I was never a morning person but that doesn't mean I enjoy sleeping so late. I've had trouble sleeping for years. I'd only get to deep sleep about two hours after I have gone to bed. I knew it wasn't normal that I soon decided to do something about it. One of the things I learned was to separate work space with the bedroom.
I've always had my study/working table in one corner of my bedroom. At first it seemed beneficial given that my most productive hours come in late in the afternoon until about almost midnight. It takes me too long before I finally start working, but when I do, I don't take breaks in between. Soon after my long straight hours of intense work, having my bed a few steps away was just something that worked. Or so I thought.
My bed being close to my work station also meant that the clutter on my desk was visible from my bed. Later on, I learned that that actually was the main reason why I couldn't put myself to sleep. The key to a good night's sleep is to condition your mind that it's time for rest. You cannot get that in the same space where you get a lot of thinking time and stress.
So, I decided to move my work station to another room. We had an extra room in the house where my mom puts all her paperworks/clutter. Well, it took a lot of reasoning with her to let her give up some of it's space for me but it was worth it. I was able to transfer my drawing table, desk, and one book shelf at the very least. I still kept one hanging book shelf in my bedroom but I filled it up with stuffed toys, instead! :)
I'm so happy with how my little "office" turned out. My younger sister would insist on calling it my "dungeon," given the very limited space. But I love it, regardless.
Please, step into my office!
I usually take design inspiration from fashion magazines
I love scents so you'll also see a room spray and an aroma diffuser on my desk
I found this awesome drop leaf desk at a department store for only Php 2,000! During my "office hours," it's enough to fit my laptop, one magazine (for inspiration) and some other tools like my colored pens. When I'm done and it's time for rest, I just pull up the desk and it transforms into a smaller console table. You can also hide other tools behind the drop leaf so they disappear! (Of course, figuratively speaking.) It comes with a drawer, too! It's so perfect for compact spaces like mine.
Flower pot turned into pen holder
One of the things you can really save on is storage. See that white egg-shaped thing on top of my transformer desk? It's actually a hanging flower pot from IKEA. It keeps my pens, rulers and cutting tools into one neat stash.
The anglepoise posing for the camera!
I have an anglepoise floor lamp which I move depending on where I'm stationed. Beside my transformer desk is my drawing table where I go after a brainstorming session on my desk. When you have a cramped space flexibility is key. My anglepoise lamp provides me adequate task light and since it's movable, I can easily make it follow me! Who's the boss?
Drawing table with the staples!
This is my drawing table with the three rulers that make drawing possible for me! (I hate to break it to you, but not all designers are good artists. Haha. Disclaimer alert!) Before I start working, I make it a habit to clean them because I always want to make my drawing neat. My dad got this car spray cleaner initially for my car. But I seldom clean my car myself so…. haha. I just found that it works great on my rulers, too! It does what it promises, wax shine without water! :)
My color obsession: from pastels to watercolor to colored pencils and so on...
I just want to brag that I have this much color tools! Haha. I love colors so much that one day I'd just probably decorate my walls with these!!! I also have a nail polish collection in my bedroom. I don't use them, though. But I just love seeing them together. It puts me in a happy mood!
Guess what topic I have a lot on! Books on colors, of course! :)
Even if I have a very small office, I still made space for this hefty bookshelf. In design, when asked to choose one over the other, function always takes precedence over the aesthetic.
When the Martha Stewart mode is on...
There's an existing steel cabinet in the room, which had nothing on it. So, I decided to stash my art stuff there. Basically, they're just trinkets or recycled stuff I collected over time. Last Christmas I made snowman out of softdrink caps. (We'll have a DIY soon, so watch out for it!)
Work from home, but keep your "home"
I know a lot of you have your work desks in your bedrooms. But there's really a lot of benefits from keeping these two spaces apart. For one, my lazy mode is lessened. All I have to do to switch my productive mode on is to go to my office. In the same way, whenever I feel the need to rest, I just go to my now sleep-conducive bedroom. :)
