My Work Studio Redux: Before
Readers crave transparency from bloggers. They say we bloggers only show the perfect, the styled, the beautiful. Not always. Today I'll prove it. Here are some snapshots of my work space - or the two rooms in the front of my home with a workshop space doubling as a formal dining room where we host luncheons and dinner parties. And it's a mess.
OFFICE SPACE NOTES: It is slowly driving me insane. It's cluttered. It's chaotic. The floor plan is wonky. It is NOT even close to being baby-proof. When Aidan plays I have to continuously turn around to watch him. When he is crawling around I cannot keep my eye closely on him. This all must change and it needs to change within the next 90 days so I'm doing a big purge, redesigning the space, and plan to have the office and workshop space of my dreams. Because if not now, when?
DINING SLASH WORKSHOP ROOM NOTES: It's not where we eat each day. I mostly shoot photos and work on creative projects since the Loop table by HAY is very long (250 cm/98") and the natural light is incredible all day in both rooms. The big white cabinet holds workshop supplies for when I teach. And though it may not look so horrible to you, I just don't like this space as it currently stands.
FLOOR PLAN NOTES: I just sketched this out and scanned it in about ten minutes with the baby on my lap, so forgive me that it's not to scale and not CADtastic like some designers. But I did open this post vowing transparency and when I'm about to decorate a space I never draw them beautifully. Still, it's helpful for you to see. Okay so... The dining room floor plan with the table in the center is sorta the way it has to stay. I'm just unsure about having a bench beneath windows with a baby who will eventually be crawling up there and with windows so easily accessible that also have no screens, it's a bit of a no-brainer that having a bench under the window is NOT ideal. Also I'm not entirely sure about the white cabinet. I see a credenza here with art and a huge mirror but I also must keep the white cabinet because it holds everything that I need to teach and work in this space.
As for the office floor plan, good LORD this needs help. My desk worked in the last apartment because it was an IKEA hack that my husband and I "designed" to fit perfectly in the recessed nook in the room in was made for. You may recall seeing it in Decorate Workshop. It was perfect there. But in this space, wrong! wrong! wrong! Plus, since having Aidan, I want to see him when I'm working or at least see something... like a window view or a view of the room, so I'm trying to decide what configuration will work the best. I'm thinking to deconstruct the IKEA hack and turn it into a credenza or a cabinet with marble or wood custom made for the top and pick up a new desk that will be placed in between the windows only coming out from the wall versus being flush against it. Then the back of my task chair will face the wall where the credenza will be (where the desk currently is). And where the IKEA PS cabinet (the one with all of the white mini drawers) is currently will be replaced by a sitting area with a small sofa with the back facing the double glass doors that lead into the living room, along with the rattan lounge chair and a new, small round sofa table and a small rug (not the current pink one). Not sure about the white round table, it doesn't get a lot of use in this space but I sure do love it... But not everything will fit. Oh yeah, and the looming gray bookcase will be replaced with a less looming one (and one that is deeper). The cabinet with the black chalkboard doors that Leslie and I painted for a single photo that appeared in Decorate With Flowers will be painted another color and either kept in that space or moved into the guest bedroom, which is where I honestly thing it will work better. I just don't see it in the redesign.
Gosh it feels almost therapeutic to spell all of this out on digital paper.
When we moved up here from downstairs, due to my absolute craving for tons of light (and we have it up here for sure) and better views of the city, AND the extra room for Aidan, I was ready to explode with baby - we moved January 9th and I had my son on February 9th. So we had like two seconds to unpack and pull stuff together. These two rooms are the result of throwing stuff together. When my little cutie arrived I didn't care about my work studio. At all. For months. But now it's been 6 months since his arrival and I'm caring about my work studio A LOT. LIKE CRAZY. I want to redecorate the entire house in fact, but I'm starting here because my work is a huge part of my life and in order to do the best work, I need a space that is organized, clutter-free and pretty. Before shooting these photos today, I have to admit that I spent 6 hours this weekend filling two trash bags with paperwork and magazines that I just couldn't bear to have sitting on my desk any longer. It already feels so much lighter in this room.
So this is part one, the big before... I'll show you what my inspirations are, a draft of the new floor plan and my mood board, all coming up later this month!
Any comments about this space that you'd like to share? Are you working on a room redux in your home? Tell me more!
(photos: holly becker)