daily goals: I also aim to write for a certain amount of time each day, versus hitting a word count. Some days I’ll move my project forward a quarter inch, sometimes I take a great, beautiful leap.
Thank you so much, Rachel!
P.S. 10 readers share their work-from-home spaces, and Kate Baer’s home office.
(Office “after” photos by Kiara Rose.)
Tags: house tours
Comments
91 commentsThis made me smile SO BIG! The green + red chair is such a classic Swedish color scheme, it reminds me of books my Mormor used to read to me when I was little. Also love the hair, the dress, the puzzles, the artwork, and, of course, Lady Tremaine. 5 stars!
Love this nook. What are the cool books / puzzles / photobooks (?) with the matching design but different colors under the bench and on the shelf?
Rachel I looooooved Lady Tremaine, one of the best books I’ve ever read! And your office is lovely. How on EARTH do you write in that chair?!?! Love the red but it looks so unbelievably uncomfortable! I am impressed at not only your talent but your inner strength to write an entire novel without using a cushion, ha!
I loved Lady Tremaine so much. Every time I lay in bed worried about my kids, I think of Lady Tremaine’s refrain: “Live! Live! Live!” It’s like a prayer I send out into the night.
This is lovely, but where’s the computer (or typewriter or paper) that Rachel uses when she’s actually writing? I want to see the “reality” of the space, too–not just the aesthetic perfection.
This! We are humans and we are all messyand that’s just fine.
Same – how does she brainstorm? Keep track of characters ? Paper ? Computer ?
I’m so glad it wasn’t just me wondering where all the things were? Maybe behind those absolutely lovely little doors?
Rachel, I LOVED Lady Tremaine. Whatever you do or do not write next, you made a beautiful and moving piece of art. Damn, I might have to go reread it.
*Furiously texting home construction contacts about quotes for converting my 3 season porch into 4 season for my office.*
Get it!
This is the most adorable space! Loved Lady Tremaine, and def looking to get some puzzles too!
I loved Lady Tremaine, I gifted it to my friend for her 50th (she loved it too) and my 21 year old daughter is getting a copy for Christmas. And I’ll be putting those puzzles on my wish list! When we bought our house it was the perfect size for the three of us. Then I had another baby and I saw friends building large houses and my husband and I had to work from home (pandemic). It felt so crowded but I didn’t have the energy to move. Now my oldest has moved out, my husband goes to the office a couple days/week and I’m so happy we stayed in our little doll house!
Needed to hear this!
Like the make over, but loved the dress! What a beautiful pattern and colours. :)
This is a dream space! And as a puzzle addict, I am so excited to have discovered your company! XO Question for the Cup of Jo community: My back is really struggling with my office desk chair that is very chic in my home office but horrendous for my back. Does anyone have a recommendation (available in EU as well!) for a chic chair that won’t break my back (or the bank)?
I like my Humanscale ‘Diffrient World’ chair, and my husband liked it so much he bought his own not long after. Office chairs in general are not very chic, but this one in the white/grey colourway suits my interiors. They offer other styles as well. I spotted this in the UK, but managed to purchase them in New Zealand. Good luck on your search!
Hi Anna, Anatomically speaking, maybe an exercise ball or kneeling stool might help? When I work from home, I like to switch up my seating options throughout the day and take small stretch breaks to counteract the hunching I tend to fall into. And this is coming from a yoga teacher. The struggle is real! But moving around does help.
Thanks so much @Antonia, those are stunning – I’m going to try and hunt one down! @Jen Doll such a good shout, I really need to just MOVE (and also not use the couch as my chair ;) Thanks both!!!
Oops! Sorry, not sure why it tagged Jen Doll ;) :)
What a delightful little space!
This is so gorgeous! It’s actually exactly how I pictured Ellen’s room in the book!
We had a similar space in our home growing up and my parents turned it into a bathroom for my brother and I so that we weren’t all sharing one bathroom. A win-win as far as my parents were concerned.
OMG imagine being such a talented writer and starting the chicest puzzle company ever? Those puzzles got me through covid and some fertility woes, and now I’ve given over my surface areas to my toddler :), but I look forward to getting into piecework puzzles again.
