As I sat down to write this week’s blog, I was thinking of a “catchy” or “misleading” title to capture the content being discussed. Then I realized, with my sense of humor, I just may miss the mark with being catchy. Or what I think is misleading is pretty apparent to others. In any case, I landed on “My Personal Space” as the title.
So what am I referring to when I say “My Personal Space”? Well, I am not referring to being out at the store, waiting in line and maintaining that space between me and the next person. I even Googled “My Personal Space” to see what results are returned. None of the top hits have to do with what I am writing about. Which begs the question: Am I using the phrase incorrectly? As I have been known to do this on several occasions.
The top results say personal space is “the area around your body; a boundary between you and people near you.”

Home Office - Iteration 1

The personal space I am referring to is my home office. The definition of a home office can vary from one person to the next and the number of people who have had to create a home office has increased significantly with the COVID-19 pandemic. I know my definition of a home office has certainly evolved over the years. In case you weren’t aware, I have been working from home since 2005, when working from home was not common. In fact, it was frowned upon. We were moving from New York to North Carolina as a result of Steve getting an awesome job offer which gave me the opportunity to quit my job and find a hobby! But rather than quitting my job, my manager - who I will fondly call Lo - offered me the opportunity to work from home. The rest is history!

Because we were waiting for our house to be built, I had to be creative with finding my personal space. Two adults and two teens crammed into a one bedroom apartment was what I had to work with. The mattress on the floor was my chair and a milk crate subbed as a desk. This was about as creative as I could get. Luckily for me, this set-up would only last about three months. I could definitely make this work!! And heck…I’m working from home now!!

Disclaimer: the mattress in this picture was way nicer than what was in our apartment

Home Office - Iteration 2

The thought of creating my personal space in our new home was a project I was ready to take on. The master bedroom in this house had a huge sitting room. So I decided to make that into my home office. Looking back, I can see that I never really took advantage of making this personal space truly my own. I “decorated” it with a desk and a bookcase. That’s it. I didn’t add any pictures, no plants or cool chairs. And the walls…..WHITE! At the very least, I could have added some flair by painting the walls a bright, cheery, uplifting color. I wish I had pictures to share with you. But…I do have pictures of the furniture that I placed in this cold and sterile room.

I can explain the reason for the mediocre taste. You see…I don’t work in my home office. My kids are all grown and it’s really just Steve and I during the day. Therefore, I don’t have to worry about others being a distraction. So why should I limit my use of space in the house? Some days I’ll work in the kitchen. Other days I’ll sit on the deck or work on the comfy couches in the family room. I guess I felt that because I’m not going to be spending much time in my home office, then why spend any money on it. About the only time I would use it is when I was giving training, during team meetings or 1:1’s with my manager.

I’ve heard it said many times over that it is a good idea to designate a spot in your home as your workspace. The thought behind that has to do with drawing clear boundaries. When the workday is over, some people have a hard time separating their personal life from their work life - especially now that your home office is in your home! When five o’clock rolls around, you start the ritual of logging off, just like you would do at work. And because you have clearly designated a room as your office, you can stand up, walk away from your desk, and close the door. Work day over.

Home Office - Iteration 3

While I still wander and use every inch of my house as my home office, I have seen some great ideas and suggestions on what you can do to make your home office personal. I thought I’d take the time to share some of these great suggestions with you just in case you were like me in “Home Office - Iteration 1”. Remember this is your personal space. Have fun with it. Let the pieces you use to decorate your space make a statement!

Tribesigns 63" Computer Desk — **Now that’s a personal space to be proud of!**

Imagine this simple, yet elegant white desk in your personal space. The grey walls and grey area rug give the appearance that this desk is grey. But trust me. It’s white. And to complement the desk, pair it with this contemporary swivel chair.
For lighting, think about adding some pizzazz! This chandelier is pretty awesome and it gives this room some extra character! If you love it as much as I do, click here.

While I love the elegance of white, I wanted to add some contrast to the room. I didn’t want the room to look washed out, so I went with a dark cabinet. Sauder does sell this in a chalked chestnut finish. So if you want to keep with a white theme, go with the lighter finish below.

Now for some extras!! Let’s add some plants, some pictures and other office items! I chose pink as my accent color. However, if pink is not your thang there are other colors for you to choose from.

I promise to share what my personal space looks like once our floor is put in.

Please be sure to comment below and let me know what you think of these design or feel free to share what your personal home office looks like!