An Office of My Own in a WFH World
A pandemic-induced office overhaul
WFH for a few weeks, they said.
About three months ago I left my cubicle for home and was told that we should flex our work from home muscle while a pandemic was brewing.
Like all beginnings, first came the honeymoon phase; my husband and I coordinated dog walks, ate lunch together, I would move my computer into different rooms - just for fun, sometimes I would ask him what record we should put on.
Those first few days were great, until my future came into sharp focus, where work from home would be my new way of life. I understood that my marriage depended on a separation of our physical 9-5 worlds. I don’t want him to hear that I ask if anyone can see my screen. I also knew I would need to strike the right balance of personal style and office functionality.
If home is work and work is home then I needed to put a little more love into my space.
1. Start Fresh
Sorry toots, this might not be temporary.
Before the fun part, I had to face the bones of the office. This is a space that I will be spending 8+ hours a day in, so I was willing to put in the muscle to fix the features I hated.
Updates included:
Carpet removal, to reveal (already) painted concrete and holes where carpet tack lived
Patch and re-paint concrete
Skim-coat walls to remove texture which was previously the classic orange-peel texture
Paint two-toned walls, Pure White on top and ceiling and Texas Rose on bottom and base boards
Replace outlet covers
Replace ceiling fan
If you are willing to put in the work yourself, these upgrades were fairly modest in terms of spending. Skim-coating was by far the hardest job with a real learning curve but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from learning to do it themselves. All in, these revamps cost me less than $500 with new tools required and supplies, the most expensive item being the new ceiling fan at around $200.
2. Make it 100% you
This is likely the only space that you don’t share.
Whether it’s a whole office, a closet or even a corner of a room - your dedicated office space might be the only space you don’t share with your partner or children. I took full advantage of this personal landscape.
I focused on objects that had meaning for me - the “kindness” embroidery my sister gifted me for my birthday (also a good reminder during the workday), my favorite books (see: Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust) and casual photos arranged with care.
I didn’t go overboard buying new things, just finding things around my house that already held meaning embellishing with a few visual themes: gold accents, round and scalloped shapes and femininity.
3. Keep it simple and inspiring
Disclaimer: you actually have to work here.
I have ADD and I write a lot for my job. I used to have a desk with drawers and when I needed to write, I would typically reorganize these drawers. I simplified and over-edited my workspace to the point where it was visually calm, but not boring. This usually takes a few days of actually working in a space as normal and realizing what works and doesn’t and creating spaces for things you actually need.
Where did all my “stuff” go? I created an organized as hell office closet with all the bullshit I would normally fuss with throughout the day.
Lastly, I used art and visual themes to make my office inspiring to me. I like weird feminine vibes and bold choices when it comes to my surroundings. Also, with a name like Housekeeper I couldn’t pass up Ludacris lyric embellished up-cycled art.
