3 Ways To Refresh Your Office Space
Not that you need a reminder, but most of us have officially hit that 1 year mark of working from home. By now you’ve probably settled into some sort of routine at home and created a space that is dedicated to your work. But you probably didn’t think you’d still be working from that spot this many months later. Which means… it might be time to take some time and refresh your work space to make it an inspiring, organized and productive spot!
In the 12 months we’ve been at home, I’ve moved into one of our spare bedrooms to create a home office, moved out of our old office space, and BUILT a new studio. I know at least I have fully committed to working from home again. Honestly, I probably never needed an actual office space in the first place. And now that we are all confident in our WFH ways, I believe that is how it will stay for the majority of the time for myself and my team.
When we do get to the point where working together is normal again, my plan is to set a schedule of 1 to 2 days for collaboration and being in the same space, and the rest of the time working from home. It is WHY I built a studio in our backyard afterall; to welcome people on my team back to work without having to spend time inside our actual house.
I’ve always believed that your workspace (and home, or anywhere you spend most of your time) should inspire you. I have never wanted my office space to feel like an office. My intentions were to make it feel like a beautiful room in your home. Making it comfortable, inspiring, and a place that you wanted to spend a lot of time in.
You CAN make work things appealing. Storage can be styled in an aesthetically pleasing way, office supplies can mesh with your other decor, and there are ways to layout your equipment to not stand out like a sore thumb.
If you haven’t taken the time to create a space like this for yourself, I recommend setting aside a few hours (work on it a half hour a day!) this week or weekend to do so. The intent is to carve out an area that you enjoy sitting down at. So here are 3 tips to refresh your office space/table/corner/closet/whatever you have.
Tip No. 1 • Infuse decor pieces not typically associated with an office space. Bring over your favorite coffee table books, candles, bowls, trays, art, etc. Right next to my computer is a collection of my favorite things layered together taking up around 1 square foot on my desk. I have a pretty coffee table book with a gorgeous green tray Ryan bought me for Christmas. On top of that, I have a few of my favorite bowls that i’ve collected over time. Inside of those I have things like paper clips, sticky notes and push pins. Behind that on the wall is a cork board to hold inspiration images ONLY, and finally next to that is some of my favorite art.
Tip No. 2 • Invest in functional and beautiful storage. For things that I access often, I obviously want to keep them accessible. So I have these black baskets from amazon and these white ones from open spaces. I have them on my desk and shelves to keep things like shipping supplies, current project supplies, and paper organized.
Tip No. 3 • Start to swap out your everyday materials and tools with items that stick to a color palette. A few things that I purchased last month that made the biggest difference were pens/pencils, notebooks, and sticky notes. It’s a small change that keeps my workspace feeling cohesive and inspiring! Plus something about having 12 matching black pens instead of 37 pens i’ve found around the house makes me feel like an actual adult.
shop office supplies + decor
Bonus Ideas
Keep a small bud vase on your desk and grab a clipping from your yard every sunday to fill the vase with. You’ll have something new and beautiful on your desk each week.
Make an appointment on your calendar each week to spend a half hour updating your inspo. Print all of those images you’ve screenshot or saved and hang them up to keep you inspired.
Every Friday, set a timer for 10 minutes and tidy up your space before the weekend.
On your next grocery run, pick up a mini plant. It’s good for you.
Update your stationery. Keep cute notes and sticky’s out and available.
Your space makes a big impact on everything from your mood to your motivation levels. Be sure you are taking them time to make it work for you!