“I love the convenience of working from home!” says interior designer Ali Burgoon Nolan. She runs her design firm, Studio Burgoon, out of her 1939 bungalow in Austin’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood. “Our neighborhood is very walkable with pretty tree-lined streets. I love that I can host a vendor at my worktable in my office or walk a few minutes to meet them at a favorite coffee shop nearby. It’s also near many of my workrooms and showrooms.”
Earlier this year, Ali’s house was selected for the Tribeza Interiors Tour, giving her the perfect deadline to finally create an office that reflected the work her studio is known for. “Previously, the space functioned as a catchall flex room,” she recalls. “Part guest room, part sample library, part storage room. It had a pull-out sofa for guests, metal wire racks filled with clear bins of samples, and a constant visual clutter that made the room feel more stressful than inspiring. It is also the darkest room in our home, so despite being intended as my office, I almost always found myself working at the dining table instead.”
Ali had just six weeks to transform the room into an office she could be proud of. “The goal was to create a layered, functional, and imaginative studio space,” she notes. “One that could house the realities of running a design firm while still feeling collected, personal, and creatively inspiring.”
Before the refresh, the studio’s materials were stored in clear bins on metal shelving. “While it was helpful to see everything at a glance, the room always felt visually cluttered, which made it difficult for me to focus,” she recalls. Concealing the majority of the storage became the starting point, and an expansive IKEA cabinet system now serves as the anchor of the room.
“Because so much of my work involves building and studying project palettes, generous horizontal work surfaces were essential,” Ali continues. “A vintage Henning Kjærnulf console and a custom worktable give me plenty of room to spread out. I found the console at Round Top, and I love the warmth, patina, and sense of history it brings to the newer, more functional pieces in the room.”
Instead of hardwiring the room for sconces, Ali installed Pooky’s rechargeable art lights. “For the cabinetry, I paired opaque rattan bins from IKEA with unlacquered brass egg knobs, which helped elevate the storage system and give it a more custom feel,” she says. Nearby, the stools are from Pierce & Ward’s collaboration with West Elm, recovered in Tree of Life fabric by Claremont. A mocha silk cut fringe adds an extra layer of personality.
“My favorite piece in the office is the Noguchi Akari pendant with a custom painted scene by an artist friend, Paige Martin, inspired by a life-changing safari trip I took a handful of years ago,” Ali tells us. “Because the room is naturally dark, I wanted the central pendant to feel transportive, playful, and dreamlike. We also incorporated a celestial astrology scene above and below the safari landscape—a reminder to dream big and stay connected to imagination, even amid the more day-to-day demands of running a studio.”
Just days before the home opened to the public, Ali found a vintage olive burl midcentury desk and paired it with a classic Wishbone chair and a Jieldé task lamp in Vespa green. “My personal style tends to lean more traditional, but I wanted the office itself to feel slightly more midcentury and utilitarian—almost style-neutral,” she notes, explaining that this makes it easier to work within different aesthetics.
The space is now the creative hub where Studio Burgoon can thrive. “I firmly believe that our environments have a meaningful impact on how we feel and how we move through our daily lives,” the designer reflects. “A thoughtfully designed space can support a sense of ease, help us function better, and ultimately improve our wellbeing. I love knowing that, through this work, I am helping shape the way my clients and their families live at home for the better.”
