Working from Home in Style

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." 

John Lennon

Life as I know it has been busy this first month of the new year--and NOT with all the things that I would like to fill my life with: friends, home projects, fun activities with the kids... But that's okay. Sometimes to live intentionally we have to distill our life down, and then down some more.

I have been working on a few things at home, though, in the few scattered minutes here & there. It's all about the quality of time, not the quantity.  

One thing I am creating is a home office, separate from the kids' art space.

 

Via South Shore Decorating

I am pretty obsessed with dark walls, tan leather, and Lucite anything. Add in the gold-colored shelves and the office above is ddd-reamyyy!

Since our house is cozy AND open I have had to be creative with where I put a home office. My solution? The entryway! The bookcase is already there. Plus the console behind the sofa makes a perfect desk. A chair for taking off shoes does double duty as my work chair.

Tying it all together will be...

This rug from a friend. It has the color elements that I want for the space. And it's wooly and soft.

Via Effortless Style

Painting a standard door black can give your home an immediately upgraded look. Thrifty Decor Chick gives a great explanation of how to actually paint them. And I really really want to paint ours. I love how the door above is shiny. And I love all the drama on the walls with the Federalist-style mirror and the patterned wallpaper. Not to mention the big basket underneath the table, the sunny yellow tulips, the big chinoiserie urn... Moving on!

Emily A. Clark

The light fixture we currently have in the entryway is a flush-mount on a sloped ceiling, which just feels wrong to me. Plus, it sort of looks like a giant nipple (hence the name "boob light"). While there are many gorgeous choices available {Wayfair has a whole bunch at a variety of prices but none are exactly the one I want}, plenty of bloggers have turned thrift store finds into gorgeous, sophisticated pieces for much less!

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Right now Joss & Main has a fun sale curated by the VP of Creative Communication for Lilly Pulitzer Janie Schoenborn. She is described as having "an artful eye for exuberant design"-- words that are music to my ears! 

Here are a few of the beachy-beautiful pieces that are quickly selling out:

{Thanks to Lisa Mende Design for pointing out this sale!}

I seriously want everything in this sale! Clockwise from left a few of my favorites: patterned wallpaper, slipper chair, mirror, placemats, and pillow cover. All at fairly reasonable prices... And I didn't even mention this treasure which would look soooo good in our master bedroom.

Caribbean Tufted Headboard $264.99

 Do you have a dedicated home office space? Is it a room or have you had to make-do?