My “office” is inside the children’s room. I found this to be the best arrangement as it allows me to be near the kids while I work. My husband works from home every now and then, so he also has an identical desk beside mine. Except that my stuff are mostly white or colorful, and his are all black and serious. We found these teak desks when ScanTeak had a sale last December. They were at 50% off! Such a good deal for solid wood furniture.
I would have loved a white desk, and that’s actually what I bought at first. But the white Ikea Micke desk bent in the middle after just a couple of months of use — it was so sad! Serves me right for not getting good solid furniture in the first place. I learned my lesson there – it’s wiser to invest in pieces that will last you a long time, even if they cost a bit more.
The boxes in the shelves above the desk contain my art materials. One of them contains my paint brushes, another one holds all the tubes of acrylic paint, and another holds paper and stationery. Markers and crayons are also up there – so that the little one can’t get his hands on them without my permission and supervision. On the left side is my collection of pretty journals, and above that, all our important files sorted into clearbook binders – one for each member of the family, one for common files like property and insurance, and one for health files.
Of course, my desk wouldn’t be my desk if I didn’t add some pretty stuff around it:
Remember the movie “You’ve Got Mail”? One of my favorite lines from that movie was “I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address”. And that’s what I always keep beside me – a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. =) My husband doesn’t understand why I keep buying them. But you do, right? =)
That pink clock was a plain Ikea wooden clock in a past life. I painted it pink and hand-painted flowers on it. The watercolor of a flower is the one that I did for daintymom.com, I love it, so I framed it. Beside that frame are 4 tiny canvasses that say dream, believe, pray, and work. My mantra every day. =)
Hi pat!
I love your home office – organized, functional & pretty! 🙂
Thanks Peachy! I like to keep it neat and pretty — it inspires me to work. =)
Sigh! I wish I could have a pretty work station like yours. Mine looks like a hurricane just passed by. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your work space, Pat! So easy on the eyes and so refreshing to look at too! 🙂
Thank you Nyree! My husband is super OC, and his “neat-freak-ness” has rubbed off on me. haha! Seriously, I can’t work on a messy desk, it’s hard for me to concentrate. =)
This is so beautiful! My office is in my bedroom and I’ve got one of those desks that’s made of laminated wood. Bought from Puregold. Wondering how I can “prettify” it and make it consistent with my site’s branding. sigh….
Hi Nica, that’s easy! Get a roll of wallpaper in a burgundy damask, and cover your desk with it. Trim the edges neatly. Buy brown and gold desk accessories and use only those that match the color palette. =) If you have a whiteboard or corkboard above your desk, you can also frame it with a matching color. Spray paint it if you must! =)
I love your space, Pat! Mine is undergoing a “make-under,” as I feel I need to edit, edit, edit a lot of things.
I totally get the bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils that one need not use. I have the same relationship with a nosegay of Sharpies on my desk. Haha.
Your space is gorgeous, Pat! And I know what you mean about the bouquet of pencils. I have two whole canisters of pencils myself, and my family thinks I’m a little weird for having them in my room. Lol. 🙂
Thanks Patty! Yay, another kindred spirit! =) Doesn’t it make you happy just looking at all those pencils? =)
I love your desk Pat! So neat and personalized. I’ve been wanting a work desk makeover for so long now. My table’s made of laminated wood that’s chipping off already haha. Nice collections of pencils there! Mine’s full of notebooks.
Hi Erlaine! Thanks! It’s time to do your own workspace makeover, then! =)
Super like your home office 🙂 I noticed that you have a cutie book end here which says “love”. In your other post, there is a white book end which says “book”. If you don’t mind, may I know where you got them? Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Nerissa!
The Love bookend is from Typo by Cotton On. You can order online from their website. The BOOK bookend is from a department store here called Robinsons. I bought it at their Raffles City branch. =)