Tommy's still going to daycare - I need to focus on work and that's difficult to do when tending to a 4 month old. Plus, we love our daycare situation and feel very lucky to have found it - you should have seen me the day we told our daycare family that we'd be going from five to three days a week. I was a wreck - and Mr. B did all the talking.
So, I'm returning some of my attention to our home office. Because I spend at least 3 days a week - and some naptimes and evenings - in the once ignored room. Anyway, I was looking for inspiration and found Emily's (great name) office at Jones Design Company.
Image via Jones Design Company
What I love about this is that it makes such a graphic statement without much of an expense (you know, other than days of your time). I love that Emily has a black desk like I do. I love that she left floor space - I'm always tempted to float our desk and it never looks right. Mr. B hesitated when I showed him this and mentioned that it was a bit "girly". I was caught up in a daydream of a room that was all mine - forgetting B studies in the office - so girly worked for me. So, we won't be going this exact route, but it's still inspiration. I want a graphic statement, a workable floor plan and a place where I can focus on my work.
So that's what's on my mind when I'm not tearing out pictures of kitchen banquette seating and hanging out in the lumber aisle at Home Depot. Any office inspiration pictures I should see?
No question that this is a beautiful room. I imagine Mr. B's problem with it was, it doesn't look like an office! Perhaps you can help him imagine it better if you replace the chest with all the paraphenalia atop with a nice looking file cabinet or a bookcase....and show a desk that functionally incorporates laptop, printer, fax, etc. Offices today get so cluttered with electronics, books, paper, that it is important to streamline "decorative clutter" to make space for the necessaries. A home office is an active workspace and can easily turn into a cluttered nightmare if adequate functional issues are not explored in the design. Think about the things you want to do in there....and make sure they are included in that design. There is so much great furniture out there today that looks like cozy cute stuff....but underneath is literally a trove of office space. Armoires that are computer closets, chests that are file cabinets. Peter Walsh makes some terrific dry erase/bulletin board/calendar wall stuff. As your family grows, life will only get even more complicated when school and sports activities complicate your career schedules! Your design has to take all this into account! I do love the comfortable chair for late night studying!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting a part time job you can do at home! That's great. Here's a link of some offices maybe you can glean something from them:
ReplyDeletehttp://inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com/search/label/office
Congratulations on landing such a good gig!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the inspiration photo. Like you said, the look would be inexpensive to achieve. If I lived a little closer, I would volunteer a few hours to help!! :o)
Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Congrats on the new job! I like the wallpaper and REALLY like the shade in that room. The only thing I'd be tempted to do is move that desk in front of the window. I have to have a view when I'm working!
ReplyDeleteHere's some pictures of our office. I like a number of the same elements that you do.
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com/2010/01/before-after-historic-house-by-water.html
Kelly
that room is gorgeous. you could certainly take inspiration from it and tweak accessories to make it less-girly.
ReplyDeletethat's wonderful you were able to find a work/home balance. i've not yet had children, but i can already imagine that's something very difficult to work out. so glad the stars aligned for you!
Congratulations!! I'm so excited for you! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love office makeovers. I can't wait to see what you do!
Congratulations on finding a set-up that is going to work so well for your life! For the office, have you seen the tape-technique that Jenny at Little Green Notebook used in her entryway (almost creating an argyle effect on the walls)? She just posted about a reader using a peacock blue tape to create a similar effect. I think this would give you the graphic statement while being a bit manly and a lot easier than stencils...
ReplyDeleteI love finding that one inspiration photo that makes everything click. Even if you then do a bunch of things differently and the room looks totally nothing like the inspiration photo, just having that to turn to can really help you figure out exactly what you want to do in your own space to personalize it for you and your family. That's what's happening with our nursery and I am thrilled about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful inspiration photo you found!! I look forward to seeing how you interpret it!! And congrats on the new work from home job -- that's awesome!! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for inspiration, I'm partial to this office:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/08/office-progress-the-big-reveal/
I love the colors and floorplan. Heck, I love their whole house!
oooh I love that room! I see it and want to read a book with a cup of tea in there. Hmmm, maybe not the best office for me then, would be hard to work!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the job! That's awesome that you found a situation that works so well for your new family!
I have always liked this office--graphic elements, but not too girlie:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/diy-project/diy-project-home-office-gets-graphic-punch-from-wallpaper-060451
This definitely got saved in my inspiration file as well....I just love it. I bet you can "man" it up a little and still make it an amazing space. And congrats on the new job!
ReplyDeleteDude, that is an amazing opportunity, so happy for you guys! ALso sorta jealous because that would be my ideal. I've always wanted an office with a floated desk too, soooo grown-up.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! That is awesome! When do you start?
ReplyDeleteI need to work on my office too. I need more desk space and a comfy spot for professional reading.
Hope you don't regret making the horrible mistake of letting your career be second place to your husband's. Can't say I'm surprised given you worship a horribly sexist/degrading faith (Catholicism). Just hate that women of our generation our still conforming to degrading gender roles and and the unequal parenting/marriages.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous I started to craft a response and realized I really don't care what you think so stopped. Feel free to not read my blog if you are so offended by my choices. You talk about empowering women and yet you bash on every woman who doesn't believe exactly what you believe. Shame on you.
ReplyDeleteHey there anonymous, what's it like to be blinded by jealousy?
ReplyDeletea. congrats on the working-from-home-part-time job. that is my dream. i love working from home.
