office Archives - Emily A. Clark

Do You Still Use (or Have) a Home Office?

Feb192019

If you’re an avid House Hunters watcher, you know the three “musts” for any prospective homeowner (according to HGTV, at least) are granite countertops, a double vanity and a home office. If you think about it, we’ve essentially built an entire room in newer houses around a large piece of technology. Home offices started out with big desks to hold big computers and bigger monitors. But as technology has been streamlined, I wonder if the home office will be as well.

lighting // cowhide rug // jute rug // table // shades

vase (similar) // chairs & china cabinet (vintage)

In our last home, we converted the formal dining room into a home office devoted to my design business (that I ended soon after. . . ). In this house, we got rid of the dining room all together when we renovated the kitchen and gave up the formal living room for an office space. But it turns out, I rarely use this room to work. I end up taking my laptop and sitting in the kitchen or on the couch. Instead, this space has become overflow dining when we have guests, a homework and project room, a music room, a baby doll nursery, a hiding place. . . You name it. Pretty much anything besides an office for me.

So I wonder, do you think the home office is becoming extinct? If you work from home full-time, do you sit in a designated room all day? (I’m too antsy, and I like the TV on while I work. . . No wonder I can’t stay focused.)

Creating a Cozy Teenage Workspace

Sep282017

This post is sponsored by BEHR® and POPSUGAR.

I can hardly believe I just typed the word “teenage.” Wasn’t I just blogging about sending him off to kindergarten? Whether I like it or not, teenage-dom is coming for us fast (in just a few days!), and I promised my oldest son we’d finally pull his room together. Our/his first priority was to create a workspace in the little niche by his closet. He’s gotten really into making and editing videos and I’m happy to support this hobby. (How good would an in-house videographer be for my blog?!)

We were both up for a change and agreed on darker walls. Paint is almost always the easiest and most economical way to make a dramatic design difference. I used BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® Interior Paint & Primer in One for this project and chose a new color from their 2018 color trends palette. BEHR recently named “In the Moment” (a tranquil blueish green) as their first ever “Color of the Year”, but I opted for something a little bolder for his room.

My almost-teenager and I decided on a deep green color called Equilibrium. The color is earthy and cozy and is dramatic without being too “in your face.” (This paint goes on extremely well; I could’ve probably gotten away with one coat. And, I’m happy to report there was no strong paint smell. He was able to sleep in his room the same night.)

The official “before and after.”

So that the room didn’t feel too dark, I kept the trim white, brought in (my) white parsons desk, and reused the colorful flags in white frames from his old room.

When using a darker paint color, I also like to pull in a natural wood element or two and brass accents.

I also used the same paint color and some painter’s tape to quickly dress up a plain bulletin board.

Whether we’ll ever see him again is yet to be seen, but we’re both happy with the space. :)

one – two – three – four – five – six – seven

What color trend would you like to try?

One of my readers will win a $100 Home Depot gift card. Just pop over to this quick form and let me know which color trend you like best. (You can find all of the trends here.)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES. All entrants must be the age of majority in their respective state as of the date of entry and over 18 years of age. BEHR® Color Trends Sweepstakes- Emily A Clark (“the Sweepstakes”) opens at 12:01 a.m. PST September 14, 2017 and closes at 11:59 p.m. PST on November 4, 2017. Void where prohibited by law. Participation constitutes entrant’s full unconditional agreement and acceptance of the Official Rules, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy. Sweepstakes is sponsored by POPSUGAR Inc. (owner and operator of popsugar.com) having an address of 111 Sutter Street, 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. One grand prize valued at $100.

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More Furniture Rearranging (Adding Bulk)

May232017

A while back, I promised more simple decorating posts, so here you go. I moved some more furniture—and I thought you might want to see how adding a piece with “bulk” can make a big difference.

Now. . .

This is the corner of my office where we keep the printer, paper and kids’ art stuff. I like both looks but I think the black chest (my dad found it for $30 at a yard sale!) looks and functions better. And, I love being able to tuck the printer underneath.

This may not be a breakthrough design idea, but there’s nothing that thrills me more than figuring out how to use a piece I already own in a better way. It’s like solving a puzzle. These ideas usually hit me out of the blue and my husband, always thrilled by my brilliant ideas that almost always occur during a ballgame, gladly jumps up to start moving things around. (The same at your house, I’m sure.) My goal in sharing this is that you might think about pieces in your own home in a different way.

This has also become one of my favorite little corners at night. . .

By the way, I moved the gray console into our breakfast area in the kitchen. I’ve also had it in the powder room and as a console under our TV. It works everywhere. My favorite kind of piece!

PS—Voting has begun for the FrogTape Paintover Challenge. Help me win $5000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by casting your vote (once daily!). It also enters you for a chance to win a $1000 gift card. (You can see my porch reveal here, in case you missed it.)