Definitely want Rachel’s full house, outfit, and beauty tour! I love how restrained yet colorful and intentional this nook feels. I would LOVE to sit at my laptop with a cup of coffee, or maybe a martini, and be alone there. My minis can sneak onto the bench later in the day with their cartoony voices. I’m inspired to find a space in our rental house that is just mine. I just don’t have a design eye at all and I know our house has a lot of potential. I’d love to know about the long artwork in the red frame (with the lettuce leaf and orange) and the small lamp on the desk. Though I’ve been a fan of Piecework for a longtime, I first learned about Rachel when she was a guest on the podcast, “A Day in Her Life” (highly highly recommend to everyone know wants to know how women and moms, fit all the things that life offers and needs from us in a day). Rachel, your interview was so human and real and I could see how hard and thoughtfully you work as a creative. Piecework personal story: The first thing I did when most of us were podding up at home in March 2020 was send a Piecework puzzle to each household in my family. I had it bookmarked from one of the Cup of Jo gift guides because I was drawn to the subjects and food images (champagne! coffee! desserts! say no more) Champagne Problems and Forbidden Fruit were my puzzles of choice. We would sit on FaceTime and chat while working on them, send progress pictures, and complain about missing pieces eventually found in sock drawers, vacuums, and my niece’s tennis bag! So, thank you, Rachel, for helping my family feel a bit closer during that time. I’m amazed at the beauty and the number of puzzles that have been released since then and to see the way you’ve arranged your babies in this nook is amazing. We just moved away from friends and family, so my 6 year old and I will be sending one of the kids puzzles to her friends (Over the Moon- her name is Luna) so they can have a similar experience. They’re going to be so excited to have a reason to call a friend!
Would also love to see her beauty uniform ! Especially how to get that hair !
Rachel, If you are still reading comments, I just want you to know that I adored Lady Tremaine! One of my favorite books in years. I had some really hard and heavy and bad things happen to my family the first half of the year and reading your book was really one of the biggest balms to my heart during a tough time. Thank you! Your room is beautiful too!
Omg the painting !
OOOOOHHHH, one of the best small workspaces EVER. so inspiring. I am somewhat ashamed to say that I have the luxury of a small “room of my own” annnnnd…it is full of boxes and bins and detritus from years of neglect. For 2 years, my brother lived with us off & on, while we got a dementia diagnosis & achieved his SSDI before he moved into a memory care home, my little room was his bedroom. After that my girl started middle school, which means daily dramas, roller coasting hormones, therapy (for all of us) and my room became the dumping ground for everyone’s cast offs. Now we also care for my in laws, with errands, cooking, appointments. But 8th grade seems to have levelled things out a bit, and I am reminded how very lucky I am to have that little room and GET IT IN SHAPE. It used to be lovely. This room of Rachel’s is so very wonderful. Well thought out, beautifully done. It wouldn’t take much for me to reclaim my space, (and thereby, some time and sanity). OK, I’m on it. I hate that a room I could enjoy is being wasted right now. :( Thank you Rachel, for spurring me into action.
What a lovely, sunny nook for writing! Love it. I really must know WHERE DO THOSE NARROW DOORS GO? Do they just lead to little storage areas? They don’t lead to more rooms, do they? Hmmm…
Hahaha I know I was so curious – I scrolled back up several times to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me or whether they were in fact tiny doors
Came here to write the same question! They are so cute and I really want to know what is behind them!
Loved this post! Would love to know what she tells her hairstylist when she gets a haircut. Gorgeous hair!
You are so kind!!! Long layers and curtain bangs. And I always bring pictures. xx Rachel
Vote to feature Rachel’s sister and her cutie painting next!! PS I adored Lady Tremaine, it’s what this little girl who grew up reading My Side of the Mountain and Andrew Lang needed.
Thank you, Kelly!! And my sister, Sam, would love that. I may be biased but I think everything she makes is a 10. -RH
I second the motion!
Trying to figure out how to carve a little office space in my small-ish apt (big by NYC sizes, small by NC sizes!), so love seeing how others do it. Getting ready to listen to Lady Tremaine this fall, heard so many good things about it.
