It’s been a while since I posted anything here, partly because I have refrained from projecting for a few weeks while we enjoyed the summer, which is to say, going to the glorious coast that is East Lothian and walking on its multitudinous beaches. We have discovered some beautiful spots there, including Seacliffs and Tyninghame, upon which we camped under an amber sun and full moon a couple of weekends ago.
The coming of August welcomed a new little bundle to the world, Jasper James Dalzell Steen. 
I spent a week with the Steens putting myself to good use with laundry and such like. As a wee welcome present I decided to pimp Gemma’s office space whilst I was over. (Of course, Jasper will be immensely pleased with this gift and shall be kept busy writing thank you cards in there for several months, judging by the plethora of gifts received already.) Everyone needs a little sanctuary, none more so than a busy lady of the manse/night. So I set to work, a little too hastily thus forgetting to take a ‘before’ picture. Here’s a earlier Instagram of the space.
Stage one is the all-important filing system. I blogged about these covered files many moons ago and would say this has generated the greatest praise and subsequent following since the idea was conceived. I started with a few files in chintzy florals, and the signature luggage-tag cataloging of contents.
Next was a wholesale sort and re-ordering of the large cupboard storage space. Lucia has of late developed a penchant for rifling through this space as an alternative to sleeping, which is sadly a no-no where order reigns. Therefore a child lock was deployed to prevent inquisitive fingers upsetting the apple cart. No doubt this will be met with cries of horror during her next sneaky trip to the office but needs must.
In my humble opinion, having a totally clear desk is the key to a functional office space. Thus, a hanging rail is an easy way to help keep junk off the surface. Items that need attention can be pinned at eye level so as not be overlooked, together with keepsakes, memories, photos, functional items…
As for any room, lighting is the cornerstone of ambience. When faced with a pile of overdue form-filling, one wants to ease into the task feeling suitably illuminated. As for the fluorescent strip light that was originally fitted above the desk, that home-decor crime against humanity had to go. I put in some LEDs under the bottom shelf for maximum chill vibe.
In order to avoid the ubiquitous IKEA ‘storage solutions’ look, and to keep costs down, I opted to reuse old shoe boxes, covered in plain brown packing paper with washi tape edging. (As gemma and I noted, what actually is washi tape for anyway, apart from taking a picture of, to put on Pinterest.) Keeping the style of labelling similar across items helps to keep the scheme integrated. Also key is having empty boxes and files so new additions can easily be made.
Blackboard paint helped to transform this 80’s revival laminate cupboard, in addition to the mini-drawers. Annotating the outside with contents helpfully removes the requirement to come up with insipid ‘inspirational’ quotes on a frequent basis.
Materials, sewing and ongoing projects are tucked away in this corner unit, which needed nothing more than an allan key to tighten up the fixings and transform its former Pisa-like inclination. A touch of olive paint would liven it up considerably but sadly time did not permit.
Soft furnishings are for me the cornerstone of any room, adding a touch of charm and cheer at little cost. I found this chintzy material whilst tidying up the sewing corner, a £1 curtain off cut. It was slightly short so I added some coordinating olive green polka to the bottom, which was then serendipitously applied to other tired items including this magnetic whiteboard and three little frames-turned-pinboards. The curtains are just simple lined panels hooked to an ikea rail – total cost, £4.
Finish with a flourish of flowers and voila!
