The Fun Thing About Moving: Getting A New Home Office

Oh, the joys of moving... Packing, unpacking and all the heavy lifting in between. Since 2005 I have moved a total of eight times. Maybe it's time to admit I have a commitment problem? There is one thing I love about it. Decorating a new space! Check out my new home office.

Every move means I get a new-to-me apartment that is a blank slate with tons of possibilities. Since I rent I can't make major changes like paint the walls but I can still make a place entirely mine.

It starts with thinking about what I (and Bruno) need. I spend a lot of time in my home office so I have to consider what works for me and my lifestyle. How will I spend my time in here? Do the designated spaces in the apartment fit my needs or is something different better?

For example, the dining room space is perfect for my home office. With two windows and the door to the balcony there is so much natural light. I don't need a dining room to dine in, so why not work there?

This apartment is one of the sunniest and most well-designed places I have lived in. It's not big, but they made good use of the space. I chose this layout because of the big wrap around patio (haven't decorated that yet) and also because of the number of windows.

There's no lack of wall decor in this house. I inherited a lot of art from my mom and I've added some of my own work to the mix. Besides, having art in your workspace is good for you.

I'm careful to only have things around me that make me happy when I look at them. Ever since I read the book Soul Space I've been conscious of that. The premise of the book is that if you have something in your space that brings bad memories when you see it, every time you look at or use that object you are perpetuating that feeling in your home.

Some of my own work, including one of the first photos in the Pottery Barn collection – the seashell

Excuse me, sir. Have you seen my stapler? Best. Movie. Ever. And also a great reminder of what I want in my life.

The red stapler… who knows the movie reference?

My mom painted the chairs for my Barbies when I was a kid. The leaping wolf was a gift from a friend. All happy memories.

A new lampshade is an easy and affordable update for a not-so-new lamp.

Bruno approves of the space, too. Although his favorite spot in the house is definitely the balcony.

Credits:

The desk is IKEA—a plain white combination of pieces that work with anything. The chair is Pier 1 Imports. Why not a regular office chair? Because I haven't found one that I can sit in and not have back pain. Mousepad and file box: Poppin. Dog bed: HomeGoods.

Next in line... the balcony. Now that the weather is warm I want to be able to spend as much time as possible out there.