Amazing space! And also – I love all their puzzles. Every Sunday I go to my parents with my girls and my mom and I work through a puzzle while they play. I also have one at home I’m working on as well and just treated myself to Happy Camper so I can pretend it’s fall here in Texas – I’m so excited to work on it!
Jaw dropping. This space is so incredible! Thank you for sharing it with us!! I’d really absolutely love to see a week of Rachel’s outfits, her style is SO gorgeous!
*Looks around desperately for untouched nook* Gorgeous! I am also a writer with a love of green. I have three children so I’m not able to find my own space at the moment but maybe one day!
Such a beautiful space! I have to admit, as a New Yorker in a small apartment, the concept of “remembering an untouched nook” in your house gave me a little laugh. Especially because or the beautiful windows!
Hahaha same!! And I’m not a New Yorker. But I would read a novel set in a house with forgotten nooks..
This also made me laugh, and I noticed the revision so we must not have been the only ones, haha!
Hi! so sorry for the confusion but that original sentence was an editing error! Rachel and her husband never forgot about the nook haha :) she meant that once her old office space was turned into her baby’s room, they decided to look at the nook with a fresh set of eyes. We just fixed that sentence for clarity! X
I thought same! This would be marketed as a studio flat in London
LOL! so funny, I read this the first time and that sentence stuck out to me too as being a bit silly. I mentioned it to my sister (who reads CoJ avidly like me) and she was like “what sentence?” and I came back and it was GONE, so I thought maybe I’ve gone crazy. Glad to have found this comment confirming I was not bahah.
I’ve just started reading Home by India Knight, and it instantly reminded me of the home tours on Cup of Jo. She talks about home being charming and full of things you love, and how magazine home tours always make her wonder where everyone’s stuff is. The great thing about Cup of Jo tours is that even though the homes are all different, they’re always charming and full of life.
I loved Lady Tremaine! Jealous of this cutie nook.
“…remembered an untouched nook…” cracks me up.
Me too! I was expecting to see an old wardrobe with a secret village inside! Or maybe uninsulated attic storage to convert.
Same!
Hahaha—that language struck me as well! Perhaps her house is enormous, with forgotten alcoves (which are seemingly visible from a regular hallway)…
Haha same. Four people in 1100 square feet = our nooks are all remembered and touched
Oh so sorry for the confusion that was an editing error! Rachel and her husband never forgot about the nook haha :) she meant that once her old office space was turned into her baby’s room, they decided to look at the nook with a fresh set of eyes. We just fixed that sentence for clarity! X
Yes I’m glad someone else caught that. I’m sure it was just an unusual word choice, but the idea of any space in my house being untouched is 😂😂😂
This piece celebrates something vital, and it’s not the paint or the nook or the dress or even the writing. It celebrates a woman exploring the intersection of what she needs, what she likes, and what she wants, and building something that reflects all of those things. Bravo!
i agree, totally. it is the “room of one’s own” that Virginia Woolf was so right about all of us needing, yep. love it.
Evenings Free – your comment reads like that jacket notes on a book I’d love to read.
This is so pretty and charming! I love the window seat! I always notice though, when there is an “Office” rooms where there’s no evidence of actual work, know what I mean? Like does she bring her laptop in there and then cord is all over the desk? (Desk is anchored to the wall so cords can’t go behind it appears). And that red chair is adorable but would be uncomfortable in 30min, does she wheel an office chair back in after the photoshoot? I don’t mean to be snarky, I’m genuinely curious if/how people work at these pretty but slightly impractical looking desks.
Hi Emm! I had a hole drilled in the top of the desk to snake my laptop cord through (though the computer isn’t in the photo.) And you’re right about the chair. It’s definitely more ornamental than ergonomic. I also had a red rolling chair I would use, depending on the day/how my back was feeling. xo Rachel
My thoughts exactly, Emm. It would have been cool to see the space with all (or at least some) of the “stuff.” I also noticed– no drawers?! And not a single writing instrument anywhere! (Granted, everything is digital now.)
