"label/apartment"

For basically as long as The Dainty Squid has had a space on the internet I’ve been sharing photos of what where I work looks like. I’ve moved around a lot, and even when I’m in the same space for a long-ish period of time I rearrange almost constantly. It keeps me sane. I often browse my own archives and I always enjoy looking back at what my surroundings looked like at any given time. If anything, I wish I would have taken more photos of my previous spaces.

At the very end of last year I moved my office into this small room, which was previously my bedroom. The other room, my now bedroom, was just a little too big for me. Switching the two was a great decision that I haven’t thought twice about. My furniture, on the other hand, is something I can’t get off my mind. My big glass top desk was just a little bit too large, not just for the space but for me. I didn’t need all that room. It always ended up becoming home to a pile of papers or other random misplaced items.

One evening a few weeks back I had the idea of switching my glass desk around with my sewing desk. I wasn’t sure if it would work or not just because the room has a bit of a strange layout with low windows, and an awkwardly placed closet buuuut it didn’t matter – I had to give it a go. The sewing desk is literally so heavy that I had to lay down on my back and push it around with my legs. For about two hours the whole back side of my apartment was a disaster zone, and I’m sure I looked nuts but it worked out wonderfully! The smaller desk is much better suited to be my computer desk, especially since it has nice little cubbies for all my knick knacks!

The glass top desk juuuust fits into the opposite corner of the room. I didn’t include any full photos of it because there’s nothing on it. It’s kind of just a randomly placed desk right now. I’m thinking of making it my “mail center” when the weather cools down and I get back into snail mail. For now I really enjoy how tidy it looks with nothing on it.

To be completely honest, most days I work from my new favorite coffee shop. I’m very easily distracted so if there are dishes in the sink, if there is a dog begging to be pet, or a floor that needs vacuumed – I’m going to do that instead of work at my computer. In the last few months I’ve found coffee shops to be exactly what I need in terms of a place to work without distraction. I can sit down and just kill my to do list without thinking about anything else I “need” to do.

I never really thought I’d end up being one of those people that works from a coffee shop but there’s something to it! The amount of time I’ve been spending there compared to the amount of time in this room definitely has me thinking about my next apartment and if I actually need a dedicated office. Only time will tell, and I’m sure I’ll change my mind fifty six times but for now I have a really cute little office space that I enjoy.
xoxo

A few sources
▴ desk  
▴ floral calendar  – 2017 version here!
▴ see the world pennant
▴ trouble + pizza inspector patches
▴ friend to bugs patch 
▴ be kind patch
▴ waffle scented candle – it’s amazing, just go for it! 
▴ where is my mind print 
▴ teeth containers
▴ keyboard decals
The circle shelf is from Home Goods. Plant stand, maps, shark trash can and medical models are
vintage. Blue cart is from Ikea. If you’re curious
about anything else, just ask!

You can view all of my other previous office set ups under the tag “where I work“, and see more of my apartment under the tag “apartment“.

At the very end of 2015 I moved my office into the room that was my bedroom, and my bedroom into the room that was my office… and it was probably one of the best decisions ever. I’ve been living in this apartment for just over a year and from the beginning, I was really unhappy with my bedroom. It was way too small, and I hated that my side of the bed had to be up against the wall in order for the bed to fit without interfering with any of the doors in the room. Such a pain in the butt to make the bed everyday! I was convinced that the much larger room had to be my office though. It has gorgeous light, and lots of space. After not having a dedicated room for my office in my last apartment, I think taking the biggest room in my new apartment was my way to make up for it.

Eventually the bedroom situation got on my last nerve, and my big office wasn’t really my favorite anymore either. It’s significantly colder in that room, and to be honest, I’ve always been a bit of a nest-er. I enjoy cozy, warm, secure feeling spaces which is basically the complete opposite of what that space was. It was just too big. I don’t why it took me so long to finally figure out “hey, I could totally just switch the two!” but the second I did I got right to work.

The switcheroo was quick, and painless. Even before getting completely settled in I knew it was the right decision. My new bedroom is cool, and I no longer dread making the bed everyday. My new office is compact, cozy, and warm. Because my bed took up so much space in this small room, I wasn’t sure what furniture I would be able to bring over from my old office While the lockers were completely out of the question, I set up my desk in the corner of one side and dragged my sewing desk in to put on the opposite side.

I also made room for a handful of plants. This room gets, possibly, even better light than my old room. I guess I never really paid all that much attention since at the time it was simply a place to sleep, I wanted nothing more to do with it. Professor loves it too because he now has access to a kitty height window he can chirp at birds from all day long. It’s a win/win.

 

A few sources :
▴ sewing desk + computer desk
▴ butterfly poster
▴ moon calendar 
▴ cactus print
▴ floral calendar 
▴ see the world pennant
▴ friend to bugs patch 
▴ where is my mind print 
▴ teeth containers
▴ keyboard decals
The circle shelf is from Home Goods. Plant stand and maps are vintage. Blue cart and wall pockets are from Ikea. If you’re curious about anything else, just ask!

You can view all of my other previous office set ups under the tag “where I work“, and see more of my apartment under the tag “apartment“.

I’ve been living in my “new” apartment for around four months now. It took a while but I’m finally at a point with my office where I’m super happy with how it’s shaping up. My apartment has two bedrooms. I took the larger of the two for my office. Partly because why would I need to sleep in such a large room? But mostly because the evening light is perfect in here. I’m definitely most productive in the morning but the lighting in here as the sun starts to go down is so relaxing and a boost to my energy level.  Bonus points for the fact that my plants are absolutely thriving in this room.

The newest addition to this room, and what finally made it feel finished to me was adding a second desk. After I started sewing again I realized having a second desk was a necessity. I didn’t feel comfortable sewing on the glass top of my computer desk and it was annoying to have to always be scooting my computer and papers out of the way. The right side of the room was a bit heavy anyway so adding the second desk to sew at not only gave me more room to work but balanced out the room.

Just like every other room in my apartment, other than my living room, I still wouldn’t consider it 100% finished. I’m sure there will be lots of little changes here and there for as long as I live here but for right now, I love it! It’s fun to have so much space dedicated to work. As much as I loved the office in my last apartment, working in a corner of the living room wasn’t exactly ideal. This is my favorite office space to date!
xoxo

Sources : 
▴ sewing desk + computer desk
▴ paranoid pennant
▴ jackalope jewelry holder
▴ tooth pencil holder
▴ ice cream cone lamp
Lockers were the best craigslist score ever, and nearly everything else was picked up second hand.

A few related posts : 
▴ My collection of curiosities
▴ The story of my lockers
▴ Vanity Tour
And of course, if you’re curious what I do – see here.