Room to Write

Space at my house is at a premium. Each square inch has to be functional or at the very least clutter free. When Stephanie came to live with us for a few months my studio was turned into a guest room and a dumping ground. After she left I reclaimed it as my studio but it needed a fair bit of work to bring it up to scratch. I emptied the room, cleaned everything and rearranged the furniture. A different view for the new year.

In the past my desk has sat up against the window. I loved the light there and being able to gaze out onto the grass outside but opening the old windows was frustrating and awkward. I’d always liked big open plan offices with high ceilings, rich furnishings and big desks in the middle of the room but that was all just a pinteresting dream… or was it? I decided to try swivelling my desk looking across the room and I loved it. Not only did I feel like an editor of a magazine but I could also gaze at all my lovely things, not to mention I could still see the grass.

My chair is inviting, as soon as I walk into the house I can see from across the hall and it calls to me… “Sit down Danielle and pour it all out.” and it makes me feel happy. My desk is a simple white longline space which cost me $200 to have built several years ago and I never want to part with it. When I’m working I need a lot of clear space and the desk allows me to spread out without feeling cluttered. I also have a space for all my glorious camera bags and a place for storage without them being in my line of vision whilst I’m working.

So there’s a ‘vintage’ photo of my little family, lots of stickers that make me happy and a computer I rarely use. Since I’ve got the two laptops the iMac has been missing out on the love and is now used mainly for accounting, watching tv, playing music and streaming tweetdeck. Ahh my lamp from Benefit Cosmetics, how I adore thee! The chair is a lovely wide white leather padded dining chair that I picked up on sale from a furniture warehouse.

While Stephanie was here I did most of my work at the dining table or on the lounge. The dining table wasn’t so bad but my back was begging for my desk and studio. I have a little file at the end of the desk for papers, cords, dockets and post office stuff. Then there’s the vintage jars for pens and textas as well as some note pads. Now that I’ve reclaimed my space I feel like I’m finally on top of things again.

This is part of the view from where I sit. I get to see my favourite floral poster, my newest clothes that need featuring on the blog and my vanity dresser. The closet it crammed with clothes, business books and stationary supplies. My $10 vintage floral embroidered panel is now in plain sight and I love looking at it. The room might seem busy to some but for me it’s just right.

The cabinet came with the house when we moved in, the owners didn’t want it… I fell in love. I had grand plans once to sand it back and repaint it but I love the warmth of the wood and the appeal of the chipped varnish and brass hardware. On top sits my huge thrifted mirror and little lanterns from my bestie Rhi. My make up and extra bits and pieces are stored in the Kenji draws from Officeworks, I would seriously be in trouble without those things. Oh and all my studio lighting equipment and stylist equipment sits to the side out of the way.

My light up mirror was a steal from Priceline and the acrylic make up stands were from Aldi but you can find similar ones anywhere these days. I like having all my things on display whilst still being in storage which is why I absolutely love clear acrylic organisers. My Benefit kits are pretty easy to store, they stack up like little books and everything I don’t use regularly goes into the Kenji draws. In the cabinet itself is more camera equipment, photography magazines and boxes.

I couldn’t bring myself to change the wall behind my desk, a year later I still love everything about it. The bookcase was a cheapie buy from a discount warehouse but it’s still holding up ok. Lots of notebooks, gifts, stationary and magazines, books and clipping of Danimezza being featured in the press. I love my little studio and I hope you enjoyed having a sneak peek into where I create and work. To end this post I’ll leave you with one of my favourite artworks by Kal Barteski.

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