Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Space to imagine - Part 2

Last week, I told you about my new shared work space. Its a big open loft with conference and exhibition rooms upstairs which is great for client meetings. I will be sharing the space with three other designers and I'm so excited to finally have a work space outside the house.

The location is also perfect - it's close to lots of cafes, design stores, boutiques and my absolute favorite brunch place in the city.

Welcome to my new work space.




My section is the part closest to the far wall and I think its gorgeous.  The partially exposed brick makes the entire space a little less sterile and more welcoming.

As I prepare to move in, I've been thinking about what type of furniture and/or decoration i can add to my little corner to help with inspiration. I want to be considerate of the design aesthetics of the entire loft while making a space that i can enjoy and be creative in.

First, I have a few limitations.
- No painting or wall hangings allowed. The owners have sternly vetoed any wall hangings so I'll have to get creative.
- My section comes with a desk and chair only. I also have space in a tall built in book shelf where i can store my design books, magazines etc.

Other than that, the owner says I can go wild. Yippee! But, I'm concerned about how much i can do without bothering the others.

What do you think? I'm thinking of a new chair, area rug, some stuff for organizing my documents, stationary, fabric swatches, inspiration board and maybe some more storage.

Mini makeover, hurrah !!!











Friday, May 3, 2013

Space to imagine.

I have a hard time working at home. There, I said it. I'm always reading about these amazingly disciplined people who can write books or music at their kitchen tables but that's just not me.  I need a dedicated space devoid of extraneous material...order, I say, I will have order !
Ever since I left law school, I have always had a real office in which to work. Over the years, the offices have changed along with my career. I have had the big international firms with their somewhat sterile offices, the computer software start ups and their huge open style lofts and most recently, the mid sized firm with smaller but definitely warmer spaces.

But I have never had my very own space to create, as a writer or a designer.  I tried to carve out space in my home but the dinning table in my living room isn't cutting it. Besides, I'm so easily distracted by household chores and television (a pox on HGTV).  I had planned to use our second bedroom as my studio but then along came the baby and wouldn't you know it, they don't stay small and immobile for very long. So I dejectedly kept working in the living room. Before I gave up on turning the spare room into some baby / studio hybrid, I dreamt of working here.







Or here.




Or in my idea of designer heaven, here.  In the workspace of textile designer Caitlin Wilson.
I can truly only echo the words of another doughnut loving, overworked, New Yorker by saying, " I WANT TO GO TO THERE ".




After a six month search, i finally found some thing i think will work. It's a shared space in an open loft so I can't go all design crazy but I am so excited to finally have a space of my own.  I guess i have no more excuses for not blogging here more regularly !

I get the keys next week so I'll share the space with you then.  Meanwhile, I'll be ogling office supplies and furniture.

Do you have a home office or work in an outside space?  What are your top 3 home office essentials?