Admittedly, I am drawn to offices. There’s something about being productive, working on your craft, and being good at what you do that calls to me. We are all given talents and skills which we can build and hone. And when we do, we find purpose and fulfillment putting our hands to that work.
But when it comes to decor, I’ve studied spaces. Yes, I’ve always been a sucker for rich woods that make for cozy rooms. Like I could tuck myself in a corner of the preverbal ‘den’ with old books, a comfy wing-back chair, and executive desk, and get lost in a book.
So, when it came time to have my own office, I had some choices to make. Our home office had been a hodgepodge of hand-me-down furniture and it worked for what we needed. An old corner desk, futon, and a gorgeous table handmade for my husband before we were married. But my business office needed to be warm, inviting, professional, but also cohesive.
Over the years, it has evolved from the little corner office off 7th and Hawthorne (circa 2009), to the open and bright industrial office on the 2nd floor of the Jefferson Street Station office overlooking the Hawthorne bridge (2011-2015 & my favorite!) and even up in the Northwest blocks on 11th and Flanders for a few months before deciding to forego the Multnomah County taxes and bring the whole operation home permanently.
That was 2016 and although the Propel office has been rearranged and slightly redecorated over the years, the walls haven’t been painted since 2007. (Don’t cringe. It has been a beautiful and inviting warm sage green.)
It’s time for a change. Last year we tackled the garage and wow! did that feel good to purge, paint, hang bright lights, and reorganize! I knew the office would happen this year, but after my trip to Texas for an office makeover with my client @RestoringOrder, I couldn’t wait any longer.
Since then, I’ve been clearing out, sifting through every item in every box, cleaning out the room, and making space for new. I took Vicki’s organizing advice and designated boxes for “to donate”, “to toss”, “to sort”, “to sell” and the office has been torn apart for four weeks.
After sourcing and acquiring shelves, a gorgeous desk, organizing bins, curtains and rods, a new light fixture, and painting the whole room a crisp white, things are settling back in and I’m almost ready for the reveal.
Stay tuned for that in the days to come…
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