I turned to my best resources: the internet and my interior decorator. Lucky for you, I’m divulging all my best secrets with you today, darlings!
6 Tips to Help you Create Your Chicest Workspace Yet
1. Clear away the clutter. Dedicate one day a week to cleaning your desk. Read mail, recycle papers and shred the important documents. There’s nothing like starting a new work week with a clean desk.
2. Cut the cord. Nothing ruins a pristine workspace like a mess of tangled cords. There are some great cord management systems on the market that group all your cords together and conceal the mess. If something cannot be concealed… find a new home for it!
3. Shop for chic storage solutions. Utilize bookshelves and available filing systems. Look for pieces that have strong form and strong function. Long gone are the days of ugly file cabinets. There are many chic solutions out there.
4. Add some personality. Think luxe rugs, a small grouping of photos in decorative frames and travel trinkets, but be selective! Less is more when it comes to accessories. Unique paperweights and tchotchkes can frame a stack of books or add a punctuation mark to a lonely shelf.
5. Go green. Some of the most tranquil workspaces have a touch of green that can add life to even the most well-worn offices. Not to mention, plants remove toxins from the air. Fresh air and a bright workspace… what’s not to love?
6. Get inspired. Clear some wall space for a decorative cork board and hang imagery that will keep you inspired whether that’s something you tore out of your favorite architectural magazine or a handwritten thank you note from your grands. Pin items that bring a smile to your face as you sip your first cup of joe for the day!
The Bottom Line
A clutter-free office allows you to stay productive and focused. Budget one hour every week for a quick decluttering session and run to your local farmer’s market for fresh flowers and you are sure to see your workspace as inspiring and inviting.
How do you organize your workspace? What are your decor tips? Please share your thoughts with me via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or in the comments section below.
If you enjoyed this story, please subscribe to my email list. Once a day, when I post a new story, you will receive it in your inbox. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3
Not everyone has a space devoted entirely to an office. My office shares space with a piano and the dining room. There is no place for a cork board since my desk is in front of windows and behind me Is the dining room table that doubles as a place for sorting things. Flowers can come from one’s garden and/ or the super market. Honey Good, some of us lead simpler lives than you do. I enjoy your articles but think you speak to a wealthier group of women and wish you’d broaden your reach.
Best regards, Jane
I lived in a tiny space and loved it. I don’t think size makes for a happy workplace. I think sitting at a desk looking outside your window is perfect and cutting your own fresh flowers or bringing home from the market is perfect and makes for happiness. I bring home fresh flowers from the open outdoor market each Tuesday and fresh vegetables and fruits and bread. A small space also makes for throwing away unnecessary papers. I think the community of sisterhood at HG is made up of all ages and all income levels.I am so happy you are one of my readers and that you told me how you feel. Please help me with outreach to women. I would love that. Warmly, Honey
Yes, it is difficult to keep an office space. I have 60 years of boxes of important papers stored as well in large loose leaf folders which is a worry to me as if something happens to me, how will anyone know what it is. Yet I must continue working each day! and have limited energy now as I grow older.
It seems the solution is to find someone to help, but that is difficult in a foreign country. At least the computer is a great help as it saves time and one can be found if only on Facebook…
I keep going and hope that someday a solution will appear. It might be that I have to move everything to a house in a town with a university and find a student to help. However, life is ongoing…and to drop back just to organize the past will stop life in the present. I do not feel ready for that, and perhaps never will.
I love your column and feel we are friends!
Gloria
The best best sentence you wrote for all savers: “Life is ongoing…and to drop back just to organize the past will stop life in the present.” Live today, dear Gloria!!! The boxes will wait for you. We are pen pal friends. I am smiling. Warmly, Honey
Dear Honey,
I was having dinner with my husband about 2 1/2 weeks ago on a Sunday evening and went up to you to say hello and meet you. You gave me your email address and asked me to email you which I did. I’m sure you get many emails but I wanted to make sure you received mine because there is a chance it could have gone in your junk mail if it did not recognize the e mail address. I was thrilled to meet you and your Ultimate Concierge. You were so warm and friendly.
I did not receive your email, not even in junk. So, happy to find this. I just emailed you. If it is not in your inbox please look in your junk. I will watch very closely for your email. Warmly, Honey
You are so sweet and humble, I love that about you! Although I live a very different lifestyle, I enjoy the glimpses you share of yours. Vive la difference!
Vive la differnce! Inside our souls I am certain we are very much alike. Isn’t that wonderful! Warmly, Honey
I left a message on your website a few days ago. Did you get it? I am a jewellery designer and like many, I must keep going. I live and have my jewellery made here in Bali, which supports local craftsmen. I am 72 and still love designing jewellery for private clients.
I am traveling to Bali with my ultimate concierge next month? Where are you located? I do not recall receiving your email. I answer everyone. Warmly, Honey