BEFORE
Hello friends how are you? I’m actully quite happy today because the second room in my office is now functional thanks to my friends at who gifted me with some nice things on my wish list this week (scroll to the bottom for a discount code just for decor8 readers)! I still have work to do in the space to get it 100% how I imagine it but for now, I’m happy it’s looking a lot less lonely and sad as it did in the BEFORE photo (shown right).
Do you want to see the after? I will show you in a second but first, did you even know that I had an office? I do… Since last August. It’s a 5-minute walk from where I live, right around the corner from my son’s kindergarten, so it’s a fantastic location because everything is right outside of the front door – his school, shops, cafes, even the subway. The space is two rooms and both are flooded with natural light for the entire day which makes it a very cheery spot to work. I even have my friend Paige coming by one day a week now to co-work with me. I’m only there part-time hours, but I still want it to be cozy and nice for the days when I’m there each week.
AFTER
Since it’s not so practical for most of you to have a separate office outside of your home, because not everyone works freelance like me, I thought I’d make this post more relatable to you. That’s why I’m highlighting 8 Ways To Create a Cozy Office + Dining Corner in your HOME even though this is NOT my home, but my work place. Why? Because many of us have homes with rooms that do double (or triple) duty. Maybe you have a laundry room that is also a storage room, pantry, ironing room and maybe even a mud room. Maybe your living and dining areas are combined into one room with a play area on the corner for your child. It could be that you have a guest bedroom that doubles as your craft room. Another scenario is that your dining room is also a workspace and in that case, here are some tips to make it cozy and nice.
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Trade a desktop computer for a laptop so you can be more mobile. If you have a day job with a desktop, you really don’t need another one at home, right? Most of us are doing nearly everything on our smartphones, don’t you agree? I still must have a laptop though for certain things like photo editing with Lightroom and for writing blog posts on Squarespace. If you don’t need a desktop, then having a laptop at home for your “office” is great because it takes up no space – you can tuck it into a drawer when you’re finished.
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Add plants to your space to make it feel warm and cozy. Plants are also good for your health and make the air quality better. I love plants around me when I work because they remind me to get up from time to time and go out on the balcony to breath in the forest air or to leave the building and go for a walk. I added a plant box from for plants and also to conceal the radiator beneath the window. On top of the brass tablet is the in pink (shown in the photo to the right) which I love soooo much.
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Keep window treatments minimal. I don’t like drapes in my office or tons of fabric on the windows in general, that’s better for bedrooms and spaces where you want to nest and relax. An office/dining space can be much nicer if you keep the window treatments reduced – maybe just roman blinds, sheers or shades. In my office, I have blinds that are electric and mounted outside of the windows, so when I need to close them I just flip a switch for privacy or to let in less light when the sun is too strong. I also plan to have fabric roman shades made for the inside to soften the lines of the windows. I have radiators beneath each window, so I also prefer blinds vs. drapes for this reason.
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Add a rug and some texture though pillows and sheepskins. I like my office/dining space to feel like home, not like a cold and boring office. That’s why I like to add rugs, put a few cushions on the dining chairs, maybe add a sheepskin (or faux one) to a chair.
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Work in some color. I love mood boards, so the is perfect for me to work on to arrange images and things that inspire me at the moment while also adding in some color to the room. I plant to hang the mood board on the wall but for now, I’ve just leaned it against the wall which also looks fine until I know exactly the right spot for it. And by the way… If you can’t paint the walls because you rent, or you simply don’t want to paint the walls because you are like me and you change the space frequently for photo shoots, then keep the walls white and get thin pieces of plywood from the home store and just paint and lean them against the wall. You can add nails to them and hang things like wreaths, art, mirrors… You can turn them into mood boards. You can wallpaper them. You can change the paint colors frequently and play with color this way. You can move them around and make different arrangements. They are so cheap to buy and most home stores have scrap bins so you can take odd sizes home with you sometimes for free. I use mine for flat lays and surfaces for photo shoots and also as backgrounds for photos.
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Have a hiding space. In this corner space, I have a in Cashmere color and I also got the to go on top of one side of it so I can put a plant on top. Beneath the brass plate, I hide things like pencils, scissors, tape, etc. so when I’m working, I just pull those things out and place them on the table with my laptop and my mobile office is up and running.
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Reduce paper clutter. Try to avoid paper as much as you can and keep everything on Dropbox or a cloud or some filing sharing system that is digital and paperless. I have everything on Dropbox so I can access it from my laptop, my iPhone, and I can login from anywhere and access my Dropbox and share files with others anytime that I want. I have some paper but it’s all in a small, locked filing box (mostly contracts and important papers like school stuff and etc.)
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Add a great light. One amazing light makes a space. I wanted the since I first saw it 3 years ago. I’ve been debating whether or not to get it and finally I have in and got the large one. I love it and think it works nicely in this space because it’s understated but also very noticeable at the same time. It’s quite a cool piece. I think I’ll bring it home eventually though, I love it so much that I want to see it all of the time, not only a few days a week when I’m in my office – so I’m thinking to bring it home for my entryway once I paint the walls a new color. For now though, it’s staying right where it is. Isn’t it lovely?
Here’s my shopping list from where you can take 11% off EVERYTHING ON Their website until march 16, 2020.
Just enter HOLLY11 at checkout. Note: Brands excluded from this discount are: Dyson, Fermob, Gloster, Kartell, Knoll International, Foscarini, Sonos, USM Haller und Vitra and the “books” category.
Thank you so much for helping me to spruce up my space! I hope that you enjoy seeing my pretty little office nook everyone!
Love,
Holly
(This post is sponsored by – a local company in my city that I support and love who has a large online site that stocks all of my favorite brands. All words, photos, and opinions are my own. Products were selected by me. Thank you for allowing me to support the brands that I love here on decor8, which in turn supports my work so I can keep blogging.)
