Tiny Bits of Happiness | 4 Ways to Make Your Office Cozier

The Evolution of Our Home Office

Having a cozy and functional office space in our new home has been a priority since we moved to our new home. Our space has gone through an evolution since we’ve moved to Arkansas all those months ago (14 months to be exact). When we first walked this home I was immediately excited by the space that would be my office. In Michigan I had built up my hand lettering business and I was offering hand lettered prints and products in my online shop and local shops, while also creating materials for hands on classes and bespoke custom wedding goods. I.e. it was a lot of large hand lettered custom orders and supplies filtering in and out of my office.

let’s get to work

But after we moved I found myself in this weird in-between chapter. My heart had shifted and my business felt like it needed to look different in Arkansas. As we settled-in and let our life evolve in our new state, my space and business also evolved. I focused on the word, pivot, to help get me through this time (and TBH I am still focusing on that. Dang, growing pains are hard). I felt kinda lost and my office and business reflected that. As I shifted away from custom hand lettered pieces, the office space shifted and changed with it.

Fast forward to living in quarantine and this chapter of COVID-19. So many Americans (and the world) are spending more time in their homes and trying to work from home. I’ve been grateful for the bits of progress I’ve made with this space and it comes down to a few things that helped shift it from a place to work in to a place that inspires me to work. More on that soon.

Let’s take a look at what we started with—

The office had great bones and I was so, so excited when we first walked through the space. I loved the trim in the room and the french doors that were in the office. But it was a little darker than I liked and the ceiling was a different color than the walls and a different color than the trim (it felt a bit… off). The doors had contact paper on them, which we didn’t need, so I focused on removing those and lightening it up. I had placed whatever furniture I had from my old office in here and tried to figure it out how it all should work.

As I shifted away from custom lettered goods, I didn’t need to utilize my space in the same way. So I focused on creating a more functional desk space and a space that would inspire me to focus and write. This space has gone through mini updates and shifts as time has gone on.

Here are four areas I focused to help shift the office to what I needed it to be:

Functional Foundation (Desk, shelves, rugs, furniture, etc.)
Comfort & Mood
Art & Inspiration
Something living (or faux living)

(1) Functional Foundation

Having a functional foundation in the office is everything from the ground up. Do you need a rug? Is it the right size? Is your desk the right size and does it have the appropriate amount of storage? Are the furniture pieces in the room serving the layout /flow best? This is where I realized the office wasn’t serving me and the space well enough. So work with what you have to get started (shop your house or other rooms too), then start scouting inspo rooms with similar layouts//functions and think intentionally about how you want to use the space.

The photos of the space are similar (hello white paint and similar furniture!), but the foundational pieces like desk, shelves, dresser, and rug have actually slightly changed in each photo. Photo 1 I started with a larger desk in the middle of the room with a smaller, chunkier rug and shelving behind my desk. Photo 1 felt good at the time and it looks pretty, but it wasn’t quiteeee functional. The rug was a bit too small and the chunkiness of the weave made it difficult to slide my chair in and out. It also shed a lot and I never wanted to do any work on it on the floor. Then Photo 2, I finally got a flatter, larger rug that allowed me to work out, do work on the floor, or just easily move my chair in and out. i.e. it functioned in the space. It warmed everything up and added just a touch more personality. I swapped out the larger desk for my skinnier one moved it to the wall. The other shelf made her way along the other wall and allowed a little bit of an “L” shaped work situation. This felt good and fresh, but facing the wall wasn’t the best. Lastly Photo 3, I moved my desk out and put two chairs in front (hello foot stool while working). The principles of Feng Shui encourage backs to not be facing the room. I’ve loved loved having my desk moved out into the space and allowing me to face the rest of the house. The shelf along the wall still allows me to use that long surface as well and store most of my goodies and I can utilize the top as a work surface when needed.

>> TO FOCUS ON:

Furniture arrangement
Furniture Size
Storage/Function of furniture
Floor and Floor Space

(2) Comfort & Mood

Comfort and mood can be related to appropriate lighting, color of your walls, and the overall “energy” or feel of the space. Our room was great color for someone else, but I was craving a light and bright space for working. Cue painting. I focused on making the space brighter with one overall warm white paint color (Benjamin Moore Simply White).

We transitioned the color to something brighter and more neutral which has made all the difference. Lighting is also a key player in a working space— window treatments, artificial lighting like lamps, and candles can also really help ground and set the mood for working. There are rainy days, gloomy days, and longer nights and these all these lighting hacks go a long way with keepin’ the good vibes rolling and give control to the light in the office. The lamps that we have added to the space (via thrifting & a Home Goods white lamp shade) have added just the amount of interest and function.

Comfort can also come in things that you are sitting on and trust me when I say you need to make sure you have a comfy chair. I tried to work on a “firmer” dining room chair for little bit and it was absolutely miserable. This is the time for a cushy plush chair or something that supports your bod in a way that feels good. I went back to my chair from IKEA and I haven’t looked back.

The energy in a space is based on how all these things play together and how the items are “living” in this space. Storing items in drawers or boxes and having less “clutter” on surfaces will help the overall comfort and mood of the space. See what doesn’t have to be left out all the time or maybe search for some furniture that can help wrangle items that can be put away. I have found great peace with having desk drawers (I didn’t on the desk in my first photo) and boxes to store all my lettering and craft goodies on our shelves. The more items displayed, on surfaces, or just hanging out in the space in general increases the energy (especially if they are all different colors). The more you coral and quiet the item and color ratio, the calmer the space feels.

>> TO FOCUS ON

Wall Color (light and bright, pop of color, dark and moody, or any color that inspires you)
Lighting (candles, lamps, window treatments, etc.)
Comfortable Working Chair (& Furniture)
Storage & Exposed Items.

(3) Art & Inspiration

What inspires you? What’s on your walls? Are you filling your space with things that lift you up? Maybe it’s a physical “pin” board or a family heirloom that’s displayed. Maybe it’s a pretty vase or filled with books that motivate you and push you further.

I added a gallery wall to my space and it has been hands down one of my favorite items in the office. It is filled with my lettering prints and artwork that soothes me (from Juniper Print Shop). Our favorite books are displayed in a color coded fashion on our bookshelves that gives a little boost to my wanna-be organized soul. Gallery walls can be done as simply with tape and a wall or frames and a plan.

Details on the gallery wall: Frames found at Target and my lettering prints paired with prints downloaded from Juniper Print Shop (Seascape I, Seascape II, and Eleanor) have created such a fun moment on this wall. Truthfully, I had some of these items and I wanted something on this blank wall and all of these items came together to create a special moment.

(4) Something Living (Real or Faux)

Having a living plant or the illusion of a living plant adds some life and dimension to a space. Make it flowers and the space starts to feel a whole lot sunnier and cozier. I had a friend mail me a gorgeous plant as we were in a tough part of our fertility journey and it now hangs out in the office with me all day and it makes me really happy. I also always don’t have a green thumb, so faux greenery is sprinkled about and adds a nice touch too. I feel like a plant changes the energy of a space and makes it feel a little less lonely if you are working on your own.

And this space will probably continue to evolve and change as life evolves and changes. I have found that the four simple ares of functional foundation, comfort & mood, art & inspiration and something living have helped make this space feel welcoming and productive all the time.

I hope this little tour of my space and chats about working from home have brought little sunshine to your day. Sending you all the love.