Where I Work

office

I’m lucky enough to have a {tiny} home office… in reality a tiny nook off our living room. Big enough for my desk, which is our old dining table, a chair, and a giant pinboard on the wall! It’s my own little hidey-hole, somewhere I can write, create, dream and plan.

In a busy house, with so many things going on, having my own little work space is fantastic. Having a dedicated space for me to work has made such a difference. Before I used to use the dining table, which not only meant setting up and packing away every. single. time. I needed to use anything, but also meant that I couldn’t leave things half finished ready to come back to.

i’ve also found, having a set workspace, helps separate ‘work’ from ‘home’ – even though it’s always there. For some reason, the other people in my house, seem to think that my desk is a good place to put things they don’t know where else to put ha!

My office was badly in need of a tidy, organise and mini-makeover this week, see the before photo for proof:

before desk area

The first step was to clear off the mountains of ‘stuff’ that had accumulated on my desk. That done, I set about making it more visualing pleasing, as well as more productive to being able to work. I have a huge pinboard above my desk, perfect for pinning orders, today’s to-do list, inspiring quotes and any paperwork I need to keep handy. But it wasn’t very pretty to look at, so I decided to give it a new look. A couple of coats of paint later, and some washi tape around the frame and it looks so much prettier!

I also treated myself to a squishy new cushion for my chair, I’d love to get a new chair, as the old dining chair I’m using isn’t the comfiest, but the cushion helps for now! While my desk is a place for working, I also need somewhere that is pretty and a pleasant place to be. A vintage bowl for my washi tapes, some owls, a paper star and honeycomb pompom’s on the ceiling and some artwork on the walls makes it feel less like an office, and more like my sanctuary ;)

The only bad point about the room is that it doesn’t have a window, so has no natural light coming in. I recently repainted the walls a bright white which helped, but I would love to get a new lamp for my desk.

I use two old cd racks, tipped on their sides to create shelves on the desk. These work great, as they are open fronted so I can see and grab the things that I need, and have sections to keep things in order! The only other thing that I want to add at some point, is a cosy wool rug, so that I don’t get cold toes while sat at my desk!

It’s a really hard space to photograph, as it’s so small and has no natural light, but even so, you can see what a difference a tidy and a few new items have made!

my desk

decor

washe tape

tattoo cushion

Linking up with the Love Chic Living love your home linky

Where I Work

29 Comments

  1. Jess @ Along Came Cherry

    May 2, 2014 at 08:39

    The before looks just like how I work, I’m pretty messy and unorganised! I really need my own office and a pin board to make lists! At the moment I have a desk in the corner of my living room and the kids are always pulling my drawers out and messing with everything, can’t wait to have somewhere that they aren’t allowed in! x

  2. Kate Thompson

    May 2, 2014 at 10:34

    This is a really original post. Great photos :) and a fab end result!

  3. Lori

    May 2, 2014 at 10:36

    This looks great, well done on the de-cluttering. I always find it easier to work when everything is organised. Such a fun space to work from. x

  4. Anna

    May 2, 2014 at 11:04

    I love colourful balls and the star hanging from your ceiling, those little details really make a work space so nice!

  5. Emily

    May 2, 2014 at 11:19

    You’ve urged me on to go and have a sort out and clear up of my desk now too!

  6. Charlotte

    May 2, 2014 at 11:37

    What a cute little office space – I think it’s so important to have a space like this if you’re working from home! And it looks lovely all tidy and freshened up :)

  7. Kyla

    May 2, 2014 at 12:04

    You have such a cute little nook here! I love the star light and paper balls, it makes it seem so cozy. You’re inspiring me to tidy up my own little desk space!

  8. Louisa

    May 2, 2014 at 13:40

    What a lovely space. I am soooo jealous! I’d love a little space for myself :-)

  9. Amy

    May 2, 2014 at 19:08

    It’s a very cute little office space. I wish I had somewhere to blog and work, I’m normally on my OH desk and have none of my stuff

  10. Fritha

    May 2, 2014 at 19:42

    love all your bits and bobs! especially your washi collection!