ReplyDeleteb. i know what you mean about the office issues. i'm in the process of changing some things around ours and charlie's been known to throw out the word "girly". and i'm talking about greens and blues here. can't wait to see what you come up with!
@Anonymous - I don't know if you'll be able to come down off of your high horse long enough to read this, but how dare you log on to someone's blog and demean not only her choices but her religion! Obviously you didn't read that this career move takes her BACK to a career of her choice (internet marketing), so one could argue that she actually put her career first!
ReplyDeleteEven if this wasn't the case though, I'm sure that her husband would make the same sacrifice for his family if the situation arose. That's what being a parent is all about; however, I'm not sure you will ever experience that because we would hate for you to succumb to typical gender roles by carrying your husband/fiance/boyfriend's baby. What a horribly sexist system biology is. Shouldn't you be off burning your bra somewhere anyway?
I just feel that as we try to advance - sexist faiths such as Christianity/Catholicism and embracing traditional ideas of motherhood and sacrificing career success will continue to hold us from being equals. As the child of a mother who stayed at home for most of my childhood I feel I was deprived of a real role model. Because my mother has never had a real career, there is nothing that I really can look up to her about. I feel that this blog really sustains many degrading gender roles where Emily is doing the majority of household tasks and the fact that college educated women are still degrading themselves in this way is very depressing.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - My mother was a fantastic role model, she showed me how to be strong, independent minded, hard working individual, all of which had nothing to do with her choice to have a career or not. The fact that you say you have nothing to look up to your mom about is a reflection on what you value in a person. Can I infer, then, that if a father chose to be a stay at home dad, you believe his son would therefore lack a male role model?
ReplyDeleteEmily is making the best choice for her career, and I'm sure the fact that it's part time is just a bonus for her so she can spend more time with her family. Are you suggesting that she shouldn't have taken a job in the career path of her choice so she doesn't 'conform to gender roles'?
As an aside, post under your blog name, we all know that you have one.
emily - i must have missed the post where you detailed every single household chore that is done in your house - and who does it... because you must have, since your readers know so much about it! ;) tommy better be pulling his weight!
ReplyDeleteEmily - I'm so very happy for you. And excited! How wonderful that not only are you able to do a job that you want, but from home! (Color me jealous, I wish I could do my job from home, too.) And, I love the office inspiration. I really love the walls. Can't wait to see what you do with your space.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can make time for work since you are really just doing household chores and waiting on your husband and son all day. ;)
And, PS, Anonymous can suck it. Anyone who bashes a woman's career, family choices and religious beliefs while refusing to put a name on a post is a POS who doesn't deserve our time. But it still seriously burns me up. I'm just enraged about it. Why can't women just support each other than look for catfights?
One possible way for women to achieve the equality that "anonymous" seeks is to encourage each other and lift each other up, rather than tear each other down (anonymously, of course) and reject the freedoms we've worked hard to earn (such as working from home).
ReplyDeleteEmily, you have admirable grace. I would imagine that your parents and your church set a wonderful example of grace for you, and that you embraced it: what a lovely legacy.
Wow, I totally missed all of this. I can't imagine reading someone's blog and then criticizing them! Anyway, I am really ecstatic about your new job. Each family is different and obviously has different needs and you made your decision based on that! Proud of you for sticking up for yourself. My mom stayed home with my 5 other siblings and myself and she couldn't have been a better role model. I value each and every day she spent with us. I pray I can find a job I can do from home! I'll have to get in touch with you to inquire once I do get a baby...
ReplyDeleteP.S. which might be really really soon! haven't blogged about it yet, bc we aren't sure. But basically a friend of a friend's granddaughter is pregnant and they have basically chosen us :)
I wasn't even going to write a response... but really anonymous are you serious. You feel deprived you didn't have a role model b/c your mom didn't have a real career? You have issues beyond what can be deciphered in comments to a blog and should seek therapy. And then to think it all has to do with religion. grow up!
ReplyDeleteEmily congrats on everything! Baby, new job, part-time work, family time, etc. And especially having the grace to not stoop to anons level. Jealousy is so ugly.
Um, i would say that one of the most important jobs in life is a mother and i wish i was fortunate enough to say home with the baby we are expecting in the spring! Emily, i am so happy for you :)
ReplyDeleteSo, anonymous... who cleans your house and takes out your trash? I bet you do some of those menial tasks as well!
Wow, anonymous, it sounds like you have major issues with your mother that have nothing to do with whether she was a worthy role model in your estimation! I suggest you seek out a good therapist and possible look up to your mother for what kind of a person she was/is and what she sacrificed to raise such an ungrateful daughter rather than what you believe she did not do for you as a career role model (is that was a mother is supposed to be?).
ReplyDeleteAnd, bashing all of Christianity b/c the Bible wasn't written in the 21st century in politically correct terminology? You sound like a *delightful* person to be around. Wish I knew who you were so I could invite you over for a dinner party. Oh wait, I'm female, so I probably shouldn't cook or host a dinner party for myself, my husband, and my friends to enjoy.
Way to go, Emily! Sounds like you and Mr. B are making great decisions for your family!
Wow, I can't believe people are so filled with distaste that they think their religious believes are more valuable than kindness and love and not judging those they do not know.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it was on your blog and you had to read them.
Do unto others right?:)
or just block anonymous crapola!
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ReplyDelete