Pinspiration | Office Goals

I've been working for myself from home for almost a year now and I absolutely love it. Granted, my current living situation is a little 'unfortunate' and I don't have complete control over my workspace yet - I'm still working on boosting my finances since graduating from university and currently bunking in with my parents - but I've managed to carve out a little office space for myself in the guest bedroom and am currently trying to make it my own. I'm also dreaming of the office I'm going to have once I've finally got the deposit for my own house together. As always, I've turned to Pinterest for ideas and inspiration and thought I'd paint you a picture today of my dream office using Pins...

(Note - embedded pins may not show up on mobile devices so switch to web-view)

Colours

My dream office is full of flowers, books, efficient storage and lots of natural light (which my current dark space is seriously lacking). As a general rule in my home decor, I like a combination of white, wood and neutral, soft colours, mixed in with metallics. I find bright colours really distracting in an office environment, and I'm very easily distracted when I'm writing. The slightest thing can throw me off and make me lose my thread.

Desk

My current desk is the IKEA Micke. I chose it because it also provides me with a white backdrop for blog photography when I need it. In an ideal world I'd probably choose a pale wood finish for my desk-top, but I love IKEA for their affordable, functional options, and the drawers in the Micke mean that my surfaces don't get cluttered and plenty of room for my hoard of office snacks.

Storage

I love shelves. Historically I've always favoured floating shelves in either white or pale wood (see above), but recently I've started coming around to the idea of shelving units and bookcases. Eventually, I'd like my home office to also be a place where I can come to relax and read, so all my books will be kept there and I believe books should always be on display. Although drawer space is important to me, and I detest a cluttered workspace, I'm not keen on having too many drawers, so well-organised shelves are a must.

Lighting 

In my head, the windows in my office of dreams are going to be huge. Due to chronic fatigue syndrome, a dark room makes me sluggish and drowsy and no amount of vitamin D is going to compensate for lack of natural light. While I know in my heart of hearts that having my desk face out of a window will seriously affect my productivity, it's nice to dream. My current office lighting is a bit slap-dash, as the room gets almost no natural light whatsoever, but I've put a himalayan salt lamp* in there for a soft, pink glow while I work because I find the artificial glare of most desk-lamps too harsh.

Decor

I love the idea of having a feature wall in my home office, with interesting prints or art on it, while leaving other walls more minimal. I'd love to do a DIY job or giant pinboard, using various prints and quotes, but I also really love the idea of a large world map canvas. I'm working with a client at the moment that makes the most beautiful wall maps and murals (they made the map wallpaper featured in this pin - although I'd style it completely differently myself) and I just know I'm going to cave in and buy one as soon as I've got somewhere to put it. That wasn't a shameless client plug by the way, I genuinely love their products, which makes my work even more awesome.

I could go on forever about all the things I *need* for the dream office I don't have yet, but if you want more office Pinspiration, you should definitely follow my board. I've been going mad on office pins lately! Once I've got my current little corner the way I like it, I'll probably follow with a photo-tour post.

I also love sneaking a peek into others' home offices, so if you have an office tour on your blog or channel, do link to it in the comments, and it'll probably end up on my board!!

What's in your dream home office?

*Affiliate link  (I purchased this product and absolutely adore it)

Finding Homeware HEAVEN with Amara

Good evening my dears!

I little late night blogging for you tonight. Trying to get a few bits scheduled again for next week as i keep finding myself rather busy and exhausted lately, which is not conducive to effective blogging at all! Roll on the Xmas break from Uni!! I'm coming to you today to chat about a new website i have discovered recently. With my newfound love of handmade and shabby chic EVERYTHING, when i was contacted about the possibility of writing a piece for Amara.co.uk i just couldn't say no. Their site is like a little slice of HEAVEN to me!

I had a good rummage around the site, more or less the minute i found out about it. I'm not joking, EVERYTHING is absolutely stunning! They have every kind of bedding you could possibly dream of, beautiful furnishings to suit all tastes and a wide range of kitchen and tableware to get your culinary juices flowing! I've found so much inspiration from this website and am currently crocheting up a multitude of different cushions and throws (more to come on that on my other blog VERY soon). 

I was also lucky enough to be sent this STUNNING cushion by Pip Studio and i've completely fallen in love with it! I had been holding off on this post as i've ordered some new bedding which compliments it PERFECTLY, but it still hasn't arrived yet and i'm so excited to write about it that i've just gone ahead. 

This piece of art (yes i'm calling it that because it really is) is possibly the prettiest thing i own homewise at the moment. I just can't stop looking at it! Every time i do i see something different! From the music notes, to the little hearts, to the chinese pottery in the background. The print is so well thought out and different. Everyone who has seen a picture of it on Facebook or Instagram has commented how beautiful it is. 

This baby measures 45x45cm and is made from 100% cotton. The prices for Pip Studio's cushions ranges from £22 up to £49.99 depending on the style. 

Amara are stocking an extensive range of Pip Studio items. They include cushions, bedding, bath robes and tablewares amongst other things and all feature beautiful prints and patterns in gorgeous fabrics. Browse from up to 20 pages HERE. At the moment, as an extra incentive, if you sign up for their mailing list, Amara are offering 20% off your first order!

So now i am redesigning my whole room (and possibly my landlord's whole house) based on this cushion haha. I've found some amazing inspiration from Amara and, if my budget wasn't that of a student, i would definitely go a little wild on that site. For now, i am content admiring my cushion, but if you have a few spare pennies to spend on your home i'd say spend them at Amara. Items like this don't just brighten up your room, they brighten up your soul! 

What are your interior design inspirations?? Do prints get you going??