No one – other than my therapist – continues to be surprised by the length of this ongoing renovation, right? Like, there are only so many “we’re still renovating!” posts that I can write before we’re just getting ridiculous.
I, for one, chose to accept the fate of this neverending project we’ve moved into and claimed the front entrance of our home as my new office.
Since March 15, 2020 – I have worked from every area of this house other than an actual, intentional office. That’s 668 days of juggling my laptop, keyboard, spare monitor, notes, doodles and more at the dining room table, on the living room sofa and at the desk in the dark, dreary cave that is our un-renovated basement. Over the holiday break, I hit my limit and decided I would not go into the new year without a space I was proud to show on all of my video meetings.
Meet my office nook.
The unfinished nook at the front of the house was a sitting area for the previous owners. When we moved in, it became the holding area for unopened boxes and doors that had been pulled from the reno area. I convinced Aaron to help me clear the area for the holidays to put up my vintage Evergleam Christmas tree. But, once the tree was packed up, I refused to let it go back to its old ways.
I snagged a can of white paint from the renovation and spent an evening giving the walls a quick, bright coat. We rearranged the IKEA cabinet that holds all of our Internet goodies. Then, brought up Aaron’s white West Elm desk from the basement.
We also managed to haul my Peloton up the stairs (a workout of its own) – and fit it snuggly between the desk and windows. While I had hoped to leave myself a bit more space to move about in the area, I really can’t complain that it’s truly a space that is mine.
I used a few of my home and garden design books to boost my laptop to a good video conference angle. I added a couple of plants and a fun piece of art to liven things up. A few candles, photo of our trips and that creepy goat skull I found add a little bit of personality that I’m excited to see everyday.
Genuinely, I am thrilled. I imagined that this space in our finished home would be a play area with upstairs toys for the kids. However, I’ve been loving the morning sunshine so much that I might just claim this as our forever office.