While I love and clearly obsessive over making every square inch of mi casa a friendly, fun, and fantastic space, I have not typically shared the same enthusiasm for bringing personality to my work place. It’s probably a good thing considering I’ve switched jobs more times than I’d like to admit, but I think it’s high time I finally focus some attention on the zen-factor at work.
It doesn’t hurt that the office at my new diggs:
- is spacious
- has great natural light and windows
- has a downtown view
- has privacy
- is shared between myself and one of my very closest girlfriends.
No lies, it’s a pretty fantastic work set up, but so far all my coworker Mixon and I have filled it with are the sweet sounds of Pandora’s Decemberists radio station. Since we’re both in this gig for the long haul, we’ve agreed to pay special attention to our office environment and have begun debating what else we should pack in between its four walls besides music, snacks and chatter about Downton Abbey.
I’m fond of the idea of a bright and shiny office chair and some playful prints. It would probably nice to have something sunny to look at on the tougher, longer work days.
And maybe, though I am not making any promises, it might be neat to bring in some graphic prints (in curtain form perhaps) to break up the monotonous white and keep me from going to crazy.
One element I am pretty sure on is plants. I figure if you have to be cooped up in an office, might as well bring the outdoors in.
Of course, it’s difficult to determine how much to invest in an office. On the one hand, you want to like and feel good about where you work, but on the other hand, you don’t want to get too comfortable and spend more time there than at home. Plus, investing in a space that you can’t totally control is a little nerve wracking. My mom, for example, has had to change offices dozens of times in her job, which can be heartbreaking if you have poured time and effort into creating a functional and formal space. So perhaps I’ll be all talk and no action when it comes to my new office makeover, but at the very least it gets my wheels turning. Stylish or not, I’m confident that between Melissa’s energy and my affinity for puns, we will have the quirkiest, silliest office in Austin.