A Designer Transforms a Poker Room into a Home Office Inspired by the Amalfi Coast

When tasked with updating a couple’s home in San Antonio, Texas, designer Melissa Fields of Shades of Gray Design took on a major room revamp that’s now one of the most memorable spaces she’s ever designed. Fields, also based in San Antonio, transformed what was formerly a “good ol’ Southern Texas poker room” that belonged to her male client and turned it into a stunning office for his wife.

“We wanted it to feel special — like a little unique getaway from the rest of the house,” Fields says of the shared vision for the space. She looked to one of her clients’ favorite vacation spots, the Amalfi Coast, and drew design inspiration from there. “Although this is her office, it has just the right amount of feminine and masculine touches so they can both enjoy the space,” Fields says. 

Getting from point A to point B, though, was quite the ride, given that the poker room was rooted in an entirely different design style (think: red walls and visually heavy wooden furniture). “The first order of business was to completely do away with the existing rusty red color and remove the obvious poker table and chairs,” Fields says. “The area rug was giving uber Southwestern vibes, along with a fake chips and salsa dish on the console table,” she adds. “And although we love our chips and salsa in San Antonio, Texas, it didn’t belong in an office that was fit for a queen — so off with its head!” 

As mentioned, the Amalfi Coast is close to Fields’ clients’ hearts. “Our client wanted her own little slice of heaven in the house, so I decided at that moment that we were going to bring a little bit of Italy to her,” Fields says. 

To set the tone, Fields commissioned a custom mural of the Amalfi Coast across the back of the custom cabinetry, which adds a bunch of storage to the space. “We also chose to drench the room in varying shades of green to mimic the lush mountains and terraced vineyards you see in that region,” Fields explains. 

The goal was also to “visually connect the outdoors to the interior,” Fields shares. As such, she went all in with the color green. “The room is surrounded by large, mature trees, making it feel like a treehouse in a sense,” she explains. On the ceiling, the designer opted for a complementary floral wallpaper.

When it came to finishing touches, the group went with a polished brass rolling ladder and custom cabinetry in a dark wood tone. Trinkets from the couple’s travels fill the open shelves, and the gallery wall behind the desk doubles as a stylish Zoom background. 

Post-makeover, Fields’ client couldn’t be more thrilled with the personality-filled office. “Her husband had said that he would probably never see her again because she would practically be living out of her office now,” Fields says. And if that’s not a testament to the space being a dreamy escape, I don’t know what is?