Welcome back!
Last time you claimed a room or just a corner of a room as your personal workspace. Now let’s talk about how to design this space so that it inspires and motivates you…
Creating a Space That Inspires You
Before I share with you tips for designing a space that inspires you, let me tell you what the end goal is. Basically, you want to create a room that makes you feel happy, motivated and inspired the moment you walk into it.
Obviously, your personal preferences are going to dictate what you need to do to the room to make you feel happy to be in it. However, here are some ideas to get you brainstorming…
Make It Yours
You’ll notice I’ve used words like “stake out” and “claim” this space. That’s because you want to make sure that your space doesn’t get taken over by other people. And you also want to make sure that you don’t start using your space for other reasons.
For example:
- Your family members decide to put a treadmill in your space. Next thing you know, you have someone running on the treadmill and talking to you when you’re trying to work.
- Your family members decide to use your space to work. This isn’t so bad, especially if you have a smaller home and you need to share office space. However, you don’t want someone to leave their papers on your desk, clutter up your computer bookmarks with their websites, etc. In other words, you should try to keep things separate if you have to share the space.
- Your office becomes the guest bedroom. This isn’t a big deal if you only have overnight visitors a couple times per year.
Point is, let others know how important this space is – and to be fair, be sure that your other household members have their own private spaces, too.
Paint it a Cheerful Color
There’s a difference between painting and carpeting with colors you like…and doing so with colors that make you feel motivated and inspired. For example, you might like the color red. But if you make your room too red, it might be too intense. Perhaps painting just one accent wall would be a good solution.
TIP: You can test out different colors (before committing to a certain color) by hanging colored sheets on the walls. Then sit in your office to see how those colors affect you.
Decorate It
Next, you need to decorate your space in a way that suits you. Don’t let someone else in the household choose your decorations. You need to choose photos, paintings, sculptures, lamps and other lighting, plants, candles and other decorations that you like.
Don’t worry about whether it all “matches.” Don’t worry if you use decorations that aren’t serious. For example, maybe lining up your Superman figurines on the window sill makes you smile. If so, do it! Your only concern should be whether you feel good as soon as you enter the room.
That’s it for this time. Next time you’ll discover still more tips for creating an inspiring environment!