#3 - Office Design and Delights

We are slow to finish the house we've built, and that's our reality; the two of us have become slugs. I am using the time in between sheetrocking, floating, taping, sanding, texturing, painting, and staring at the walls to plan a great office. Unlike the other offices I've enjoyed, this home-office is getting extra tender love and care.

I'm considering design intent with each piece of furniture I preview so it'll have the right layout. Taking measurements, I'm doing my best to be real about the space as I need it to fulfill a triple-purpose function.

#1 It needs to be an inspirational and organized office that calls to me with practical functionality and a welcoming interior design. I'm still undecided, but light colored furnishings and accessories will give balance to the rest of the wood-laden house. Thinking along these lines....

Sideboard by Easmor - Wayfair

White Desk Chair - Rooms to Go

Martha Stewart - Brilliant Office Organization

#2 The room will double as a place for overnight guests who might experience trouble going up and down the stairs to reach the other guest bedrooms, so it must have a loveseat/pullout sleeper that can accommodate two. The sofa below is a sleeper-sofa from Cindy Crawford's line at Rooms to Go, and I'm in love with it. The tufted seat and inner arms of the sofa don't show well on the photo, but it's a beauty.

Sleeper-Sofa from Cindy Crawford's line at Rooms to Go

Magnolia Writing Desk - Star Furniture

#3 The room's third function is to accommodate the times we wish to watch television or read a book in a cozy space. The great room is a large combo-room with soaring vaulted ceilings, so it'll be nice to have a smaller room where we can retreat and relax. With wood floors and a good-sized light colored plush rug, it'll be a beautiful room.

Youati Ivory/Gray Area Rug - Wayfair

Upstairs, we have two bedrooms and a loft along with a third full-sized bathroom. We also have two bedrooms downstairs, well, one of the bedrooms can serve as a den or office, as our floorplan allows.

I considered using one of the bedrooms upstairs as a permanent office, but had second thoughts about the drudgery of climbing stairs every day, so the future office is downstairs, near the kitchen. It has double doors that open into the great room, giving fantastic visibility into the main part of the house. While writing, I'll have a direct view of what's happening in the great room, and this is good because writing can be a lonely business.

The office has windows that give two totally different views into the forest, to the front and side of the house. They provide beautiful perspectives for inspiration and allow me to see who is coming and going.

For now, I do most of my writing wherever I'm sitting with a laptop, but I also write from a temporary desk because our  house is far from finished. Things stay fluid as we work around the house to finish it, room by room, and the "office" is already finished, except for flooring, shelving, and office furniture. Before our crazy move from the Greater Houston area to the country, I sold or gave away all of my beautiful office furniture, so I'll have to start over in that area. I can't complain, it's a fun task to put thought into a dedicated writing space that has some flexibility.

Since we live in the country and welcome heavy wood surfaces as main design elements, I want my writing room to reflect an alternate-existence that embraces white, light, and bright design without fear of one smudge or dog hair! It's a brave direction, but stepping into that office should invite serenity and joy. I'm counting the weeks until its together.

Feel free to share your office space or little corner of inspiration in the comments.

Until the office is ready, I'm quite content to write from my laptop as I make everywhere and anywhere an office while remembering there are no excuses to delay writing the words you can write today!

Click on the link to read a character-driven story about Shelby, a strong-headed teenager who taps into faith, love, and bravery to confront horrors in her family's new home...Surviving the Threshold. Happy reading!