Choosing The Right Furniture for Your Room
As with most professionals and business owners, my personal projects always get put on hold when I get busy and I look after everyone else first. So it’s a pleasant surprise to have a few days to finally get my office repainted and my office cleaned out and re-arranged. It was on my “to do” list before summer ended and my daughter was back in school, so I’m cutting it close!
Like many homes, my home office is right by the front door. The room is an odd shape with one wall at a 45 degree angle and 2 windows, which provide an abundance of light, but limit my use of the space. I’ve had the same floor plan in the room for 18 years now with my desk facing one corner and the door behind me. This worked when I was working alone, but now I have people in and out of my office all day and it’s just plain awkward sitting with my back to the door.
I’ve desperately wanted a change for the last 3-4 years and have been planning a new design for a while! However, the furniture layout has always been a challenge as I like a certain style of furniture, more traditional with a lot of character, not the typical box store office furniture solutions. I’m also dealing with an odd shape space and I require a lot of storage! Before I run out and buy something it needs to accommodate how I work in my space! We have 3 businesses and I manage the paperwork for all so I have a tonne of paperwork that I need to keep organized and accessible and at my fingertips. Add all my samples for the design/decorating biz and my office can seem pretty cluttered if I don’t have proper storage. What would work best in my space, an L-shape with a hutch along one wall with storage below for files and storage for my sample collection just isn’t easily found in the size and style I want. I have room for another storage unit or bookshelves and chairs across from my desk so my team can sit and look at the computer screen as we discuss and plan stage jobs.
It’s a matter of combining all the different functions required in the space, then finding the appropriate furniture that will fit in the space, than finally using colors that make me happy and make me feel good in the space. An office is a very personal space and probably where many of us spend a huge chunk of our days. It’s important to have colors around you that make you feel good. Anything that would keep you calm and lower your stress level on bad days and make you feel warm and happy when you are in the space. I love warm rich colors. The right color makes me feel the room is giving me a big hug when I walk in – I know it sounds strange! But have you ever stopped to pay attention to the way colors in a room make you feel when you walk in? Some hues are cool and calming, others are warm and embracing and others can be vibrant and exciting. Color sets the mood.
I’ve found the biggest challenge to redesigning my personal space has been finding the right pieces, in the right scale, to give me the storage I need while keeping it neat and clean and uncluttered. Taking into account the function of each piece and whether it has enough storage and function. Then finding the right style to ensure it’s exactly the right look I want. Finally, it has to be the right scale of furniture for my space. LOL – just a little particular when it comes to planning a space! Working for yourself is by far most challenging, I’ll be quick to berate myself if something doesn’t work because “I know better than that”! Then again, I’m also patient enough to wait until I find the exact right pieces before I buy anything and regret it. Down to a few options now, just a little more research before I place the order. For now, we will finish the painting and de-cluttering, I should have my furniture selection completed by then. Can’t wait to have it all done and then I’ll be sure to share the final result!! Happy painting!!