  11. lisa prince

    May 2, 2014 at 20:06

    if i had a desk this is what it would look like lol, i am hoping to get a nice new dresser table

  12. You Baby Me Mummy

    May 2, 2014 at 20:30

    Looks great! My office is my couch! x

  13. Nayna Kanabar (@citrusspiceuk)

    May 2, 2014 at 21:28

    It sounds like you had a super clear out.All looks in order, its nice to have your “own “personal space.

  14. ely!

    May 2, 2014 at 21:28

    Wow!! Looks super cute! <3

  15. Stephs Two Girls

    May 2, 2014 at 22:11

    So how long will it stay so organised I wonder?! I always have high hopes for my ‘area’ but they rarely last long :D looks lovely and homely though.

  16. Sarah Bailey

    May 2, 2014 at 23:07

    What a lovely space – I always say clutter is just organised mess :) x

  17. Charly Dove

    May 3, 2014 at 00:55

    It’s so tricky getting the balance right isn’t it. I’m home based too and the work/home combo doesn’t always work as it should. You’ve done brilliantly, what a great space :)

  18. Claire

    May 3, 2014 at 01:06

    I love your space. When we only had Danny, I had my own home office- such a luxury! I never actually sat or worked in there but it was brilliant for storage. Now we are so cramped for space, but if I work hard on the utility room I’m sure I can get myself a little table and pinboard. Thanks for the inspiration. :-) x

  19. KARA

    May 3, 2014 at 06:28

    Nice to see other peoples work areas are organised chaos. I sort mine out but it soon reverts back lol

  20. Globalmouse

    May 3, 2014 at 08:07

    Aw I love your space…I don’t have any space that’s my own :( but would love to!

  21. Mammasaurus

    May 3, 2014 at 09:50

    Just how I like to work – organised chaos I call it (no offence!) I accumulate big piles of ‘bits and bobs’ , all very handy and must be kept but very much a mixed bag of ‘stuff’. Papasaurus says it looks a mess but I always seem to know exactly where everything is!

  22. Kirsty

    May 3, 2014 at 09:58

    What a lovely space, I could really do with overhauling my work area. I love your little cubby holes and your beautiful bowl of wash tape x

  23. laura redburn

    May 3, 2014 at 11:00

    i wish i had a dedicated working space that wasn’t my lap or the floor! love the hanging star thing and your bowl with tape in!

  24. Laura

    May 4, 2014 at 00:26

    I love the before and after pics – it’s really inspiring me to sort out my mini office space which looks worse than your before pic! I too need to streamline things and I love your CD stacking storage idea!

    Laura x

  25. Julien Peter Benney

    May 4, 2014 at 01:22

    I’ve always thought that my room is crowded, but what you have, Polly, makes my little bedroom – which I am thinking of moving out of – look really, really tidy!

    Although I play about far too much when on the computer, and realise that with Australia’s far-right government (well, even Labor is right-wing compared to the “conservative” parties of Eurasia, the Americas or New Zealand) I might lose my pension very soon since Australia possesses a peace between classes that would be seventh heaven for European politicians and consequently politicians are able to cut spending to an extent that would get them overthrown by force in Spain or Italy.

    It’s clear that you are doing a lot of work yourself, and must be able to plan much better than I ever could!

  26. Keri-Anne

    May 4, 2014 at 19:32

    I love it!!! Plus, i am rather jealous of you washi tape collection. Now when i see you online, i can imagine where you are ;) x

  27. Kizzy

    May 5, 2014 at 07:52

    What a lovely little home office, love your cushion

  28. Kimberly

    May 5, 2014 at 19:35

    Your ‘before’ looks about like how mine looks at the moment. Seeing the ‘after’ picture makes me want to tidy up mine. I love the way you decorate..gotta love the owls! :)

  29. Amanda @gidders1

    May 6, 2014 at 11:33

    I simple had to tidy my desk yesterday, it had gone beyond the point of being a creative space. I love the use of your vintage pieces as containers, I’ve been doing that too. Fab cushion! #loveyourhome

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.