Designing For Peace of Mind : An Intentional Office Space

What is intentional living to you?

For me, intentional living is defined as deliberately designing a space to satisfy my needs and the needs of others living in my home.

Like many others, the past six months have been stressful and anxious for my husband and I, and my goal was to combat these feelings by designing a tranquil and relaxing office space.

Living in high stress times

This time of year, my husband’s job prepares for a large conference, where they train thousands of customers - and this time, the event is being held from the homes of many employees. This is where intentional design comes in to play.

My goal was to ensure that my husband was comfortable and stress free during this time, and the remainder of this work-from-home period. This lead me to a specific design materials and color palette.

The Meaning of Colors

Did you know colors evoke feelings? For instance, I chose to spray paint the color of the table legs white, to evoke the feeling of light, cleanliness, and success. I incorporated neutral hues like taupes and browns for the barrel chair, large candle, table lamp, and vase, because these tones give a feeling of being calm and grounded. Feelings that are a necessity in a work space. I also sourced a vintage rug from Etsy, also rich in neutrals.

Warmth and light

My husband and I tend to work long hours, and this looks like working into the night sometimes. This is why lighting like the wooden table lamp, is important for our workspace. I also wanted to incorporate a drop pendant light that would specifically highlight the area of the desk where the computer would be, and could illuminate my husband as he takes his Zoom meetings and trainings into the late evening.

I wanted to avoid calling out an electrician, so I purchased a puck light to glue in place of the light bulb. I frosted the glass of the drop pendant with a white spray paint, then mounted the drop pendant to the ceiling. The puck lights give off a warm lighting, and the knitted throw blanket makes it convenient to get through the colder evenings, further making our workspace feel relaxing, calm, and warm.

For a video tutorial of this DIY drop pendant, you can visit my Instagram story highlight titled “Drop Pendant.”

Styling as a Minimalist

In my home, I practice minimalistic design, and have found it’s benefit as it pertains to mental health comes in handy. In my home, it’s important for us to have a clear space (rid of clutter) in order to think clearly. We also do well with having inspirational things in sight, so I added a picture frame with our baby’s first ultrasound images, books like “Down To Earth,” “This Is Home,” and “Home Body,” (all very good reads) reminding us of intentional and simple living.

The barrel chair was chosen for its breathable linen fabric, back support, and oval shape, which hugs us and makes us feel comforted throughout day. The wooden file cabinet gives us storage, and contributes to the warm and relaxing color palette. I added a wooden vase, and pampas grass for a beautiful aesthetic, and to keep the space feeling uplifting and creative.

Scents in the workspace

There is real power in smells, and certain scents can really help to get through a workday. I find that I write much better when I have a fig scent burning near by. For this reason, I keep a few soy candles assorted on our work desk.

The large brown candle is a fireside scent consisting of sandlewood, woodsy, and clove. The smaller ceramic candles are poppy and fig; these scents leave our space smelling of earth, fruit, and flower.

Colors, light, visuals, and scents; all things that heavily determine success in our workspace. Being sure to design with those elements in mind, was a necessity for me. We are quite happy working in this space, and mentally ready to take on any all work that presents itself. This is our way of working from home, intentionally.