I spent a solid 10 years of my life sitting in other people’s offices…never feeling like the surroundings really reflected who I was.

And, that was totally fair — after all, I was getting paid to show up and do a job! The thing is, I’d always dreamed of having my own space. In the ideal scenario, I wanted somewhere that fit my personal taste and made me excited to get out of bed every day (even on Mondays and the occasional weekend).

At the same time, my practical side kicked in — I didn’t want to go into massive debt just for the sake of having a pretty space. No matter who you are, that’s just a terrible business move! So, I waited it out, working from an extra room at home…until the perfect spot landed in my lap during the Fall. I moved in November 1st and quickly got to work making the surroundings feel relaxed but stylized and documented the process in Anatomy Of An Office.

Thanks for virtually joining me as the space came together over these last few months. Now, it’s time to kick off the new year in style and help YOU pull your own space together. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to enter an awesome $200.00 giveaway courtesy of UncommonGoods! They have a ton of great home and office items so you can put the perfect finishing touches on your space!

The Tour

Let’s start with a good ol’ before and after. As these things usually go, I didn’t get many great before shots. I came in, took a quick tour, came back a week later when the construction was finished, signed the lease and moved in. Both of these shots were taken from the entrance, just at slightly different angles. The main differences between the shots: the old popcorn-textured ceiling was removed, plywood sheets were installed for the flooring, window casings were built in and the brick wall to the left was painted white.

It’s time to move onto the desk area. I already had a spare desk and an Aeron chair from my old office so I kept those around. My desk area has a massive set of windows directly behind it which is great for a dose of natural light.

I’m all about having a tidy surface and clean off my desk every night before I leave. It’s almost like I’m giving myself a clean slate for the morning. Each morning, I walk in, plug in my space heater (old brick buildings are COLD!), set down my cup of coffee and light a candle. It’s nice to have those little rituals to start your day.

I also have an affirmation from Kikki K taped to my computer. It’s a good reminder that even when the unexpected things hit (because they always do!), a positive attitude will go a long way.

I’m really big on matching office supplies. As soon as I signed the lease on my new space, I ordered orange goodies from Poppin. Their stuff is super solid and comes in tons of punchy colors. And of course, an eccentric pencil holder is a must!

Moving on, directly behind my desk is a bookshelf I’ve had for a decade. All of my design books and reference magazines and catalogs are housed in it by color.

On the white brick wall next to the bookshelf, I have a large inspiration board. This is my view when I glance over to the right side of my desk. If you missed the DIY, you can build your own by following these steps!

Moving down from the inspiration board along the edge of the white wall, there’s two orange chairs divided by a round yellow table. My brother is the ultimate thrifter and found these chairs for $40.00 each at a swap meet somewhere in California. I’m really big on the necessities not being ugly — this garbage can holds a lot but isn’t an eyesore.

Moving to the opposite side of the room, I have a row of built-in shelving that allows me to change out the artwork. It’s built out of door frame trim and you can make your own here! I usually have a mix of coffee table books, records and inspirational sayings rounding out the mix.

Directly below the shelving is a white credenza — this is where all the basics are nicely hidden including dishes, props, a scanner, wacom tablet and extra supplies.

I picked up a bunch of yellow cardboard storage boxes from IKEA to hold things like art supplies, Pantone books and candles. It’s a simple way to keep the clutter contained.

Resources

Everything in my office can be sourced from this handy list:

• Blanket: Cross by Pia Wallén.
• Brutalized Gainsborough print: Chad Wys on Society 6.
• Colored trays: Kaleido Trays by HAY.
• Credenza: Alba by CB2.
• Desk: Parsons by West Elm.
• Eiffel Tower sculpture: HomeGoods.
• Floor lamp: RANARP by IKEA.
• Footed bowl: UncommonGoods.
• For Like Ever Print: Bright Yellow by Super Rural.
• Fuzzy pillow: Anthropologie (made in different colors now).
• Garbage can: UncommonGoods.
• Gelato candle: Mozi Australia.
• Magazine files: TJENA by IKEA.
• Office chair: Aeron by Herman Miller.
• Pens and scissors: Poppin.
• Round table: Stockholm by IKEA.
• Rug: Moroccan Trellis by Nuloom.
• Sculpture With A Spectrum print: Chad Wys on Society 6.
• Storage boxes: TJENA by IKEA.
• Today I Am affirmation: Vision Board by Kikki K.
• Toucan pen holder: UncommonGoods.
• Tray and pencil cup: Marble by H&M (no longer made).
• Wire chairs: Ethel by The Bend.

Thanks for checking out my space….now it’s time for the really fun stuff below!

UncommonGoods Giveaway

*** GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. ***

For this giveaway, I’ve partnered up with UncommonGoods, an independently founded B Corp based in Brooklyn with a focus on supporting artisans and giving back to the community. Pretty awesome, right?

They’re giving one lucky reader a $200.00 voucher and you can spend it on whatever you’d like…but here are some of my suggestions to get you started:

Source: 1. Greek coffee cup, 2. cockatoo pencil holder, 3. unzipped glass bag, 4. footed bowl, 5. ampersand serving board, 6. apple trinket box, 7. tubular garbage can, 8. agate coasters, 9. footed mug, 10. porcupine pencil holder, 11. heart server and 12. whale stapler.

To Enter

It’s easy to enter the giveaway:

1. Like UncommonGoods on Facebook.

2. Like Nubby Twiglet on Facebook.

3. Leave a comment below letting me know what you’d spend your UncommonGoods winnings on!

Pssst! Need some ideas? They have THOUSANDS of items to peruse including handmade / personalized / gift options here, here and here.

The fine print: Contest is open to everyone over the age of 18 worldwide. You have until 11:59pm PST on Friday, January 9th, 2015 to enter. One winner will be chosen at random. Use a current email address when you leave your comment so I can contact you! Once contacted, you will have one week to respond and claim your prize. The prize may not be exchanged or transferred and no cash alternative will be offered. Liability cannot be accepted for entries which are lost in transit or not received due to technical difficulties. My decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. No purchase necessary.

Good luck….and happy new year!

Special thanks to UncommonGoods for sponsoring this giveaway. All photos and opinions are my own.