Tour Magnolia Magazine writer Sarah Coffey's midcentury modern home office

light blue loft space with midcentury furniture and white Chinese lantern

December 23, 2025

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My Happy Place: Magnolia Journal writer Sarah Coffey’s home office

I’m Sarah Curran Coffey, a writer/creative and founder of Clearer Collective, a sustainability consultancy based in Hudson, New York. My clients are based around the world, so I mainly work remotely. My home is within walking distance of the Amtrak station, so once or twice a month, I hop on the train and go into the city to meet with clients who are based in NYC or traveling there for work.

My family moved from NYC to Hudson shortly after I left my role as Editorial Director at West Elm and founded my own business. We bought this house (our first) in 2017, and we’ve been slowly updating it ever since. It’s a 1952 Cape Cod filled with funny little out-of-the-way spaces, including my studio.

Before the pandemic, I used a co-working space outside my home, but after working from home for a year, I realized it made more sense to convert this studio into an office. I work primarily with home and lifestyle brands, so I was able to incorporate a lot of my clients’ pieces into the space. Surrounding myself with brands I’ve worked with over the last 10 years makes me feel proud of what I’ve accomplished.

For example, in 2023, I helped launch GreenRow — a sustainable home brand that’s owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Their collections are all sustainably sourced, and they work with makers I’ve known for years, including weavers and block-printers who I first met on a work trip to India in 2013. The pink rug in my office is a handwoven, 100% wool rug made by weavers who helped to start a sustainable wool supply chain in India that’s certified to the Responsible Wool Standard, which upholds animal welfare standards from the farm to the final product.

I wanted the space to be connected to my sustainability work, so I created a system for sourcing. Everything in it had to be energy-efficient, vintage, handcrafted, low-VOC, reused, recycled, or renewable. It was a lot of work to meet those requirements, but it also helped me save money (reusing pieces costs so much less than buying new!) and it made me feel good about the final design.

My decorating style: sustainable interior design

My style is sustainably sourced. Inspired by nature. I care most about the story behind something, which creates a space that can feel offbeat and personal, but hopefully it all makes sense together.

Sarah Coffey's midcentury modern dining table used as a desk — In an attic loft above my garage, my studio is covered in wood-paneled walls painted in a water-based, low-VOC lacquer called ‘Lagoon’ from Pure & Original paints. *All* *photography by Tim Hout*

Sarah Coffey sitting at her desk holding a mug — Me, sitting at my desk. I’m wearing my favorite French blue shirt from my friend Starr’s brand Apiece Apart.

Danish modern shelves converted into a desk with storage — This is a Danish modern shelf I picked up at Public Sale Auction House in Hudson. The cantilevered design allows you to slide one shelf over the other, adjusting the length to fit your space.

Painted white brick entryway — One thing I’ve learned about painted floors — it’s best to go shoes-off, since paint can show a lot more dirt than stained wood.

24 Hour Service vintage sign from Public Sale Auction House in Hudson, New York — I bought this ‘24 Hour Service’ sign from Public Sale Auction House in Hudson. It once belonged to a gas station. It reminds me that while it’s good to be of service, we can also serve the wrong things by fueling an unsustainable system.

The vintage white lamp is also from Public Sale, and the shelves are from a secondhand shop in Brooklyn. They hold stacks of Domino and Magnolia magazines with my articles. The rug is a vegetable-dyed, striped cotton runner from GreenRow.

pink rug, white and pink striped rug, and pink floor pillow — The rugs are from GreenRow, and the pillows are Tensira/Goodee and xN Studio by Nasozi Kakembo.

I do strength workouts in my studio with a trainer over Zoom. (I highly recommend Lindsey from Reclaiming Fitness.) For a while, I used this runner as a mat. It wasn’t very practical and would slide around, so I switched to a yoga mat. I also use the floor pillows to stretch out sometimes. When I’m really fried, I like to lay down on the floor for a few minutes to reset.

Slatted wood bench, meditation stone was a gift from a client, Pagoda Red. The beads are from Kamama Beadwork by Tayler Gutierrez, a Cherokee artist. The reclaimed wood riser is from Woodward Throwbacks in Detroit. The basket is from the Hudson Antique Warehouse. — The slatted bench is a hand-me-down from a friend, and the meditation stone was a gift from a client, Pagoda Red. The beads are from Kamama Beadwork by Tayler Gutierrez, a Cherokee artist. The reclaimed wood riser is from Woodward Throwbacks in Detroit. The basket is from the Hudson Antique Warehouse.

Dried eucalyptus fills a handmade floor vase from Pottery Barn. The candlesticks are vintage, the pink ceramic vase is by YiYi Mendoza, and the bowl is by artist Virginia Sin.

Sarah Coffey sitting in a midcentury modern chair — Me, sitting in a corner. I’m wearing a dress from my friend Starr’s brand Apiece Apart. The handcrafted side table is from West Elm and the redbud branches were clipped from my yard.

GreenRow white plates — Holding GreenRow plates that were made in Portugal with recycled clay and glaze. The vintage textile is from Front General Store in Brooklyn, the book is ‘The Longing for Less’ by Kyle Chayka, and the print is a vintage guide to minerals.

If you’d like to learn more about my work, you can find me at sarahcurrancoffey.com and clearercollective.com. I recently started a Substack to share sustainability stories — including design, recipes, remedies, insights, and interior inspo.

Gorgeous photography by Tim Hout

The is the second edition of The Midst decorating series called “My Happy Place,” which features the homes and other happy places of inspiring women 40+. Subscribe to The Midst Substack to get future editions emailed directly to you.

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