Writing 101: the space to write

for Day 6 (i know. that was a really long time ago), we were asked to describe the place where we write. i’m not quite done with it, but am at a place with my office make-over that i felt like it was finally ready to write this post and have some pictures to share!

for years, i have been writing at my kitchen counter. our home has a really open layout and it just seemed to make sense that i could be writing/working and still be part of the family. but that was just the problem. i was in the middle of everything going on and couldn’t go more than about 12 minutes without being interrupted by somebody wanting something or by a blaring television. even during the early morning or late night when i was the only one downstairs, the view of the dirty dishes in my sink or the neighbor’s house out the window above that wasn’t exactly inspiring. i considered getting a desk for the upstairs sitting room, but decided that since we have a perfectly good office downstairs that no one ever uses, i should at least get that really functioning and try it before exiling myself to another floor.

before . . .

bare bones

piles of stuff with nowhere to go and a chair i never thought was comfortable

bookshelves that can’t hold many books

crappy file cabinet and kid toy storage

a lot of stuff had just kind of gotten shoved in there over the years. rugs came and went after being destroyed by cat or dog pee. the chair my husband had paid a fortune for when he was a bachelor never felt comfortable to me for more than a nanosecond — not exactly a good fit for hunkering down and writing the great American novel. a file cabinet full of old stationery and camera equipment at one point had to have the the drawer facing ripped off to get it unstuck. and never got replaced. even with my aversion to stacks of paper, i’d let myself slip into stacking things in here just to get them off of the kitchen counter where they were more visible. all together, it made for a place that kind of stressed me out every time i tried writing there.

after . . .

cleaner, more organized with a soft rug and a chair i could sit in for hours slipper chair — Target desk — Target desk chair — Ikea rug — Home Decorators Collection

SO much more space for books, filing and hiding random crap than we had before shelving — Ballard Design Original Home Office

more tidy storage and a lamp i love bookshelf — Ballard Design Original Home Office lamp — Target canvas storage — Target

have had this since we moved in 6 years ago. it was the centerpiece i have tried to match colors to. slipper chair — Target

cozier and more organized

i have a few more spaces to fill with books, pictures and decorative items, but i love this room, now! the shelving cost a bit, but otherwise, i’m psyched to  have pulled this together mainly on the cheap (see image captions for detail). i can’t confirm that no one bothers me in here, but at least the space no longer agitates me and at least, the family has to make a little more effort to find me here. from where i sit, i can look out over most of the downstairs (except the damn kitchen, where i spend so much time anway!) and feel connected to what everyone is doing, but separate from it. i find that having a space just for this one activity brings me a lot of focus and calm when i’m working in here. and hopefully great things will emerge!

now that i’ve got my space shaped up, do you have any thoughts on what i should write here? the second part of this assignment asks us to post a poll to gather ideas for future posts. i’d love to hear your thoughts!