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Redesigning a home office with Ethan Barber
Follow along as photographer Ethan Barber shares how he used Bennett to transform his home office, why he considered a custom-sized rug — and what he appreciates most about it.
Photographer Ethan Barber in his redesigned home office with his cat Meredith
Follow along as photographer Ethan Barber shares how he used Bennett to transform his home office, why he considered a custom-sized rug — and what he appreciates most about it.
Q: Tell us about your journey with Ernesta – from discovering the showroom to the moment your custom rug was installed. What drew you in?
A: I was first introduced to Ernesta by word of mouth. A colleague learned I was renovating my home office and needed a rug to tie it all together. I made an appointment with the team at the Upper East Side showroom, which was just a short walk from my apartment!
The team at the showroom was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and I love how Ernesta’s showroom displays rug samples similar to how a record shop would display vinyl records on a wall. As a visual person, having the ability to see, feel, and grab each sample made my rug selection process so much easier. Within an hour, I had selected five rug samples to be shipped to my home so I could make the final decision in my space. Once the samples arrived, it was immediately obvious that the Bennett in Warm Multi was the perfect fit!
A view of the home office
Q: Why did you opt for a custom-sized rug? Was there something specific you were looking to solve or enhance in the space?
A: I live in a rent-stabilized, two-bedroom, pre-war apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. My fiancé and I use it as a traditional 1-bedroom, with the 2nd bedroom set up as my home office. Because of the pre-war layout and elements, the room has multiple corners and seemingly random alcoves.
There is also a small radiator along the east-facing wall with a large pipe that adds another challenge to the layout of the room, so I knew I could not use a standard rug size. Thanks to Ernesta, I was able to customize a perfect 9’ x 9’ square to fit the space perfectly, without being inhibited by any of the unique pre-war elements.
Q: What did you hope to achieve in designing your office, both aesthetically and functionally?
A: I want COLOR. I’m so sick of boring, beige minimalist interiors. As a person who works in a creative field for my career, I need my home and office to inspire me on a daily basis. I tend to get most of my inspiration from bold graphic design, colorful physical media, playful typefaces and art.
Colorful elements bring Ethan's space to life
Over the past few years, I've had the privilege of traveling the world, which has allowed me to build quite the collection of photography and design books, unique art pieces and colorful decor. I’ve also been collecting vinyl records and cassettes since 2015, which adds another layer of character to the space, making it feel uniquely me. Adding in the colorful Bennett rug really pulls all of these visual elements together, creating a space where I’m excited to work every single day.
Q: How does your workspace represent your personal brand and the types of clients you work with?
A: I think my space reflects my personality more than it does my brand or my clients. As a photographer with a warm, timeless style, I found that if I made my workspace too visually similar to how I photograph and capture the world, I tend to get burned out more quickly. I need a workspace that is full of bright colors and fun objects in order to inspire creativity, which will allow me to continue to capture New York City through my timeless style and unique lens.
Q: What are you most excited about in this new office space, and how it supports your work?
A: I’m most excited about how this home office reflects where I am in life now. The old layout and style felt very junior and not at all what I needed to be a functioning professional in the city. This newly renovated space is the perfect balance of things that inspire me, things I’ve collected throughout my work travels, and space for more things to come!
Q: How did the custom-sized rug transform your space? Any moments or details that stand out?
A: I absolutely love how the colors in the rug tie together the golden yellow hues of my custom USM Haller media console, the bold orange of my Artemide Nessino Table Lamp, and the rest of the colorful objects displayed proudly on my custom Vitsoe shelving unit. It really feels like the perfect finishing touch to the vision I’ve had for this space that I’ve been working on since January. It feels incredible to finally see it all come together.
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Ethan Barber is a Manhattan-based architectural and archival photographer who specializes in capturing timeless images of New York City's iconic buildings, historic streets and stunning architectural vistas. Explore his work at ethanbarber.co and @ethanbarber.co