Work-From-Home Desk Style: Refresh Your Space
We have now all been working from home for two full months and here in PA, Governor Tom Wolf just extended the stay-at-home order through June 4. As the antsiness sets in, you may be looking for ways to re-create your home with fresh spring style. I certainly am! I kept busy this morning by re-styling the antique, slant front desk I purchased on Facebook Marketplace a few months ago. You can see how I originally styled it in my “Work-From-Home Tips” blog post.
I craved something fresh and feminine for the little corner of my bedroom where I now sit while typing this post. My inspiration really began with the Lucite ghost chair. This chair was in my childhood bedroom on Long Island, which my father has recently been using as his temporary office while at home. He just complained to me about how uncomfortable it is (I think it is perfectly comfortable!). Having seen some beautiful combinations of antiques and Lucite on Pinterest, I was inspired to take the Lucite chair from my parents bedroom to use at the slant-front desk in our home. (I replaced the Lucite chair with a cushioned desk chair and he was grateful.)
The best part about this little refresh is that it didn’t cost me a dime! I am constantly moving objects and art from one room to another to keep my home ever-evolving. It is great to see the way a piece of furniture, a vase or a book can look completely different in a new space. Different lighting and surrounding objects can completely transform the thing itself into something new! Moving things around is a clever way to get a newfound appreciation for the things you already own.
That being said, the framed watercolors above the desk came from my office downstairs. The coffee table books came from the living room, the throw on the back of the chair came from the dining room, and the framed photo came from my nightstand. I can’t say where the vases came from, but only because I am moving those from room-to-room on a daily basis! I suppose technically the lantern was a new-to-me item, as it came from my parents’ attic which I puttered around when I was home retrieving the ghost chair. I was planning to use it in the garden originally, but after all, I am bringing the garden inside with my cut flowers!
Even as I upload these pictures, I am thinking of different ways I can arrange the objects on top of the desk to work the best as a group. The purple flower is Lilac Sensation and the white flowering branch is from our Snowball Viburnum bush.
Here’s a fun tip on burning candles that I just learned: Every time you light a candle, make sure you can burn it long enough that the entire surface has melted. For example, don’t light a candle when you need to leave for the grocery store in 10 minutes. This is to prevent the annoying problem when just the center burns down and not the surrounding sides! That always bugged me.
I am happy to report that I am still loving the antique slant front desk I found on Facebook Marketplace which I believe is from the 1700s. You can read about its unique history in my “Think Antique” blog post. I hope that more of my peers begin to appreciate antiques and choose to invest in these quality, handmade pieces of furniture instead of the mass-manufactured items at big box stores. Right now, antiques aren’t very popular, which means you can get them at a great price. This desk was $200, which is in the same price range as Target and Ikea, however it is infinitely better quality. I feel great about purchasing antiques because not only are they beautiful and one-of-a-kind, but they are environmentally friendly and you can buy them locally! I love shopping Facebook Marketplace because I think of it as supporting a small, local family business.
Our bedroom wall paint color is Benjamin Moore Dove Wing. It provides a great neutral background for any work of art. You can read more about Phase I of our Bedroom Renovation in this blog post.
As I said earlier, the new style began with the Lucite ghost chair. From there, I walked from room to room and picked up a bunch of different objects to try out. Slowly but surely, I eliminated various vases and vessels, books with the wrong color spines, and art that simply did not fit. Eventually, I arrived at the current collection of items that you see here!
This little corner now brings me so much joy and that is always my mission when decorating a space. If I round the corner and don’t feel joy about seeing an area of my home, I set about moving things around so that it is more pleasing to my eye. Once I look at the space and feel excited and happy, I know my work is done. At least for the time being, because like I said, I am constantly re-arranging!
