I had been sharing the small downstairs office with my beloved DH. The setup I had there was not working for me. My DH liked me being there just fine. I was very accessible... at his beck and call. I was (and still am) his personal secretary and bookkeeper. Because of the room layout and interruptions, it was more difficult to do the things I needed to do (bills and his bookkeeping). It was also more difficult to do the things I wanted to do (blog and learn and create). Keeping in mind that I am defining my new life, I moved my computer station upstairs to my loft. That's my space to be creative and free.
I have been pondering what it is I really want. Right now, the focus is what I want from my desk, but in a way, it also relates to what I want in my life. Deep, huh?
I want to merge three concepts - how the space feels, how it functions, and how it looks.
PART 1: THE FEEL
From reading a number of feng shui books, I have learned that the way you arrange things can impact how you feel. The best example I have for this came from one of the books (can't remember which one). If you are sitting in a nice comfortable chair, but you have a cactus on a table beside you, you will feel uncomfortable and will most likely lean away from the cactus, even if it's not actually close enough to bump into.
For me, the feel downstairs has a lot to do with facing a wall. In the downstairs office, my DH faces the window and has a great view. I was on the opposite side, up against the wall... literally and figuratively. I felt trapped, blocked, restricted. The DH said he was willing to switch spots with me if I'd stay there, but that would only solve one of my issues.
The wall desk area is a bit dark. The office is on the north side of the house and faces a deep covered porch. The window is large and gets natural light, but not enough to give much light to the opposite wall. I put a mirror over my desk to reflect the light from the window but it still wasn't enough.
My upstairs loft is a huge room with a great view and tons of windows and light. It's a much better setup. I'm where I need to be. I hope my DH adjusts. I hope he comes to realize that my loft is as special to me as his workshop is to him.
This photo shows the view from my new workspace. I like this sooooo much better. I used to not mind my computer facing a wall so much. For the last year or so I've been working in an office with no windows and not much light. Maybe that's why I'm obsessing about windows and light.
I'm not completely happy about the arrangement of the rest of the furniture in the loft. I moved it around last weekend and didn't have much time or energy. I'm sure I'll rearrange some more. The papsan chair will likely go. The rug is not staying. We had it made to fit the downstairs office. I will need the DH to move some heavy furniture around in order to put it there. While I wait for him, this is the temporary home for the rug. I'm eager for it to go.
Still, all in all, I am now pretty happy with how I feel at my new workstation. I've made a step in the right direction.
The Downstairs Office
The wall desk area is a bit dark. The office is on the north side of the house and faces a deep covered porch. The window is large and gets natural light, but not enough to give much light to the opposite wall. I put a mirror over my desk to reflect the light from the window but it still wasn't enough.
My upstairs loft is a huge room with a great view and tons of windows and light. It's a much better setup. I'm where I need to be. I hope my DH adjusts. I hope he comes to realize that my loft is as special to me as his workshop is to him.
I'm not completely happy about the arrangement of the rest of the furniture in the loft. I moved it around last weekend and didn't have much time or energy. I'm sure I'll rearrange some more. The papsan chair will likely go. The rug is not staying. We had it made to fit the downstairs office. I will need the DH to move some heavy furniture around in order to put it there. While I wait for him, this is the temporary home for the rug. I'm eager for it to go.
Still, all in all, I am now pretty happy with how I feel at my new workstation. I've made a step in the right direction.
Next post... Part 2: The Function