At this time of year, it’s hard to avoid the inevitable administrative tasks at hand. You know what we mean, pre-income tax prep, collecting W-2 forms, post-holiday credit card bills, spring sign ups for school events and what not. It’s daunting. Not everyone has the luxury of a room designated as an office in their home. Most of our friends are just looking for help in setting up a designated space that’s just for business. With laptops today, a working space doesn’t have to be large, it just has to be uncluttered, and without distraction.
We love to re-purpose great pieces, and the tag sale found table above is a perfect example. I stumbled across this spool leg table in Brooklyn many years ago, and it has moved with us from home to home. It’s really nothing special, but it has great bones, and the scale of it is perfect for a small space. If you see a piece like this in your travels, it’s a good investment, as it can serve as an entryway table, a night table, a desk, and a vanity. You can see it in the above photograph as a vanity in Lauren’s first apartment. I have since reclaimed it for my work space! A well edited, yet organized work space needs very few items. A laptop, good lamp, some storage for files and paper work (we like these white metal ones from The Container Store), a vessel for pens and pencils (we used a McCoy vase picked up from a flea market), and a small wastepaper basket. For a little feminine flourish (and to give the area a little personality), I arranged a few illustrations by Patricia Van Essche. I used the same lucite bench that Lauren had as a seat at her vanity as a place to stack some of my decorating and fashion reference books. Even if you only have a small area to work with (I have just this sliver of a wall!), it’s nice to know you have a designated space that’s just for you. – S