Beautiful! What are those colorful large chunky books she has lining the bottom shelf? They’re so pretty and the font/colors are all similarly themed? I’m so curious!
Hi Reilly! Those are all jigsaw puzzles from my puzzle company — http://www.pieceworkpuzzles.com. They’re all designed to resembled coffee table books and each have their own name. Good eye :) xo Rachel
My guess is that they’re Piecework puzzles!
Thanks for asking, Reilly! I was admiring those too! Rachel, your workspace is lovely and cozy and your website is full of so much fun. If other readers are looking for a good puzzle to welcome Fall or, if you’re like me, starting holiday shopping early, go check it out. I found a ridiculously cute hand stitch kit of a sardine tin for stocking stuffers and there are so many unique and whimsical little things. The puzzle sorting/storage trays are genius and I did not know I needed a puzzle light, but clearly I do….
Oh my goodness! Rachel’s office is a magical, cozy nook. I just love that green paint color! Also, Piecework puzzles are my favorite and they make fabulous gifts.
I finished ready Lady Tremaine a couple days ago! I couldn’t put it down. It was such an interesting take on Cinderella.
Such a lovely, calming space. I’m inspired and I cannot wait to have a room of my own someday.
Wow, this little work space is a dream!
Wow. So beautiful! So many color theory things I want to nerd out about in this comment (TLDR: complementary colors, but one is tonal and one is saturated *chef’s kiss!*). Love everything about this space, but my word! THAT PAINTING! Please link to her sister’s website if she has one. I’m reading Lady Tremaine now and this is such lovely timing. As a mom of a young child, it gives me joy to think of the joy she must feel in that cozy personal space that’s just for her.
Hi Rachel!! Thank you—truly any space of your own is a GIFT. My sister’s site is under construction but this has been the appropriate kick in the pants to get it live again. It should be back up tomorrow! samanthahochhauser.com
Wow this is a beautiful space. I love how cozy and isolated it feels. I currently work in what is technically a wide bit of hallway, and I love it – the wall is also a pale green, I have a large window that looks out into an air shaft but brings in a lot of light, and I love the tucked-away feeling. Unfortunately, I am going to be moving to share an office with my husband (who is a professor) because I do sometimes need to be in meetings at the same time people need to use the hallway. I’m collecting ideas to make my half feel equally light and my own.
Wow, yes! Link to sister’s art, please! Also, what is behind those little doors???
I’m interested, too
I’m interested three! (And also curious about those charming little doors…)
I have been telling her to get it online for years :) As of now, she only has a defunct site with a contact form. She does take commissions! It will be live again by tomorrow: samanthahochhauser.com And those doors go to weird funky dormer closets that are too short to stand up in but stretch back along the house!
This is the second female author I’ve seen photographed in red – I like this trend, it is so uplifting! (The other was the very good bookjacket photo of Maria Semple for the book I just finished (five stars), “Go Gentle”. I kept flipping to the back, admiring her outfit and her couch, lol. The book was very entertaining too, as expected.)
Wow! Yes! I can’t be the only one who’d love a home tour… and, perhaps, a little insight into her upbringing as I’m struck by the overflowing creativity pouring from these sisters!
Same about the creativity!
Ok, love the nook and love Piecework! But please, tell me more about this dress!
It’s from Ganni! Isn’t it great? Sadly I couldn’t seem to find the exact version anywhere, but there are a lot really pretty dresses on the site right now! https://go.shopmy.us/p-90188044
Can Rachel tell us more about the doors at either end? Are they closets? Secret passages?
Was gonna ask the same thing!
Me too!
I wish they were secret passages!! They are funky dormer closets. Too short to stand up in, and stretching back along the roof of the house. Great for making a mess of your storage ;)
yes please!!! her dress!!! link!!!
Can we also get a link to her sister’s art? What a beautiful painting!
Isn’t it stunning? She is still working on her website but she does take commissions! You can reach her here: Samantha.hochhauser@gmail.com
Can we get a link to her dress? :)
here it is – Ganni checked cotton dress (https://modesens.com/product/ganni-checked-cottonblend-seersucker-maxi-dress-red-8280477/)