Architectural diptych illustration: Wisteria / Antique dresser: Camelback Antiques / Wood brass tray: West Elm / Lamp: Home Goods (similar) / Metallic pot: Anthropologie / Orchids: The French Bee / Pink vase: Anthropologie / Wood frame: Pottery Barn / Floral rug: Lulu & Georgia (similar)

I wish you could smell my office right now, it’s heavenly with the pink jasmine! I am positive this is what heaven must smell like. I clipped so much off so I could bring it inside everywhere. When I came home from San Diego I got out of the car and said, “What is that amazing smell?” and realized it was the pink jasmine! I wish it bloomed more than once a year.

This antique dresser is hand painted from England. That’s what the lady who sold it to me told me anyway and so I had to have it immediately. While I can appreciate new things, I truly appreciate antiques. I’d rather have an entire home of antique furniture if I could afford it and had the time to collect the right pieces. It brings so much character to a home when you use antiques and in my opinion, makes it much cozier.

TIP

Use a dresser or side table, something uncommon to use for storage. Also instead of task desk lamps, consider a lamp with a shade like you would put on a dresser – it makes your desk more like a prettier part of the house instead of a work desk. And at night if you work let, look at the dark corners of your room and fill it with light!

This desk, look at that gorgeous bookcase.

This desk was made for work with three openings for plugs and outlets, and an outlet strip attached to the desk! It’s everything that I’d ever dreamed for a desk and the wait was worth it (4 weeks!). The glass top gives me piece of mind once my former desk was pretty worn in the work areas.

I can work like a boss with all the coffees on my desk too!

Oh and this Celfie vase is my favorite too – it’s like you get to do her hair when you put flowers in the vase! These came fro my garden and the pink jasmine is just so heavenly.

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You will usually find fresh flowers in our home if they are from our garden or Trader Joe’s. I’m a fan of tulips, they last longer than roses which for some reason I find only look good for 3 days before their necks just collapse and look sad! I look for flowers that will last at least a week looking good. Have a small flower, even one or a bunch on your desk, it’ll cheery you up every time you work, promise!

Shell tray: Home Goods (similar) / Pencil cup: Kate Spade / White pens and gold technical pencils: Poppin (pencils here)/ Leather and gold mouse pad: Amazon

Since I have so much shelving with my desk I decided to keep my desktop as clean as possible – but not entirely clean because I think having a few things easily accessible is well, convenient of course but also adds character and color to your desk. I found the shell tray at my local Home Goods and added my marble Post-It on there and pencil cup so it looks like it has a little gathering area.

For some reason I think it looks a little more stylish than having it just on the desk itself, that’s my preference. I also have an Eiffel Tower statue I picked up when I was in Paris many years ago. Those small things I leave around my house and take me back to my travels.

TIP

Find a tray and put the things you reach for all the time on the tray – pencils, scissors, post-its and also add things that are just pretty, a candle, a miniature figurine, a bud vase with a flower, make sure it has some color.

Gold ceramic catchall tray: Pottery Barn (love this) / Dalmation tray: Paper Source / Acrylic stapler: Kate Spade / Acrylic tape dispenser: Kate Spade (also love tortoise) / Gold memo block: Home Goods

Now the unglamorous stuff – the tray below and the label makers in the back but are so necessary! I’m a label lover and Dymo is so great, I have two of them and yes, I need two even though one of them prints on a variety of different labels. If you’ve never used one before, I love this one so much! And I also own this one for other organizational needs that’s more on a plastic type of label – I label things like memory cards, all sorts of things!

I also want you to take a little closer look down below by my feet – you can see the wires and the holes that make it easy to put everything right there! Look ma, no wires! It’s wonderful!

^^ Where all the ex boyfriends go to die, or be preserved, whatever you want to call it, in my diaries since I was a little girl. Hahaha! Early blogging, only really complaining about them tee hee. I have to check if Benjamin is in there, I stopped writing in diaries a while ago after I began blogging, it was much easier to just write out my feelings here.

Plastic trays: The Container Store / Gold ruler / Drawer liners: The Container Store / Celfie Vase

Below has two pillows, the London map pillow, because I love London and I need to go back a third time with Benjamin – trying to convince him to see the castle where Downton Abbey was filmed and we can also head up to Scotland to see where Outlander was filmed!  On the couch also sits my silk elephant pillow from Thailand and the pink silk scarf from Switzerland I framed.

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If the furniture isn’t comfortable, you won’t sit in it or stay a while. Also be intentional with what you purchase – especially while traveling even if it’s domestic! You could find a local artisan makes a gorgeous wood figurine or pottery, or maybe a rock from somewhere that will serve as a paper weight (just make sure it’s OK to take anything from nature there are rules!). The more you fill your space with memories, the cozier and more personal it becomes!

Couch / Mirror: Serena & Lily / Brass framed rose print: Minted / Wall mount shelf: Anthropologie (similar) / Jute Rug: Pottery Barn / Ceiling mount light: CB2 / Cut glass bulb: CB2

And that’s the final update!! If I do another office update in another year then call me crazy haha! But I think we are pretty much done and I feel like this is perfection for me. I know some pieces seem rather expensive, but let me explain how I did it – these items weren’t all purchased at the same time. These items are staying here pretty close to forever if you know what I mean.

I replaced hand me down furniture, DIY bookcases and my lamps have stayed with me because they are quality and the pieces I replaced were pretty casual, I mean a $50 dresser, an IKEA bookcase, they are not missed. Honor your budget while you decorate for now but also save up and leave walls or spaces blank – it’s worth the wait in the end when you truly get what you love. These small office updates have been fun and the transition has been a slow process. I hope you enjoyed the office tour.

VIDEO TOUR

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What’s your favorite part of the office? The desk? Skylight? Layered rug look? Please tell me what inspired you in the comments and if you have office decorating plans yourself!