This post has been a long time coming! MY DREAM OFFICE! While this originally was just going to be photos of my space and sharing where things are from, I actually wanted to do a little bit of an explanation of my office because I get a lot of questions about it!
When Mike and I first moved in together in our Hoboken apartment, he commuted to work and I, as I had for years, worked from home. Even when we bought our house, he’d go into the office and I’d work from home. The the pandemic came and, like so many people, Mike started working from home. We made it work and it’s certainly doable, but he’s on calls all day and it’s hard for me to film videos in the house (especially with privileged calls) and really with two kids and a dog on top of it, it can be hard. Ideally, we would have just purchased a bigger house with space for multiple offices… but as I’m sure everyone knows, the housing market is just crazy and our town is no exception so that was not panning out.
I started thinking that I could get a little office space. I started looking and looking, but nothing was really going to work. The aesthetics of the office was going to be important because of my job (for better or for worse) and it was actually very hard to find an office space in our little town that wasn’t either carpeted in 1985 or wood paneled. Then I found a listing for the most beautiful space. HUGE windows with the best natural light, completely updated. Air conditioned. It was right in the center of town and I can even walk to it from my house.
I was trying to negotiate the price and someone else ended up signing the lease and I was so bummed. The space was perfect and then every time I looked somewhere else, I couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing would be as good as that one office space. I still hadn’t found an office that spoke to me when they called me to say the current tenant wouldn’t be renewing their lease and asked if I was still interested. YES.
On June 1, I got the keys (and found out I was pregnant with Rory about 72 hours later 🤣). The timing wasn’t totally ideal but I also knew I didn’t want to lose out on the office again. It took a bit to get the office up and running (and we were traveling a lot that summer and I was crazy sick with morning sickness) and I truly felt like I had made a huge mistake… until it was ready and I quickly realized that it was exactly what I was missing in my professional life.
When I officially signed the lease, I reached out to Clare Sullivan– I love her content on TikTok and at the time she was creating content decorating people’s apartments– and I thought she could really help me transform the office into my dream office. She delivered, big time. Clare was so amazing to work with and she created a perfect space. (If you want to see more behind the scenes, she has a playlist of videos!)
Now that I’ve had the space for almost two years, I have a lot of thoughts on it. It remains one of the best decisions for my mental health when it comes to working. There are some pros and cons, as everything in life, with getting an office space outside of the house. It’s all about trade offs though!
PROS:
– I get out of the house. After working from home for over a decade, I really love the idea of going somewhere else to work. I also find that I’m way less distracted being outside of the house. I’m not worried about what’s happening at home– I can’t be distracted by a laundry list of household tasks or by the dog or Mike’s work calls.
– As a content creator, having a totally different place to decorate and film in has been great. Having more backdrops, more vignettes, more things to talk about… it’s a weird thing to maybe say out loud, but it’s a fact of the business. (If you’ve ever wondered why influencers are always moving and redecorating, this is probably why 90% of the time.)
– There’s a really nice degree of privacy. I still struggle to film videos in front of Mike (it’s so cringey) and it’s not my favorite thing to do in public too. Opposed to a co-working space too, I don’t have to worry about people watching or listening.
– I can have meetings and host events without having to open up my house. It’s actually so nice to not have to worry about meeting at a coffee shop or finding an event space for something. Last year I hosted a needlepoint event with Penny Linn and I’d love to do more of that in the future.
– An unexpected bonus is that I can have friends over, too 🤪 Whether we’re needlepointing or playing mahjong, we have been loving turning it into a little “clubhouse” after hours.
CONS:
– Double utilities has been a little annoying, but not unmanageable. If my office was at home, I wouldn’t have to pay for the extra insurance, another wifi bill, electricity, etc. The wifi was actually a big issue since it’s an office space– the prices were outrageous like I was going to have 100 employees all on Zoom calls. I tried getting around it with hot spots, but it was unsustainable and I kept blowing through the monthly limits. Then I discovered T-Mobile small business wireless internet (not sponsored but would love to be!) and I saved so much money and the internet is so fast that I have never had an issue.
– Another downside to my office being outside of the house is that it’s outside of the house. I can’t just pop in to work for an hour if I’m nap trapped at home. If I’m shooting a Reel, I can’t just open my closet at home and change my shoes. I lug my camera and tripod back and forth a lot so I don’t actually get a chance to walk to my office as much as I’d like.
– It is another expense to consider. It has been worth it for me mental health wise and, transparently, it’s made me money with campaigns and everything content-creation-related. It is also much more affordable than buying a bigger house just for having extra space at home for a home office.
All this being said, I really have been able to get into a different kind of working groove having an office downtown. Especially now that I’m not nursing/pumping during the day and have consistent childcare, I find myself eager to get to my office after drop off to dig into work. It just feels so good to be there.
SOURCES:
Clare designed the whole thing and worked with some retailers (special thank you to Society Social & Rifle Paper Co!!) to outfit my office! I am obsessed with everything!! A
Living Area:
Kitchenette:
Wallpaper (also available in peel & stick now!)
Desk Area:
Dining Table & Chairs were all FB Marketplace finds!
I love the aesthetics of your office and so glad you have a place to call your own!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Carly, this space is gorgeous! I’m in the middle of a home reno and am loving your wall colors. Can you share which paint colors you used for the kitchen cabinets and the walls?
The office wall color was done by the building so I don’t know the specifics and I don’t know the blue from the kitchen, but Clare may be able to tell you!
I read your post while thinking how Virginia Woolf’s book ‘A room of one’s own’ is perhaps more relevant than ever today. Your office is absolutely beautiful.
This is such a cozy environment to work in. I wish corporate offices took note!
What a beautiful space! Congratulations on a business milestone!
Carly, this office is STUNNING – it’s so professional & fits you so well!! Congratulations on taking a leap with it a couple of years ago – such a great choice!!! 🙂
– Annie with Purpose & Pine Retreats
https://www.purposeandpineretreats.com
This is such a beautiful space. I’ve always dreamed of having a writing cottage type situation in my yard and this is along that same line. Now it’s making me think maybe I need my own office instead!
Beautiful space, Carly!
The couch link actually leads to the swivel chairs, could you please link the couch as well?