corner office

I like having a laptop, I can use it anywhere, and I do. Sitting in bed, on the couch, at the library, at Starbucks. But I am hoping to start doing some sort of freelance work in the near future, and it's going to take a little more discipline for me to work from home. For that, I think I need a dedicated work space. We have a tiny house, and I didn't really have a budget for this project, so this has been all about working with what I have. I'm pretty proud of myself for scrounging around and putting together a space that I think I will really enjoy using. 

This corner in our (very tiny) guest room was previously occupied by a large and ugly green chair that just collected piles of stuff, so it was no great sacrifice to let it go. I reclaimed my old desk from Mr. HeyLucy, who really needed a bigger surface for his desktop computer and dual monitors. World Market was having an awesome sale last month, and I managed to get another 10% off buying it online, so I guess I have to count the price of his new desk in my re-do ($160+shipping). 

I got this old desk ages ago, at an antique store when I lived in Virginia. It had a dark stain and a leather top that was badly damaged. I had removed that and painted it awhile ago, but it needed a touch up, so I spent this past weekend sanding and painting. 

I bought a couple shelf brackets at Anthropologie and used wood from an old fence that has been nicely weathered and was just piled up in the back corner of our yard. I cut a length, sanded it and finished it with a little paste wax. 

The wire rack I have had for ages, I was going to hang it in my kitchen, but it didn't look quite right, so it's just been kicking around and it's just perfect over my desk, where it will serve as an inspiration board. 

The rest was just gathered from around the house. I'm still not too sure about my styling abilities. I like the shelf arrangement for now, but I think I will probably be re-doing it on a regular basis. It took forever to figure out. It seems like it should be so easy to arrange things, but getting the balance just right takes more skill than I currently possess. So hats off to the stylists out there, I am impressed with your talents! Oh, and besides the shelf brackets, the only other thing I bought specially for my office project was the jasmine plant. 

 

 

Sources: 

Wire Rack (I found mine in a local store, but this looks like the same thing)
Calendar is from Bookhouathome (they don't have them any  more, but bookmark the shop for next year! And you can always get another tea towel in the meantime)
Blue tray and wood box are from Ikea
Thistle photograph is by AbbyTryAgain
Misc. silver vessels are thrifted 
Candle is from Target
Jasmine wreath is from Trader Joe's

If I missed anything you want to know about, just ask!

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