Proof you don't need a room to make an office!

As you may have guessed, I work out of my home which currently is a one-bedroom apartment. Luckily, our living room is large enough for me to have my own office space along one wall. Unluckily, this means I don't have the luxury of having an entire room dedicated to my work space and my office is always within sight.

Functionality and aesthetics are equally important when designing your office (whether at home or not). Here are a few tips I used in my office:

Tip #1: Use color to define your space

I painted my office wall a calming blue, one of my favorite colors. Doing this has dual function: it adds a great accent wall in my living room and it defines that wall as "my office".

To keep your office from looking like a mish mash, try designing to this ratio: 60, 30, 10. This means 60% of your space will be the main color. I choose white for it's clean, timeless appeal and it's ease (you can always find white furniture & accessories). 30% will be an accent color, in my case I used light blue on my wall. And finally, 10% will be a bright pop to give your space a little life. I used a bit of red scattered in my office and living room. I've also added a bit of natural material with my baskets and wood chest of drawers to warm up the space, so I guess I did 5% red and 5% natural materials. These aren't hard and fast rules, but it can give you an idea of how color can work for your space.

Tip #2 Make your bookshelves interesting

I grouped my books by the colors of their spines. This might not work if you have a ton of books because you won't find what you need quickly, but if you like this idea you can group them by subject then by color.

Lay some groupings of books on their side. This will keep your shelves from looking like a public library (not that there is anything wrong with libraries!)

Incorporating items you love will give a sense of personalization. Add framed photos, mementos and interesting objects in with your book collection. If you have lots of little items, group them in odd numbers (3, 5, 7) it's more pleasing to the eye. Don't ask my why...but it's true!

Give yourself pretty places to store ugly things. I used drawers to store my stacks of fabric samples (by color, of course) and decorative boxes to store loose samples. I'm a big magazine reader, so I did white mesh magazine containers to keep them together. Using pretty containers will keep your office from looking cluttered and *extra bonus* it helps keep you organized! P.S. This is another great way to use the 60, 30, 10 idea. If your storage accessories are in an accent color it automatically adds personality and interest to your shelves!

Tip #3 Keep what you use most at hand

What do you use most during the day? For me it's my computer, printer, files and datebook. But I also keep my pencil cup and a small office accessories container as close to my desk as possible. I can pretty much reach everything I need from my desk chair, which makes my life a whole lot easier.

In case you're wondering about my desktop photo. It was the view from my honeymoon suite. Mmm Hmm!

Tip #4 Bring in lighting and life!

You might notice I don't have an office window, so lighting becomes even more important. Obviously I have a desk light but when I need more, like dealing with today's June Gloom, I open my window shades all the way up. If I need even more light, I switch on my dining room ceiling fixture which is adjacent to my office. Having enough light keeps me motivated...super important when you're your own boss!

I like to keep fresh flowers on my desk to give me something other than my screen to rest my eyes on. Above my monitor I have my favorite wedding photo and photos of my two kitties. This isn't design related, but here's a great tip to prevent eye strain: the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. I do this by giving my cats some love during the day. (And it gives me an excuse to get away from my computer!)

Tip #5 Keep it clean

This might be easier for some and not others. I tend to only keep what I'm working on for the day on my desk (it helps keep me from feeling overwhelmed). I tend to stack less pressing things I'm working onto my printer, it's still within sight but not directly in my face. If I'm not currently working on it, into the file cabinet it goes!

Dusting bookshelves is not fun. Here's a link from Real Simple on how to speed-clean your bookshelves:

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/dusting-polishing/speed-clean-big-bookcase-00000000040374/index.html

I find a clutter free workspace to be essential to productivity, but I know some people just aren't built that way. If you need help with organizing your workspace or have questions that I haven't answered, please feel free to comment and ask away!