truth

 

A few weeks ago I was so annoyed at the state of our house.

The main surfaces–our kitchen island and the table we eat every meal were both constantly covered with a layer of stuff. One of the ways you can measure the state of my sanity is by the amount of stuff on my kitchen island.

I traced the problem back to, well, me.

My work stuff, notes, clipboards, coffee cups, notes, computer, cords, phone charger, pens, notes and also notes were all over the table where we were supposed to eat our meals. We had even been eating in the family room because UGH, cleaning off the table with so much stuff was too much work.

Here’s the really sad/crazy/annoying part. I actually have an office. Just a mere 50 yards from our house I have this cute little space:

office

Yes, I’m totally a spoiled brat when it comes to having my own cute place to sprinkle layers of notes and lists and computer cords, so why was I claiming the kitchen table?

 

Because I didn’t want to be in my office.

So I decided to figure out why.

And it took almost zero time.

Here are my whys:

  1. It’s winter and my office has no easy source of heat. There’s a wood stove–awesome, but I’m no Pa Ingalls and it’s a pain to go start a fire, tend it in the cold and wait 40 minutes for the room to warm up. So I stay in the house because #easy and also #warm.
  2. It’s dark. Yes, this photo looks so bright and sparkly, I had the door wide open and waited until the sunniest day where the sun shines in this office for exactly 12 minutes and still lightened up the photo. This is easily the darkest room in our house (or within 50 yards of our house)–it’s actually darker than our basement. So I stay in the house and sit by a window.

I decided to be a grown up and instead of not using this adorable office, I’m going to solve the problems that are actually not that huge that I’ve been ignoring for three years.

I can’t wait to share how I warm up and brighten up this space.

Here’s a hint:

light

The first thing I did was add an extra bulb to this nekkid overhead light–we’ve been living with this thing (no cover of course) just like this, and for some reason with only one lightbulb for years. WHY am I doing this to myself? One 30 second temporary fix gave me double the light, I had just been ignoring it for years.

Now I’m searching for quirky, fun, flush, overhead lighting for ceilings that are only 7.5 high–it’s a challenge, but I’m excited! I’m also solving the warmth problem in a few different ways.

I cant’ wait to share my slightly updated office with you.

And I’m kicking myself for not evaluating how I was truly using/not using this space years ago.

***

Do you have a space that isn’t living up to its potential?

cozy minimalist

The Cozy Minimalist decorating class is now open for enrollment. If your room needs a fresh start and you are ready to have more of the style you love with less stuff, then this course is for you. And bonus, this time around the self-study course includes access to our Private Cozy Minimalist Community on Facebook as an extra fun perk. Click here to read all about it. Enrollment closes Monday.

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