My spring office update

Hello there. I love this time of the year - all the leaves unfurling on the trees, the fresh spring colours appearing in the shops and a wonderful abundance of light! Yay! I felt it was about time I dusted down the cobwebs at home and gave it a bit of a spring clean - beginning with my workspace.  I started with a much needed de-clutter and then added a few natural textures such as stone and leather as well as a plant (thought to increase happiness and productivity - worth a shot right?!). But the most exciting update is my new 'the MANTIS' lamp from Houseology. I can't tell you how long I've had my eye on this beauty! Designed in 1951 by Bernard Schottländer, the mantis DCW BS3 table lamp is part of a collection which also includes a ceiling, floor and wall lamp. I've always loved the helical shape of the lampshade, and specifically with the table lamp: that it can be adjusted to three different heights depending on how direct/ where you need the lighting. Perfect! Here's a sneak peak of my updated work space.... I hope you like it!

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

And not a row of coffee cups in sight!

You might already be familiar with online interior shop Houseology since we often collaborate. Not only do they stock many of my favourite Nordic design pieces from brands such as Design House Stockholm, &Tradition and Muuto, they also offer interior design ideas, advice and inspiration - so helpful!

I'd love to hear which items you love to surround yourself with at work?!

Have a great weekend!

PS Please ask away if you'd like to know about where anything in my office is from. 

PPS See a load more  fabulous offices/  studios etc here. 
 
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This post was brought to you in collaboration with Houseology. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with business I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses which make My Scandinavian Home possible.

A Desk Job

 I haven't blogged for a while. Some of you (including my husband) might find it hard to believe, but I just couldn't think of anything to say. I was, you could say, an empty vessel. A bit like my teenage children. (Don't worry, they don't read my blog so their self esteem will remain intact.) I sat at my desk for a few days, waiting for inspiration to strike....nothing! So I did what any sensible person would do in this situation.....

 I re-organised my desk.

 

 I'm not talking about filing or catching up on admin here.... that would be far too productive!

No, I'm talking about finding a nice container for my pens, finding another matching container for my scissors, finding yet another pretty container that matched the other 2 and then having to think of something to put in it! This was important stuff I was dealing with!

 

I then had to find a suitable tray to contain the containers! Then I needed to find a suitably attractive box to house all the paperwork that needs to be filed. (It probably would have been quicker to actually do the filing). Finally I needed to acquire some cute notebooks to write down all the blogging ideas that I would think of when I wasn't so busy re-organising my desk.

Not content to leave it at that, I then needed to cut some flowers and greenery from my garden to put in a vase. Find another vessel for my paperclips. Realise that my multi-coloured paperclips didn't suit the colour scheme, so had to sort through them and pick out the matching colours. I did mention that this was important stuff here. Other people can waste their time faffing about with world peace etc.

While in the midst of this frenzy, I had a revelation .... why not do a blog post about prettying up your desk.

So if you are battling to find inspiration for a project or just feel like putting off some boring paperwork, try a little desk refurbishing. It might be just what you need.

 

You could go the route of pretty and feminine...

 

....refined minimalism...

...sophisticated bling...

 

....classic elegance...

....modern rustic....

 ...gorgeous glamour...

....monochrome magic...

...coastal chic...

...industrial edge...

...garden green...

...a touch of the tropics...

... or verdant vintage.

However, if none of these push your buttons and your desk looks more like this....

...don't despair. Take heart in these words by Albert Einstein —

 'If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?'

Till next time

Sharon x

Images via Pinterest and Tumblr

The fab light-filled studio of Camille Styles

Happy Monday! Is there such a thing?! Well yes, if you work in a space like this. Designed by Claire Zinnecker  for Camille Styles, the studio is filled with natural light, pops of bright colours and lush greenery. There's also plenty of meeting / social spaces where I could see myself drinking tea and chatting - I mean, brainstorming- which include a fab sofa, round Tulip table and grey marble kitchen.  I'm sure I'd look forward to my Monday mornings would be if I worked in this studio, how about you?

 

Owner: Camille Styles. Designer: Claire Zinnecker. Shared with kind permission from the photographer: Jessica Pages

Is this your kind of work space?

Items I know and love: Eames DSR side chairs, kilim cushions/pillows, rustic wooden stool, Tulip dining table.

A lot of thought has gone into this space. Not only does it look great but everything is designed to stimulate productivity. Take the table -research suggests having items which are curved rather than straight create positive emotions which in turn stimulates creativity. Round tables also encourage people to work together (if ever there was an excuse to invest in a Tulip table).

In turn, research has shown that the presence of greenery can help employees recover from demanding activities, lower stress levels and reduce office pollution levels. Time for a little indoor gardening?!

See more pictures of this fab studio here. I also love this, this and this studio and all of these images for office/atelier/studio inspiration.

I also found this piece interesting about why large open-plan offices are so not cool.

Have a great start to the working week! 

PS Thank you so much to everyone who entered the weekend give-away - the winner will be announced here later today! 

PPS I am in the process of making a few improvements to my blog design, please bear with me! if you see anything strange it would be great to hear about it in the comment section. Thank you! 

The fab industrial style atelier of a creative

Good morning! I do love the middle of the week, although I've got so much to left to do before the weekend. How about you?! Speaking of graft, I'm often thinking about how important my work environment is.  I'd absolutely love to sit in an uber cool creative studio.  This industrial style studio bathed in light, belongs to Sara Bergman, children's book illustrator and creative force behind online shop and interior styling company Love Warriors in Stockholm. Exposed brick work,  vintage industrial finds, concrete flooring and rustic wood  combine to make up a space a space in which Sara can create.  

Sara N Bergman of Love Warriors. Residence magazine. Photographer: Kristofer Johnsson. Post inspired by Coco Lapine with thanks. 

Could you work here? I most definitely could! What a space?

Interestingly while the space is teeming with vintage finds, the desk space is made up of a few pieces from IKEA including the ALEX draw unit and FORSÅ desk light (which I also have in my home office). Etsy is one of my favourite sources for vintage industrial lighting (it's where I found my treasured scissor light). For pendant lights I like the black E27 suspension light from Muuto.

For more studio / office space inspiration I'm loving this, this and this one. Or if you have a small home office I love this work space of a Finnish blogger.

Before I shoot off I also wanted to introduce you to ReStyle Shop on Etsy. If you love Scandinavian mid-century or geometric prints you'll love this online shop selling art created by Czech Republic graphic designer Jan Skácelik. I especially love this one and this one.

I think it's definitely time for some Christmas inspiration tomorrow don't you? Pop back for some very cool Scandinavian inspired festive decorating ideas! See you then!