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Well one of them anyway.
We moved to a lovely 1940s cottage in the Hunter Valley in 2020.
Given the timing, it was just about getting ourselves a 'day job' office set up as quickly as possible so we could get back to earning our livings.
Over time we realised like so many others that when you work from home it's hard not to feel like you are ALWAYS working when you are in the office - even when you are doing 'non-work' type things.
We decided what we needed was a little creative space where we could design, pack up orders, learn new skills, potter around and feel relaxed and inspired. And have everything we needed there with us (rather than in random drawers, the garage, unpacked boxes). The mounting frustration at not being able to find anything was becoming palpable.
You know what it's like - you've just moved house and you start all your sentences with "have you seen the..." or "do you remember where we put the..."
So once we had worked out where we would do this then it was onto the fun stuff - designing the space. Doing this on a tight budget and not wanting to throw furniture away, we set about working with what we had.
50 Shades of Grey
First things first - we needed the perfect colour. The room was originally white with a dark grey feature wall. Not very soothing.
So what colour to pick (they ask, rubbing their chins) ?
What about a pale sage green ?
Nope - it still looks grey.
I know - what about a rich camel tone...
Nope - a bit too yellow.
Hmmmmm.....
Yep that's it. The room is quite likely a few mm smaller all around than when we started but it was totally worth it. The winner - Moroccan Sand ! And after endless searching I found the perfect art for wall.
We have too much stuff !
Storage was the next issue.
First we took a couple of cabinets we didn't like, Mike built some new doors frames out of some wood we had lying around, we attached gold mesh fabric to the back, gold handles, painted them chocolate and Hey Presto, some much needed storage issues solved.
Somewhere to work would be good. Mike to the rescue with some perfect handmade desk panels. And great way for our little tree dweller to climb up high.
The Finishing Touches
What about some sort of floor covering ?
Perfect (who doesn't love a bit of William Morris in their lives).
Mike felt it needed some window dressing so we found a pair of Charcoal linen sheers that went a treat and a couple of pale linen single sofa beds that double as guest seating.
Once we put in the last bits and pieces and Mike fashions so fab shelves (to accommodate quite a low ceiling) we were ready to 'move in'.
It's not so much a case of 'his' and 'hers' but more 'creative' and 'technical'. We both now have a side of the room and it works perfectly for us.
Mike's side:
Lou's side:
