The Office That Doesn't Feel Like Work
On flow states, antique desks, and the case for making your office a sanctuary.
My office has become my little sanctuary; the ambiance affects every bit of my workday experience. Being a sunroom, the natural light and surrounding greenery create a little bubble of warmth where creativity brews. The muted blue/green walls drive a unique, calming experience that allows me to fall into a flow state and push my productivity further. It’s truly a golden space.
Filled with natural elements, like a jute carpet at the base, topped with a Persian rug to spice it up a bit, my office grounds me. It’s a space where I can look past my computer screen and see red birds weaving through the trees or look to my left and see my pup sunbathing in the corner.
My desk was the only addition to the room that took some searching; on my way out of an antique store, my mother and I were stopped in our tracks, and now it’s a core part of my everyday. The leather inlay adds a softer feel to the hand-carved wood, while its hidden drawer sits stacked to the brim with notebooks. To even out the experience, a white linen slipcover chair is pushed to the center, bringing a newness to its partner. It’s safe to say, an antique desk beats an antique chair for 8hrs of comfort.
A change I had no clue would be so impactful was adding a framed piece of art and a photo of my husband and me to my desk. The art is a piece I find myself staring at, wondering about the subject–she really draws you in. The photo of my husband sits next to a random rock we snuck home from our honeymoon and a small frenchie brooch that, for some reason, found a home here and hasn’t returned to my jewelry box. It’s kind of a random grouping of our little family that has come together on its own. I’ll never turn down a chance for a quick smile when in the midst of work.
In the corner of the room lives one of my favorite pieces: a wooden… shelf (I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what it’s supposed to be) that I found at an antique store. I didn’t have a clear vision for it at first, but the moment I brought it home and set it in my office, it never left. I began stacking my monthly subscription of Architectural Digest and Vogue into the wooden pockets out of necessity. Now it lives as a sort of in-home newsstand filled with curated inspiration on topics I adore.
Opposite of my print hoard, are two clay vases from my childhood home, one stacked higher than the other atop a wooden stool for added texture and organic feel, with a few branches from the backyard dropped inside. The trimmings really changed the feel of the room by bringing the outdoors in, especially when pushed against the glass wall that is met with an abundance of greenery on the other side. Just beyond the glass, my office opens up to my real happy place: our sun-filled deck, where the work day occasionally migrates on the right kind of afternoon.
I really believe art is a lifeline for the home.
Luckily, my mother is my favorite artist, and our home is practically her art gallery. The only substantial wall in the room had no choice but to become home to a huge, color-filled piece that adds a little femininity without straying too far from my design style. Below is a vintage trunk from my childhood home, filled with quilts and a few books plopped on top, adding a rugged element to the room.
The most unexpected and unpolished addition is my gym bag and tennis shoes in the corner, where they live out of maximum convenience.
It feels great to make each room in your home evoke a feeling, and making an office do so can sometimes be a challenge, but all the more rewarding. I don’t know if I can ever give up the sunroom office experience; it may have to go on our “Must Have” list when house hunting in the future. To take a few steps from my desk and be outside in the sunshine with my pup? I just don’t know what’s better than that to break up the work day.
Thinking back, in my childhood home, my mother also had a sunroom office that doubled as her art studio. It may be the nostalgia, or it may be the experience I’ve created for myself today; either way, I love my little office, and you deserve to love yours.
Find your Bachét.