A Tour of My Revamped Home Office
In Julia Cameron’s The Artist's Way, she lays out the importance of having an inspiring creative space. It should be a shrine to curiosity, inspiration, and childhood wonder. My desk area had not changed at all since college, which was fine for the 9 years I was barely ever at home. Now I’ve been working from home non-stop since March, and I looked up one day and realized I was due for an upgrade.
Taking a cue from Julia (is it cool if we’re on a first name basis? I’m gonna assume it’s cool) I decided to revamp my space, going heavy on the wonder. At first glance it’s not a terribly childish space; natural wood tones and gold accents mix with white and blush. But this was the exact palette of the first room I ever had on my own as a kid (#twinlife). Read on to see what I did, where I got my things, and how I was able to make my space look grown up while incorporating my child self.
The biggest (and most special thing) in my office is my desk. It was my grandmother’s 16th birthday present and is now almost 75 years old. It’s a pretty great desk, practically speaking (it has tons of storage), but I also love the connection to my maternal grandmother.
When I first inherited it from my mom, the desk was missing some varnish, had a huge crack in the trim, and had several glittery pink patches that looked suspiciously like nail polish. After the desk was badly damaged in a move, it was restored to its former glory. Just look at her beautiful cherry varnish.
My work surface is a bit small, but I could never imagine using another desk. I don’t think I could ever find a desk as special to me as this one. Fun fact, my twin sister has my paternal grandfather’s desk. It was the same one he worked at every day when he owned a store in Quanah, Texas.
One of the things that had the biggest impact on my new desk area was installing shelves above it. I wasn’t too picky about the stain on the shelves (as I knew I likely wouldn’t be able to match) so their tone is far more red than the desk. For them I used my favorite wall shelves hack: I bought an 8 foot commercial board in my desired width (10 inches), and had the hardware store saw it into three 30-inch pieces. I painted some inexpensive wall brackets gold, mounted them on the studs, and bada-bing-bada-boom, I have 3 custom shelves for about $30.
A very cute $4 vase from IKEA, my giraffe friend, and 3 of my favorite books in a row.
A lot of the things I picked up for my desk makeover came from IKEA. While the Swedish emporium is more well known for its minimalist Scandinavian furniture, I picked up quite a few more whimsical pieces for a fraction of the cost, including the peony wall decal, the vases (including that small white vase), and the giraffe figurine. If you’re interested in a gold banana figurine larger than a chihuahua, they’ve got that, too.
I really love IKEA (I know my hemnes from my malm). It has a special place in my heart since I went IKEA-crazy in my first apartment by myself. IKEA was the best I could afford, and I was so proud of myself for building a home I loved in a new city. I grew up in small, rural towns, so just being in a city with an IKEA felt like an unimaginable luxury. I will always love that red couch.
The giraffe figurine in the glass dome has a really special meaning to me, too. As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to go to Africa and study wildlife like Dian Fossey. We had a National Geographic retrospective tape (narrated by Christopher Plummer) that I practically wore out.
Having my gold giraffe buddy on my shelves reminds me of that inner sense of adventure and curiosity I had as a kid. While I no longer want to be a zoologist, if you told me I had 1 week to live, I would want to spend it on a game reserve in Kenya, witnessing the magnificent animals of the African savannah in person. My giraffe reminds me to dream big, and keep asking questions.
Can you spot the rock I brought home from Glacier National Park?
While I chose the particular books on my shelves for their aesthetics, of the 10 books on the shelves, 5 of them are some of my all-time favorites (The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Educated by Tara Westover, The Secret Place and In the Woods by Tana French). The Shipping News in particular is my favorite book of all time. I draw inspiration from their presence as much as from their words.
I have literally hundreds of books, and I’m delighted by the fact that very few of them were purchased new; many of them I found on the shelves at thrift shops, or at a library sale. Even more were gifted to me. New books are glorious too, of course, but there’s something special about an old book that’s been read, loved, and passed on .
Finally, I filled the space with pictures that inspire me and remind me who I am. There’s the photo from my college graduation. The collage of photos with my best friend. The “squad gourds” graphic I made to commemorate my love of the true crime comedy podcast My Favorite Murder (it carried me through an awful time). The “stop, smile, breathe” sign my sister bought for me during that same rough time. The “Blair” picture my parents bought for me in the 90s, just as I was starting to realize that I have a “weird” name. I got some frames to coordinate, sure, but every single photo is special and unique to me.
I was hoping to use my home office makeover for tutorials, tips and tricks, a shiny, trendy, glossy post. But as I dreamed it up, I realized that in order for it to truly be me, it could be none of those things. Instead, I hope that this post might inspire you to dig deep into yourself as well, to connect to the things that make you YOU and always have. And perhaps, to go a little nuts at IKEA.
