I have to say that as much as I love scouring the internet for great new shabby chic ideas to inspire me (and pass them on to you), I always get a little disappointed by some of the ideas for home offices. They leave me wondering if anybody does any serious work in them. Surely not everybody who works from home and loves shabby chic is a designer or someone who does craftwork to sell on Etsy. Sometimes, there’s not a computer to be seen, and all that the artistic photo – which, admittedly, looks gorgeous – shows is a pretty notebook and an equally pretty pen on a desk that has about a tray-sized bit of clear space on it. I suspect that the photographers have hidden the Wifi router, the printer, the speakers and the computer away somewhere… You also see lovely old-school telephones with dials and big handpieces, but never a smartphone. I tend to be left with the impression that nobody does any work at that “home office”, and all the actual work involving spreadsheets, word processing, analysis, etc., is done on a laptop on the sofa.
I must admit that those who design the electronics we all need to work from home, do the household accounts and run small businesses (and do homework assignments and play games) don’t exactly have shabby chic in mind when they design their machines. It’s all sleek, smooth black and silver-grey, with no colours or textures in sight (except phone cases and laptop cases). So how can you create a real working home office and incorporate shabby chic elements?
Getting Started Setting Up A Shabby Chic Home Office
The first things you need when you set up your home office are a good desk and a decent cupboard or set of drawers to store paperwork in. Yes, there will still be paperwork, even today! You’ll need somewhere to put receipts, notices, bills, invoice books and documents. For the shabby chic enthusiast, this is the easy bit. Down to the local Sally Army or other second-hand shop and hunt for a nice big old desk or table and a set of drawers. Then you can play around with distressed finishes to your heart’s content. Be especially careful to ensure that the finish is properly smoothed and sanded so you can easily operate your mouse on the top without getting bits into the works. Alternatively, get a custom-printed mouse mat with a print you love that fits your shabby chic vibe.
When you pick your desk and the chair to go with it, you must keep your comfort and ergonomics in mind. Make sure that the desk is at a good height for you and that the chair gives you decent back support. OK, I admit that it’s hard to find a good office chair that is kind to your body that isn’t boring, bland industrial style (now there’s an idea for a niche market!). You have to get a bit hands-on to make your office furniture fit into your style. Slipcover your office chair – you may need to do the back and the seat separately – using a fabric you adore, whether it’s faded denim, lace-trimmed linen, checked cotton or a nice chintz. And toss in a cushion to give yourself some extra lumbar support.
If you spend long hours at the keyboard typing, you need to provide some support for your wrists. Once again, the offerings in your nearest Staples or Rymans outlet probably don’t come from the shop with the shabby chic look, and you aren’t going to have much luck in the charity shops, as “vintage” and “electronics” don’t go together all that well. Again, being handy with a sewing machine will be necessary. Make your wrist support or put a new cover on a shop-bought one. You can easily make your own shabby chic wrist support by folding and rolling up a tablecloth – choose something pretty and secure it where you want with ribbons or hand-sewing it in place. You may need to experiment as you fold and roll the tablecloth into wrist support until you find what’s right for you.
Lighting is another important consideration for your shabby chic home office. This is where you can bring out romantic-looking lampshades. Or put up a few quirky fairy lights in strategic places – they provide a surprising amount of light. To make the most of natural lighting, those big mirrors with ornate frames (with or without a distressed finish) come in handy for bouncing light from windows around the room. The bigger, the better if you want a mirror to increase the natural lighting in your home office, and antique mirrors with classic, shabby chic style frames tend to be on the grand scale! Just make sure that direct sunlight doesn’t fall directly onto your computer screen because of the glare issue, and it’s probably best to locate your computer, so it’s not straight in front of a south-facing window either.
Little Details
Little things count, and often, you can add a shabby chic vibe to any home office – or possibly even a cubicle at a commercial office – with the right details and little bits and pieces. You have possibly tried doing this sort of thing already, but if you want some inspiration or some fresh ideas to try, here are a few to help get you started:
- Use wickerwork baskets as in-trays or to hold “good on one side” paper.
- Put up a pinboard where you can glance at it easily while taking your eyes off the screen (good for avoiding eyestrain), and put up photos, scraps of fabric, found objects…
- Use rustic-looking string and miniature pegs instead of sticky notes for all those notes to self – or to hang up the bills that need to be paid, so they look like old-school washing hung out to dry.
- Flower arrangements – fresh or dried – instantly soften an office and transform its look. Try dried herbs (lavender or rosemary) for the French farmhouse look or natural sponges, dried grasses and driftwood for a beach cottage feel.
- Glass jars make great pen holders! Add an accent out of thin rope, raffia or ribbon if you like.
- Have fun with washi tape. There are so many things that you can do with washi tape in the home office, from using it as a colour-coded marker to prettying up a clipboard – or even your laptop. Give boring old ballpoint pens a new look by wrapping them in washi tape. Maybe you could even run a strip around your monitor’s frame or down the side of the Wi-Fi router.
- Diaries and planners do not have to be boring black. Search for something with the cover you love. If you can’t, then apply your cover. You can use anything from fabric to wrapping paper to scraps of textured wallpaper to cover a diary.
- Papercraft stickers don’t have to go on paper! You can use them to add a bit of charm or bling to your electronics. As long as you don’t block any working parts (including covering speakers, webcams and ventilation spaces), you can stick anything you like onto the side of your printer or CPU or the cover of your laptop.
- Go wireless as much as possible to reduce the amount of ugly “spaghetti” on and around your desk. If you can’t, bundle the cords together and tie them with ribbon or raffia. It can also be handy to label the different cords, so you know what’s what and pull the right thing out if you have to try the rebooting trick of turning something off at the wall, waiting ten seconds, and then plugging it in again. Use gift tags tied tightly around the end nearest the wall plug, or have fun with washi tape.
Cleaning Your Home Office
Now that you have set up your awesome shabby home office, you may wonder how to keep it clean and well-maintained without losing its unique character.
One of the first things to remember is to dust it regularly. With a ton of decorative elements, such as vintage frames, books, and knick-knacks, dust will accumulate over time, so it’s important to dust them regularly to keep your home office looking fresh and clean. Use a soft, microfiber cloth or a feather duster to remove dust from surfaces and crevices gently.
Here is another big one – protect your furniture. Consider using protective covers or wax to keep your carefully selected furniture items looking their best. Be sure to use a wax or cover appropriate for your specific type of furniture and finish.
Clean all surfaces with a soft, damp cloth. Remove dirt and grime from desks, shelves, and tables. Avoid harsh cleaning products, as they can strip the paint or finish from your furniture and damage its shabby chic appearance. Instead, use a mild detergent or a mixture of water and vinegar to clean surfaces gently.
Now you are all set to get all these futuristic start-up ideas going. No excuses!