When we first moved into our LA casita two months ago, I was happy floating from couch to table as I rotated around the downstairs to work from home. About a month into that routine, I started to feel a bit aimless, and like I really needed a defined space where I mentally created for work, versus where I physically created throughout the rest of my home. Continued from this earlier post, I wanted to share what I ended up doing with the upstairs landing that I made into my home office. Here was the vision for the space, and how it has come together so far:
I started with the narrow desk and matching wicker chair set that I found on Facebook Marketplace. Originally from Pottery Barn, the seller needed to let the furniture go during a renovation and priced the bundle at $25…total. Ecstatic about my budget-friendly furniture find, I planned the rest of the layers of my office design around that.
Everything has since arrived and looks beautiful, with the exception of this garden stool, which is currently unavailable. I had the same stool in our San Antonio house, but I had to sell it when we moved to LA due to lack of available space in our first studio apartment here. If I find a special antique stool, I’ll likely end up sourcing it instead, but I’m in no rush at the moment. The area rug I found on Amazon was a steal as well for the size, and I was surprised by how blue/grey it looks in person, which ended up working really well for this space.
The antique ginger jar lamp, antique Florentine tray, and Florentine art I found on Facebook Marketplace add such life to the top of my desk, and the Toile de Jouy pillowcase handmade in France that I found on Etsy brings so much happiness to the office nook (and to me, whenever I see it or sit on it). Here is the moment when I unboxed it:
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Redfin recently reached out to me to ask my opinion about tips and tricks for designing an oddly-shaped space in a home, and since I was in the middle of creating my office in an unusual spot in my casita, it was a no-brainer to collaborate with them on their story. This was my response:
When I design the spaces in our home, my primary goal is to make them feel warm, eclectic, and collected as opposed to lifeless and manufactured. I recently designed my home office space in a small nook at the top of our staircase. I started by finding a desk and chair on Facebook Marketplace that fit the unique measurements of the space, and I layered it with other objects, textures, and patterns to build an area that felt cozy, creative, and inspiring. I used an area rug under the desk to define the space, made a big editorial mood board that rests on top of the desk (it gives me a visual focal point because there are no windows), and moved a small bookshelf over from our bedroom that closed in the area to make it feel more like a room than an open landing.”
You can read the full article on their blog HERE, which features several opinions from interior designers across the country about a variety of types of spaces. Since I’m not a professional interior designer, I’m honored they asked me to share my opinion in their story.
So far, I’m very pleased with how my little space has come together, and I’m really inspired when I sit down to work. A big mood board makes all the difference to ignite my imagination and get in the zone. Here’s how I make mine:
@eleanoramorrison Make a mood board with me 📌💠#moodboardtutorial #moodboard #editorial ♬ original sound – ELEANORA
Bottom line: don’t underestimate the funky “extra” spaces in your home. They can have their moments too if you commit to bringing them to life, and they just might end up being a sacred spot in the house once you have the vision for how to make it your own.
