My Home Office: A few of my favourite things

I’m not sure if many of you know, but I have a home office. While I have been asked to move into a number of office spaces, I really don’t wish to leave my cozy space.

I’m writing this blog as part of a blog link up or blog hop. You will see at the bottom of my blog, some of my designer besties who are wonderful bloggers and so full of knowledge. I hope you can take some time to read their blogs showcasing their workspaces and how we each have designed our spaces to run a successful business.

My blog contains affiliate links. Any purchases, that are at no additional charge to you, are most appreciated and make this blog possible.

Home Office

As with any client, I always start with the ‘As Is’ of the space. Here is what the entire space looks like.

The windows of my space face south and I love how the natural light streams through all three windows. I also have a gas fireplace in my office. While I do not enjoy corner fireplaces, I will often have it turned on in the winter months when our mornings are chilly!

My Home Office

I will admit, I have done very limited decorating in this space as we are going to be replacing our windows. Once those windows get replaced, I plan to finish off this space. My plan is to use this space for the One Room Challenge in the future. I can’t wait to totally redesign this space to truly make it my own.

Here is how my office is set up for me being the most productive and efficient.

Home Office – My Desk

While I am not in my office for long periods of time, I do work best in blocks of time.  As such, I need a good, quality desk. I also wanted to have a stand-up desk where I could switch between sitting and standing. My desk is also the place where I have my laptop, client notes, etc. Combining a stand-up desk that is functional AND pretty is not as easy as you may think. It took me a long time to find the desk that I was looking for.

I love that it is power controlled where I can have 3 settings (although I only use 2). With a push of button, I can either have the right height for standing or sitting.

My son snapped this photo of me working away (putting on the finishing touches of this blog)!

If you are looking at some sit/stand desk options, here are a few that I’ve round up at various price points:

My Storage

My credenza is located to the left of my desk. While some days it looks as if a bomb has gone off, it really is the keeper of all things for me. It holds my active client folders, it holds my fabric samples, any technology related items. Want to see what it really looks as I work in my office as I write this?

I love this credenza as it is functional for me. I don’t know if you noticed, but I have furniture movers on the base of this cabinet. If you know me, I love to move furniture around and may have moved this around in this space at least 3 or 4 times (and it is heavy)! They are a savior!

The file folders on the top are separated into 4 categories:

• Upcoming consultations/appointments
• In progress projects that are the design phase
• Renovations in progress (the largest pile)
• Completed renovations – needing to follow up

I will admit that I’m needing a new system for all of the file folders. I like to place them on the surface so I can quickly see each one. With being able to see them at a glance, I am able to do my daily check-ins on the projects and client folders to ensure I am not missing anything.

The outside of my client folders look like this:

Credenzas, TV stands, side tables, are all a great way to contain your home office ‘stuff’ as well as being pretty. Here are a few that really caught my eye.

Home Office Essentials

Music

We all learn in different ways and our brains all work uniquely for us. My brain works best when I have music playing in the background. Not talk radio, but music. I will often change the station, I might play my playlist, or find a playlist on Spotify. As I’m a music lover, having a good sound system is important. I have this Bose SoundLink Mini that I absolutely love! It’s wireless so I can take it outside with me when I’m working in the backyard. It is also Bluetooth compatible so I can also hook this up to our TV when we have it in the backyard to watch our ball games. It’s a small unit, but it packs a powerful punch!

Art

I believe every room should have art that makes you happy. Last year, when the Mr. and I were getting some art we bought in Maui framed, I saw this in the gallery and instantly fell in love. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of colors or it just being whimsical, but I just love her! I will admit that I went back two times before I finally brought her home. I’ve named her Molly.

Here’s some colorful animal art that may make you happy.

Home Office: Personalize

On my desk, I have three items that make me smile, laugh, and give me joy.

This photo was taken by the highly talented Ruth Skiffington. Two years ago my family had professional photos taken. This one is one of my favorites with the Mr. It really does capture the two of us. Having this photo on my desk reminds me what I am working towards (and I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the snow in the background)! It also reminds me what a wonderful man I married almost 26 years ago.

This past March, we were with good friends in Maui. Adrienne spotted this in a store we were shopping and thought of me. Of course I had to get this. If you don’t know me well, you may not know how wild and curly my hair gets in Maui. It really gets wild! I love seeing this every day as this reminds me what I am working towards (are you putting two and two together?)

Another good friend of mine, Kristal Heise, gave this to me as a gift. Have you figured out what it says? I love having this on my desk as it reminds me to laugh. While this profession can be stressful at times, I look at this paper weight and get a smile on my face every time. I think of our friendship, and I remind myself that life is too short to sweat all of the a-holes in this world. It’s a bit cheeky and I love it!

Home Office

As I mentioned at the top of this blog, once our windows get changed out, I will be re-designing my office. My hope is that I can do this during the One Room Challenge. Here is what I am planning for the new office space!

Blog Hop

I hope you will be able to head over and check out all of the other wonderful bloggers and see their office spaces. While some designers have commercial spaces, others have home offices. I can’t wait to see what theirs all looks like!

• Carla Aston Follow on Instagram here
• Jana Donohoe Follow on Instagram here
• Leslie Hendrix Wood Follow on Instagram here
• Leslie Carothers Follow on Instagram here
• Laurence Carr Follow on Instagram here
• Laura D. Muller Follow on Instagram here