Remember last year when I shared pictures of my new office, the standing desk, shelves and bins that my hubby built for me during Superbowl Sunday? And then I also shared pictures of the other half of the room, which was Maggie's play area?
Gone. Done-zo. Kaput.
I really enjoyed the space and had the best intentions of working at my computer "standing up" and cherishing the moments watching Maggie play quietly next to me while I designed and illustrated... It was like that for a while, and I really, really loved it!
And then rather quickly, much faster than I expected, it wasn't like that anymore.
Maggie didn't want to play quietly, she wanted to dump her toys on the floor, color all over her desk, and then climb on my very tall chair and pull everything off my desk and bang on my keyboard.
And I never stood, I always sat, and my workspace went from adequate to messy and full and limited.
With Maggie at home most days, and my Mom over helping to babysit, it was distracting to have them in and out of the room while I would be trying to work, asking where a toy was, or Maggie not wanting to play downstairs while I was upstairs.
The point is, it worked until it didn't work, and then we needed to change it.
We decided to move all of Maggies toys and shelving down to the living room where she had another little play area, and it was a much better decision. Now all her toys are in one space, she has a little table area to play with her Playmobile buddies, and puzzles, and it's more comfortable for my Mom to keep her happy and entertained.
One of these days, when the magic trifecta of a totally clean living room and play area, combine with my remembering to do so, I will have to take a picture of the whole room so you can see how it works for us...but in the meantime, if you follow me on Instagram, you can see some of it in the photos I post.
With the play-space cleared out and our furniture moved around a bit, I bought a small round table from Craigslist and tried to set up a nice little area on the other side of the office to house some supplies and maybe act as a photo staging area for product photos and such...this is what it looked like then:
Yeah. Not great. At least that picture shows you a clean side of the room because here comes the reality (well, the B/W reality, because it was SO MESSY and HORRIBLE, I couldn't show you it in color. Too embarrassing.)
What a slob!!! :D
Lucky for me, I'm currently a well-connected slob, and in my moment of need, I was super fortunate to be able to enlist the help of none other than Sabrina Soto, HGTV star and the Home Style Expert for Target!
I sent her some before photos, basically the nice clean one above and these from last year:
(I did NOT send her the one where my shelves look like a garbage heap.)
Sabrina took the time to review my photos, and answer the questions I had regarding my space and gave me some great suggestions and product ideas to spruce things up! Here is the Q & A from our design consultation:
Jen Pebbles: I need more working space. How can I reconfigure the pieces I have to allow for a balance of tables and seating? What seating would be a good compliment to my existing furniture and welcoming to friends and visitors?
Sabrina:
- Measure the diameter of your table. Keep in mind a 48” diameter table seats 6, and a 60” round table seats 8.
- Consider Lucite or acrylic chairs. They’re great in smaller spaces as they take up no visual space. They also match your existing seating perfectly!
Jen Pebbles: I need lots of storage, but I also want my space to look streamlined, modern, and minimal. If I had to purge my shelves, what would you suggest I remove and what should I keep?
Sabrina:
- I would either recommend removing the bottom two shelves under the desk space or extend the desk out 6 inches. This will open up your work area and allow for comfortable legroom.
- A storage ottoman would work well in your space, as it’s great for seating while also storing your personal items.
Jen Pebbles: What kind of storage containers would be a good choice to use to corral all of my craft supplies?
Sabrina:
- If your closet doesn’t have shelving, hanging closet organizers are perfect for alternative storage.
- Stacking storage bins or boxes are space efficient. They’re neat, tidy, and fit perfectly one on top of the other for vertical storage - great in smaller spaces.
- In my home office, I use wall mounted magnetic knife holders and a kitchen organizing system to display my paint swatches, scissors, fabric samples and illustration markers. It keeps everything I need within close reach.
Jen Pebbles: How can I glam up my space? I love bold colors and graphic accessories, but I feel like I have too much clutter and it still feels a bit juvenile. What should I add and what should I take away?
Sabrina:
- Consider removing all the knick-knacks and smaller items. Those can be stored away. When you accessorize, always try to group items in threes or odd numbers for visual balance.
- Fresh cut flowers add liveliness to any space.
- Organize your storage boxes. Try grouping them on the shelves instead of “sprinkling” them throughout.
- Add patterns and textures. I love the chevron storage bins!
Jen Pebbles: I need the light from my window and blank space on my wall to photograph my art prints, but I would like that functionality to blend with the space. What would you recommend for window dressing and wall art?
Sabrina:
- You don’t want the windows to overpower in a smaller space. I’d recommend a solid, subtle color such as white or a neutral. Incorporate color in your window hardware instead. If you can’t find the color hardware you like, spray paint it for a fun DIY!
- Wall and mirror decals can add personality to your office. They’re easy to apply and remove for when you want a change.
Jen Pebbles: How can I improve the lighting in my space overall?
Sabrina:
- Desk and table lamps are perfect in personal office spaces, especially near your computer and workspace. Also consider task lighting for photographs and art.
Jen Pebbles: If you could do a complete revamp of my space, what would you envision?
Sabrina:
- Although I love the idea of having a wall-to-wall desk space, maybe consider purchasing a proper desk for your office to float in the space. It will open up the wall and remove some of the visual clutter.
- If you love color, purchase a rug that has a bolder print or a bright color.
As you can see, I had a lot of quesitons specific to the way I use or plan on using my office, and Sabrina gave me a lot of great ideas and really got my wheels turning, especially when I started looking on the Target.com website for some of the items she picked out!
It took me a couple of months to get everything planned and ready, and I ordered the main items just after the holidays and then I spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to my local store to shop for the remaining goodies. John helped me to purge, purge, purge!!! and now, I am so excited, because the space is finally finished and I can't wait to reveal it to you in my next post, and tell you how you can have the chance to win some of the items from my room from Target!
Stay tuned friends!! You're going to LOVE IT!!
-xoxo