HOME OFFICE TOUR: MY DESK SPACE AND STYLING

After writing my previous post on home office inspiration, I thought it was time to take you behind closed doors and show you where the magic happens in my house.

Hey MTV, this is ma crib...
I live with my best friend and house mate, we share a two bed terrace house in Southampton. My 'home office' a.k.a. my creative hub, is a humble area in a corner of my bedroom with everything I need to do my work, create designs, communicate and blog. It inspires me, is functional and makes for super happy place to create.

During non corona-virus times, I am a Store Designer for IKEA. Due to the nature of my work, it is super difficult to work from home in normal circumstances, so I am very new member of the "working from home" club. However, I am ALWAYS in this space for something. Whether that is blogging, designing for myself, or creating up a storm.

So let's get to it-

I am a creative- mind, body and soul, I need to be surrounded with inspiration and visuals, colour and positivity. In my previous post (click click), I spoke about how one of the featured workspaces appeared as though to be an extension of the artists creative mind. I feel like that is super relatable for me. Having things around me that I love, makes me feel positive and puts my mind into a great place to work and create.

Let's elaborate a little more on how a space has impact on your mental health and wellbeing. 
So more than ever, keeping our mental health up and positivity rising is key to our every day lives. Especially for those in isolation and away from loved ones- i'm on day 4 now and it can get pretty tough, right!? Before I photographed my workspace, I had a little shuffle around of my photos and prints which gave me the idea for this post. 

Insert tip #1 - It is great to shuffle your space a little, even if that means moving some furniture around, having a go at styling an unloved space, or putting up some positive mantras. 

What we physically see in our surroundings has impact on how we feel about a space. For example, lets say if my wall was covered in deadlines, to-do lists, excel charts and lots of white space- this would act as a constant reminder & feeding negative thoughts, such as "OMG, I haven't finished this", "I have too much to do", "I hate working from home, it is so boring".  Thoughts none of which we want to entertain. Even if you haven't got a creative job, you can spruce up your work space to push those positive vibes. Keep remembering that this is YOUR space and not your employers. It is important to add elements of personality so you don't feel like your walking into the most quiet version of your office each day!

I have my positive mantras spaced out across my wall. They act as such a great reminder and injection of positivity when I need it most. I have collected mine over time, from magazines, print outs and Paperchase.

So, right now, we can't pop out to get cool prints to decorate our spaces with- no probs! Get creative and give it a go yourself. Write some positive mantras and put them on your wall. If you get stuck, get on pinterest, or imagine you are writing to a friend- what would you say to them when they are in need of a positivity boost?

Okay so I need to let you into a secret... 

My name is Fay and I am an accidental plant killer... 

Okay. there it is, my big secret- I am absolutely so shit at looking after real plants. I have really tried- honest! It doesn't help that the cat chomps on them, but I'm not a grass.

However, I do love a bloody good plant. I'd have a room like a jungle if I could. But alas, I am faking it 'til hopefully one day, I can make it. Plants give an injection of colour, calm and our brains associate plants with being outdoors (something we may be a little deprived of right now, am I right?!).

First up is this little Matalan number. The Matalan home range is so gorgeous nowadays and is super affordable. This is one of my favourite fake plant babies and sits pride of place on my desk.

My next two little green friends are from IKEA. The Fern is so bushy and vibrant and Sunflowers are my fave. An injection of bold yellow to bring that sunshine vibe to the space. 

The rest of my workspace is covered in a collage of art, photographs and my actual work (hiding in the centre.) I have most things blu tac'd to my wall- as I am renting, this is how I like to decorate my space without putting tones of holes in the wall. It also allows flexibility when I want to change it up from time-to-time. 

So there we have it. I hope I have inspired you when creating your own spaces. My top tips are as follows:

1. Create something that works for you! As I said in my previous post, I would always work on functionality first, and then style it up! No one wants to create an aesthetically stunning space and then it not serve your work needs at all! 

2. Change it up every now and then. Giving your space a little refresh, will make it feel new and will keep it interesting.

3. Take screen breaks!!! This is super important. I don't mean getting off the computer to check your phone- I mean go make a drink, look out the window, or go outside if you can. Stare into the far distance to prevent eye strain and headaches. 

4. Make a new playlist. Fill it with motivating tunes that will get your happy vibes flowing. Sing as loud as you want- unless you live with them, your colleagues won't hear you. Bonus!

Now coffee time is calling! 

Over and out xxx