So when we moved into our new place, it was super important for me to maintain a space to work (freelance projects, personal projects, etc). The original idea was to split the office in half, but we soon decided instead to break it up according to needs. And I, apparently, have more space needs than Herman (and you'll notice that I've artfully photographed my space without you seeing his space. His space is sort of messy). There's the desk for my computer, then the bookshelf that holds all of my design books/magazines/supplies, then another desk for my printers and space for an inspiration board and Steve Nash poster. Naturally. I've also got drawer unit in the closet for all of my paper goods (love, love, love it and sort of want another one to stack on top of this one). I didn't photograph that though because our closet is a mess and half of it is Dexter's litter room.
The space works nicely, and for as much stuff as we have stuffed in there feels pretty open. I had to paint this room twice. The first time I painted I used Behr's "Manhattan Mist" which was supposed to be a nice neutral gray, but ended up looking lavender in the room. We did not want a lavender room, so I went out and bought Behr's "Silver Tradition" which worked much better (and is also what I painted the downstairs bathroom).
My inspiration board is where I like to layer up all the things I like to look at, or things that, well...inspire me. This is also the desk that holds my laser printer (the jumbo gray one), and my new large format Canon inkjet printer. I've been working on a couple of freelance projects, so it's nice to have a space that is comfortable and inspiring to work in. I also am going to start looking for a job soon, which means putting together portfolios and leaving pieces, so my inkjet will really be put to use.
So awhile ago, I blogged about the owls that started the owl obsession after seeing them in a little store in Providence, then being delighted to find them for sale at Anthropologie. Well, funny story. A couple of weeks ago, Herman and I were in a local Asian supermarket, getting a few groceries, when I wandered down the dishes aisle. I noticed another young woman with a baby strapped to her who was also wandering down the same aisle. At the same moment, we both spotted the very same owls that Anthropologie sells, in different colors, and in big mug form, and exclaimed "I've seen those at Anthropologie!" I drug Herman over and spent a good five minutes trying to decide between the white owl, the brown owl, or the gray owl. I got the brown owl, and Herman said I can get the white one later (woot!). Considering that these little mugs are only $7, and a lot more expensive elsewhere, I'd say it's a good deal.
Most of the books on this bookshelf are all design related, but I do have a few that I wanted to keep here as well. And in the interest of full disclosure (because there's no secrets between us!) I've posted a close up for you to see. Much of my geekiness (dorkiness? nerdiness?) will be found right here in my personal work space. Yes, that's an original Return of the Jedi lunch box. I had one when I was a kid and absolutely loved it. I'm not sure what happened to it, but I found this one (in almost mint condition) on ebay about a year ago. The Star Wars pop up book was a Christmas gift from Herman (and even Sumiko, who has no interest in Star Wars will tell you it's easily one of the coolest things).
So that's our office/studio space. Minus Herman's work space, that is. Over the weekend I'll post photos of the guest room for you. And as I did yesterday, I've put up more photos on Flickr.