Photos by Read McKendree, Styling by Frances Bailey, Words by Lydia Geisel
Updated Oct 11, 2025 10:32 PM EDT
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“I can’t be productive unless everything has a place,” says Roxanne Hanna, founder of Hanna Creative, a boutique digital marketing and branding agency focused on the interiors world. Staying organized is central to her creative process (her clients range from Ariel Okin to Peter Dunham), and so is the second-floor office she shares with her two employees in a Victorian building on a café-lined street in Providence, Rhode Island. “It just makes everything smoother,” she says.
When Hanna struck out on her own in 2017 (she’d previously spent nearly a decade at textile and rug company Merida), she ran into a familiar obstacle: she didn’t have a big budget to build out her HQ. So she got resourceful, hunting at IKEA for chic, affordable furniture, sourcing artwork through Etsy and Instagram, and tapping a few design-minded clients for key pieces. Ahead, she walks us through the decorating decisions that make her workweek run a little more smoothly.
Optimize the Layout for Workflow
After repainting the drab yellow walls in Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White and the trim in Smoke Embers with a glossy finish, Hanna zeroed in on a layout that would best serve her team. The beautiful windows flood the room with natural light and lift the mood, but they become a nuisance when rays hit a computer screen at the wrong angle and suddenly you can’t see a thing. So Hanna prioritized her graphic designer by placing her desk against the wall, while she and her social media lead face each other. “We’re constantly bouncing back and forth all day,” she says.
The long wood table along the wall is reserved for lunch. It also doubles as a bonus surface when the team is mid-brand-identity project and needs to spread out with books and magazine tear-outs.
Mix and Match Your Seating
“Navy is a great foundational color,” says Hanna, which is why she went with IKEA’s Alex desks. The tables run just $150, and there are no bulky cabinets underneath to block the view through the room. “That makes the space feel bigger,” she notes.
The white task lamps and two swivel chairs are also from—wait for it—IKEA. Hanna was drawn to the sleek, armless silhouettes and the fabric, which has a soft, almost flannel-like hand. “It’s pretty nice, and I’m a big textile person, so I knew it would do,” she recalls. The third chair isn’t from a big-box store but from her good friend Joe Lucas, owner of Harbinger & Lucas Studio in Los Angeles. “I thought three of the same chairs would be too dull,” she says.
Repurpose Kitchenware for Desk Catchalls
Hanna’s favorite container for thumbtacks and paper clips? Macaroon boxes. “We usually keep pens in dishware,” she adds. The colorful little packages bring extra personality to the setup. Hanna corralled her smallest containers on a large rattan tray (a Target find) to make the arrangement feel more intentional.
Layer in Sentimental Touches
Weaving in storied pieces, like the Bolivian rosewood lamp from L’Aviva Home and the floral textile on the wall, kept the room from feeling sterile. “I wanted something large-scale and organic but chic, so I worked with a local framer who stretched it on a canvas, and it came out perfectly,” says Hanna. The vintage credenza from Etsy doubles as a filing cabinet of sorts (even though her business runs mostly digitally). It stows everything from printer ink to silverware, though you’d never guess it from the outside.
The Technicolor prints on the wall are by Liz Roache, a Boston-based artist who taught alongside Ati Gropius, daughter of Walter Gropius (yes, a founder of the Bauhaus). “A splash of color is a great way to keep us inspired,” says Hanna.
Keep Storage Simple
The final IKEA find tying it all together is an open bookcase that holds a library of samples, ad campaigns, magazines, and more. Stocking it with white boxes keeps everything easy on the eyes, notes Hanna. “We’re constantly picking colors and staring at screens,” she explains. “Having those boxes look streamlined lets the mind rest.” And as we all know, when the room is calm, the ideas start flowing.
Photos by Read McKendree; Styling by Frances Bailey
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Read McKendree
Frances Bailey
Lydia Geisel
Home Editor
Lydia Geisel has been part of Domino’s editorial team since 2017. These days she writes and edits home and renovation stories—house tours, before-and-afters, DIYs—and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.
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