Home Workspace

We moved into our home about six months ago and have fallen more and more in love with it each day! However, we are currently trying to come up with a solution for a challenge we’ve come across. When we moved in we decided against using one of the extra bedrooms as an office. We both have family that travels in from out of town and we wanted to make sure they’d have a place to stay when they visit. We figured we could just set up shop with our laptops at the kitchen island when needed. No big deal right? Fast forward to Rob starting a new job which allows him to work from home every day and us realizing the kitchen island scenario just isn’t ideal. You live and you learn.

The good news is there’s an area toward the back of our main family room where a desk fits perfectly. Enter our new work space. Not quite an office, but not quite working alongside the kitchen sink either. Progress is progress, people. I want to keep it neutral so it coordinates well with the rest of our main level while also adding elements that give it a little personality. We’ve already picked up furniture, lighting, and some art, which makes me feel like I’ve somewhat got my act together.

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chair | travel print | lamp | NYC print | desk

TO DO LIST
Art: We both love New York and Rob particularly loves the view from Rockefeller Center so I got the NYC print as a Christmas gift for him. The travel definition print was an Etsy find. It serves as a reminder of one of the reasons we both work so hard. We love to travel and plane tickets don’t buy themselves, guys. For the final piece to complete the mini-gallery, I’m leaning toward this one from Juniper Print Shop. I love the playful feel, plus black and white is always a safe and classic choice.

Frames: I have a few old frames in my closet that will probably work for the travel definition print, but I’m thinking about buying something custom for the NYC piece. I’ve never used Framebridge, but they have some great options! I really love this one. The black will look nice against our grey walls and the gold will look really pretty alongside the West Elm lamp. I’ll probably go with a brass or gold frame for the abstract piece. I think this option from Target will be perfect, and it’s budget-friendly!

Accessories: It’s important to keep the accessorizing to a minimum here because with pens, notebooks, a laptop and calendar the space will already easily become cluttered. There will definitely be a pillow on the chair and I may add a small vase and would love a cute clock, but it’s probably not practical since Rob will most likely just resort to the one on his phone or laptop. He’ll probably prefer a globe so I may go hunting through our local antique warehouse for one! There’s so much satisfaction in finding the perfect item after scouring aisles and aisles of old treasures. Plus, a globe would fit in nicely with the travel theme we have going on.

Organization: I like using baskets for organization because it allows you to keep things compartmentalized while hiding clutter and adding texture. I love these from West Elm; they coordinate well with the other pieces and are big enough to fit files or folders in.

Rug: A rug for this new area is a must-have for me, but probably not so important to Rob. I love how rugs completely pull a space together! As much as I love this Morrocan-inspired rug from Lulu & Georgia, I don’t think it will work in our space. The patterned rug I have planned for the family room (someday…) would clash with it so I need to stick with something closer to a solid rather than a pattern. I’m totally digging this one and there’s still some variance in the colors so it’s not too boring.

I’m excited for us to make our final picks and get the project competed. Once we do I’ll be sure to follow up here with pictures and any curve-balls that may get thrown our way!

cheers,
wm