When we started house hunting, one of our (my) must-haves was an office space for me – a space that I could fit a desk and maybe some storage to be able to have a place to "go to work" as I was ramping up the new business. So when we toured this house, and I saw this upstairs bedroom with so much natural light, it was more than I could have imagined. The stars aligned, and this became our home, and we have been making changes to make it our own ever since – including this space.
I started out with a small desk, a filing cabinet, and a worktop. I built this island myself out of a (ridiculously heavy, sorry Sean) butcher block and white storage cubes, with some modifications to make them more functional. The space already had three closets, that we just used as excess storage at first. My husband painted a blue accent wall to go with my branding at the time, and I loved being in the space. As my business expanded and I began doing more printing in-house, I outgrew this setup and started planning out a whole new configuration. Even though the original idea behind an office-design-overhaul was to make it most functional for my wedding planning company, once I started Dragonfly Paperie I just needed to make a few organizational changes for this to be the perfect workspace for a stationer.
My new desk is much more functional, and there are hidden pockets of storage everywhere throughout the room. My father-in-law installed three more butcher blocks for me, for which I am eternally grateful. One holds my printers, one is more of my catch-all for important business documents that need to be sorted or scanned, and the third is a built-in inside the alcove that quickly became my favorite spot to work. I have two chairs so that I can collaborate in this space with other creatives – well, it was a good idea pre-covid, so...maybe one day. Each of my closets is meticulously organized, if I may say so myself, and I love being able to utilize every square inch in here. My largest closet is now my styling storage for all of the pretty little details I've curated over my years as a wedding planner and designer. I love diving into those bins when styling my stationery to elevate my flatlays.
Aesthetically, I swapped the blue accent wall with a neutral-toned, patterned wallpaper that makes me smile every time I walk in the room. It feels brighter, more like me, and somehow more spacious. Everything has its place, even the pugs, and I am over-the-moon happy with how it turned out. I enjoy spending time up there and letting my creativity flow.
Some of the products that I use include an L Letterpress (with a few modifications), a Minc foil printer, a Cricut, and Foil Quill pens. I typically sketch out ideas with Microns or on my iPad using the Procreate app. I get most of my wax stamps, sealing wax sticks, and sealing guns from Artisaire as a pro partner. I have stacks of handmade paper from various small businesses, ribbon and other finishing touches, and dried flowers galore. The next upgrades on my wishlist include a tabletop Chandler & Price Pilot letterpress, a new iPad Pro, and a Howard hot foil stamping machine. In the meantime, everything in this studio is working well for me, and I could not be happier with the organization of it all.
As I work on this blog post, I have some grapefruit and bergamot essential oils in my diffuser, a cup of coffee in one hand, and the chorus of snoring pugs behind me. Having a separate place for my work has been so important for me. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to call this beautiful space mine to create in. I would be lying if I said the pugs' demands for cuddles didn't have me working on the couch every now and then, but for the most part I get to "go to work" every day and enjoy all of this.
