We've lived in this home for a little over one year now and I'm still hanging those last few paintings and such. It takes me quite a while to settle into a place.
This move in particular has been interesting in that more of our living happens right within these walls than any other place we've lived. And, we have less space to do it in.
This isn't a problem, it's just taken a little getting used to. We have less square footage, fewer rooms, and more daily activity happening within. We're slowly but surely figuring it all out. Stretching my creative use of space muscle has been a good thing.
With me working and attending school from home, Adam partially working from home, and Emily homeschooling... there's a whole lot of activity happening here on any given day. Add to that our different personalities and how each of us best approaches our work and you have the potential for quite a few environments to be found throughout this house.
When we originally moved here Adam and I shared an office on the first floor. This room is actually intended to be the formal dining room; but needing an office for daily work and a formal dining room just a few times a year - well, you can imagine our easy decision to not put dining furniture in there (in the beginning).
We set about using this shared office space, and it wasn't too bad, but I grew tired of looking at my better half's side of the room with its uninspiring decor - stacks of law books... no twinkly lights... no pretty baskets and plants... so boring! (That is all partially in jest, of course.) More important, with the homeschool hustle and bustle going on in the next room with no door to close, I wasn't finding the quiet that I really need when working.
So, I moved my entire office (all those books!) to a quiet corner in our bedroom. I hesitated to do this because we usually avoid technology in the bedroom (I just returned to having a clock in here after almost two years without). Printers, phones, computers, etc. sure would change the restful vibe we try to keep.
But, it was the only room available that had a door I could shut when needed. And really, three windows surrounding my desk is a pretty sweet deal. I love looking out at the stone wall and field behind our house, it makes hours at the computer much more enjoyable.
For all that we have going on in this house, I'm grateful for the space to work in my own little set-apart world.
It's been a few months now and all seems to be working out just fine. Sure, I'd love to have a completely separate space (and I do miss having a studio for art and craft), but with this office comes pretty lighting and lots of great books, which makes for a very cozy bedroom in the evenings. I do think it is working out just fine.
