How To Create a Personal Workspace that’s both Functional and Comfortable-one you’ll Love

Especially these days, almost everyone needs a designated work space. Even with an “office job”, work done at home is not uncommon. If not work, than it might be for pleasure. Tired of looking at your small phone screen or looking for a quiet place away from TV and other noise? If you don’t have a technical “office” in your home, it is still advantageous to designate an area for important paperwork, business tasks or recreational reading or screen time.

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A few years ago, with the relocation of family members moving within close driving distance and our revamp of the basement space, our need for a main-floor guest bedroom was alleviated. The small room was ignored and the door was rarely opened.

Fast forward to 2017 and the re-designation of the space occurred and the “Parlor” was created. Who doesn’t want a parlor? As a lover of old, large homes, but stuck in my cookie cutter ranch, just the title of the room makes me happy.

Here are a few of the things I use to fulfill the office function: Feel free to click the links for more product details.

Floating Desk in white
Acrylic Chair
Dell Computer in silver
Nakapa Mouse Pad in Marble Grey
VicTsing Wireless Mouse in black
Wireless Charger
USB/charging Cords
Tripod with Ring Light

With all that said, changing the name to “office” is out of the question. It’s really more of a multi-purpose room, but that doesn’t have the desirable ring I’m looking for either.

The room has many duties:

• Laundry gets piled in each theater seat, waiting for the rightful owner to claim and put away.
• Coats and purses of guest get thrown across the same chairs and shoes land nearby- serving as an extended entry way into the house.
• The skinny Christmas tree is displayed in front of the window during the holiday season.
• It serves as an art gallery, showcasing my monthly chalkboard, stationed on the closet door
• It is our designated office/work space, complete with filing cabinet and technology corner.

When I work in the parlor I’m surrounded by personal touches- no “cubical feel” here. We renovated the room ourselves, from floor to ceiling. Literally, we took out the carpet and laid new flooring all the way up to the removal of the popcorn ceiling and the installation of tiles and crown molding. We relocated the doorway, created a second door opening, repainted and added wall paper. Then came the decorating. Many of the pieces are one-of-a-kind:

• The horse rug: hand-hooked by my mom
• The chair throw: pieced and sewn by my mother-in-law
• The owls hanging as my desk backdrop: crafted by each son
• An old window converted into a wall hanging honoring our anniversary: given to us as a gift from a friend who had it custom made
• My own creations including the love canvas and the chalkboard. Even the flower vase was painted 25+- years ago by yours truly; the feathers inside more recently.
• And restorations: the file cabinet and the theater seats.
• Photographs and inspirational items: My very favorite picture of my grandma and great aunt gazes back at me every time I sit at my desk. That’s powerful inspiration and heart warming.
• A few miscellaneous decor items: the majority were purchased at auction. Why not buy while you’re getting paid? The large cowboy boot picture, the entry mirror/shelf and the metal longhorn all came from Lolli Bros.
• Even the corner chair and the floating desk are pretty unique.

And all of this, plus more fits in the tiny room. I’m reminded that home can be what you make of it. Get creative… Want a parlor? A sunroom? Library? Walk in pantry? Gym? Go for it. My late 70’s ranch house has it all- still fitting in the <2000 sq. ft. foot print.

I’ve heard it many times…

…and in this case it’s very true. We’re not flipping, or planning to ever sell our home. The potential profit is null. The benefits of our efforts will only be experienced by us (really mostly me- because I spend the most time inside) and a few occasional guests. Investing money into our livestock operation and our land makes more sense-but sometimes its not as much fun!

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