Create a stylish home office without breaking the bank...

Almost all of us have a home office, a study or some sort of a work space. I can vouch for the fact that a serene work space can not only look beautiful but improve your productivity. 

You wouldn’t want to sit and relax in a messy unattractive living room, you wouldn’t be inspired to cook in a dingy ugly kitchen, so what makes you think you can be creative and motivated if your office has all the appeal of a teenage boys bedroom!!??

Creating an appealing office does not have to mean splashing out on a stock standard ‘rip off’ desk and chair. The saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ was never so true as to a renovator or home decorator.  The most beautiful offices are those that reflect your personality, your interests and surround you with inspiration while having all the functional elements required.  This means being creative ....not throwing around money.

THE DESK

DON’T under any circumstances buy some ugly cheap laminate desk. Instead go hunting for interesting tables or desks from second hand stores or haggle over a floor stock item..its going to get dents and scratches anyway, they just add to the character. Don’t be put off by the colour of anything you see, you are looking for size and craftsmanship. It is easy to paint or stain, but you can’t do that to an Office Works laminate desk! Just make sure the desk you choose can fit, your laptop, printer, mouse pad, telephone, mobile, (baby monitor..optional), drink, snack, paperwork, lamp, in tray, paperclips, stapler, calculator, sticky tape. These all need to be accessible on or around the desk. Most importantly some photos or your favourite ornaments need a home on your desk.



My office now feels like the best room in the house.



PERSONALISE THE SPACE

When I finally put up my qualifications on the wall my partner said it looked like a shrine to Priscilla...my answer ..‘It is!’. If you worked hard for your qualifications  why aren’t they on the wall. Frames only cost $10 these days, so TODAY go to the Reject Shop, GoLo, Target or Kmart and buy the frame....and hang it up!!! These reflect your personality and if you’re anything like me I’m always fascinated to see what people put on the wall of their office.

All the hard work, late nights studying and saying no to parties and nights out will be a little more worth it when you see this in your office.

WALLS

Create a feature wall behind your desk with wallpaper. In an office wallpaper can create a different mood out of what would otherwise be quite a bland display of furniture and objects.

Lash out on one piece that reflects you. This otherwise quite simple office desk is given a big Wow factor by adding a unique modern office desk.



If modern minimalism is your style, get a quirky filing cabinet, or even buy a second hand one and spray paint it with a splash of colour.












This look could easily be achieved with a trip to Ikea. Unique posters can be ordered online. An incredibly simple furniture and colour scheme can have a hug hit of your personality with a poster that you love.

LIGHT
Natural light when you’re working is critical. Placement of your workspace should maximise natural light and not cast shadows on your working area. Apart from it being bad for your eyesight,  working in inadequate sunlight can lead to a deficiency in Vitamin D and can also lead to seasonal affective disorder S.A.D. a form of the winter blues. Remember we were not designed to sit at a desk 10 hours a day. Plus, squinting causes wrinkles!

THE CHAIR

Ok, a good quality office chair can cost a fortune so find a middle of the road one. I have added a $10 lumber support to mine and it’s perfect. These chairs are not exactly attractive so keep a more decorative chair nearby and somehow this seems to balance it out. Its important to have a spare chair for those times when friends or clients visit your office.

FILE STORAGE

Dont feel the need to store a huge filing cabinet in your office, especially if your office is small, is in a main living area or doubles as a guest room (as mine does). If you think about it, even corporations hide away files in archive rooms. So pop your filing out of the way and just keep day to day files in your office. Use decorative boxes (just buy the cheap ones and cover them in wrapping paper or draw liner paper as I have below).

Look for shelving that meets your needs, NOT boring old book shelves or office credenzas. I am currently using my sons white baby room furniture. I added black and white boxes to give it a bit more character and lined the back of the shelves with a black and white botanical print paper. Worked a treat!

You cant go past baskets for storage in an office, they add a bit of texture and hide away all the messy bits.

If you don’t have space for an office in the house or apartment, then a cubby or shed can easily be converted with a coat of paint and some second hand French doors. There is no excuse for an external office not to be as attractive as if it were inside your home.

MAKE IT COSY

It is absolutely critical that your office feels like a space where 'you want to be'. It's not just a place to work....it’s a place to brain storm, to reflect, to entertain, to LIVE!!!!

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Create a stylish cafe at home....and save a fortune

Have you ever done a budget, only to be mortified to see how much your daily dose of caffeine costs?

New mummy’s that have left the workforce will surely relate to the terrifying shock to their system when cutting back on caffeine during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However nothing shocks you more than the hit to the hip pocket when you start your habit up again.

      How much will you really be saving if you stopped paying for coffee?

If you have on average 1 coffee a day at about $3.70 that equates to $1,350 per annum. That does not include also buying a muffin or a cookie to have with it...and if like me you have a toddler in tow, who likes baby chinos and a muffin you can easily double your yearly cost to $2,700.

So what’s the answer?

     Now that you can clearly see the annual cost to feed your habit, the idea of splashing out on a half decent espresso machine doesn’t seem like that much of a luxury.  There is a broad range of espresso machines on offer. I have a Gaggia Classic ranging in price from $400-$600.  No matter what you choose. Its got to be cheaper than what you are currently paying for someone else to make you coffee.

How do you create a cafe environment at home?

               Pick your style and stick to it.

Create an urban industrial spot for your coffee drinking....

       Or try a more modern  twist by adding some unique retro elements to your seating area.

Give the sitting areas a few cafe touches like chalk boards to finish off the look.

While it’s important to get out and socialise over a latte, supplementing the majority of these with a home brew can save you a fortune.

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Give your bedroom the Luxury Hotel look.....

Your bedroom should be somewhere you escape to! Crisp linen, fluffy pillows and some romantic lighting is not hard to achieve. Some basics and an eye for detail is all that is needed.

Keep it inexpensive by having standard basics like white sheets and pillows and swap and change a quilt and decorative cushions to suit your mood.

  

Keep the clutter out of the bedroom, or hide it away in drawers or plain boxes.

Invest in bedside lamps that you truly love and have a little selection of ornaments that you interchange to suit the mood and the quilts and cushions.

Using this technique you can make your bedroom ultra feminine one day and sleek and modern the next.

For more inspiration take a look at the images of luxury hotel rooms click here http://www.google.com.au/search?q=luxury+hotel+rooms&hl=en&rlz=1R2SKPT_enAU453&biw=1366&bih=541&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=cPebTo_FB-qWiQf1p_SrAg&sqi=2&ved=0CGMQsAQ


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Halloween.....Create a new family tradition and an excuse to be silly...

       

In my family any excuse is good enough for a bit of G rated, inexpensive family fun.. Christmas is the ultimate manifestation of this and Halloween can be too.

 This is a great chance to do some fun crafts with the kids, decorate the house, have a little party, dress up, go trick or treating, and maybe learn a little about this tradition along the way.

Halloween does not have to be tacky plastic $2 shop decorations with a gory bloody theme. Anyone who has ever taken the time to learn about Halloween's origins will know that the meaning, like Christmas is far more in depth.

In Australia the philosophy of Halloween is somewhat topsy turvy. We live in the Southern hemisphere, so our seasons don’t align with the traditions of Halloween, being the Harvest Autumn Equinox associated with pumpkins, scarecrows and wreaths made of corn husks.

Halloween or All Hallows is thought to have originated in ancient Celtic times when the Festival of Shamhain (Summers End) was celebrated. Not nearly as morbid and gruesome as many Hollywood movies would lead us to believe. However the tradition goes on to state that on this evening the veil between the spiritual and the human world is thinnest, hence the ghosts.

To add a much more positive slant to this aspect its a lovely time to remember your lost loved ones, maybe leave them a little note or a gift, create a special shrine to them out of things they love, and just maybe they will come for a visit. If nothing else they will be remembered.

So in Australia we have actually entered the Spring Equinox (started 23 Sept) and are approaching the beginning of Summer Equinox (starting 21 Dec)...so our Australian themed Halloween should also include all things SPRING! Flowers, green foliage, floral garlands and wreaths, flower pot arrangements, daisy chains. If you have a little girl they will love this. I made wreaths with my nephews one year with a collection of flowers from my garden and they loved it!

Make decorations with the kids....for the cost of a trip to the green grocer for pumpkins and some orange and black paper from Spotlight, Lincraft or an Art supplies  to make a wreath and all sorts of decorations. Halloween decorations don’t have to be just cheap toys from the $2 shops (although a few can help add to the effect).

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Create a little nook for a quiet read....

Your study can do double duty as a guestroom by adding a daybed. This is a great place to curl up with a book. I simply added a single bed, an antique bedhead. Everything in my study/guestroom is inexpensive. Quilt from Linen and Moore on sale $40. Bamboo chair on sale for $30 at Early Settler.

Desk from Early Settler (floor stock with a few scratches) $50 off, lamps from Mayfield Lamps - via 'Decorate My Room'. Flokati rug from Rugs Galore. Gothic mirror from Warrandyte market.

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