Office Sanctuaries

I have a dilemma: I rarely work at my desk. I blame it on the baby, but before that I blamed it on the dog. You know... she might get lonely (fact: she DID get lonely and would sit and cry at my feet), so I have to go work on the couch! I'm not sure if this is a problem or not - seeing as I still get things done - but when I finally stopped pretending like I used it, I made the decision to give my big ole 27" Apple monitor Logan to use at work. Because.. well.. he actually uses his desk.

So now with a naked desk and really good intentions (Think of all the creating I can do with more space! What about making a permanent home for my sewing machine?! Etc.), I'm looking for a little inspiration. This is what I'm thinking:

First of all, this reminded me of my office because of the black/white striped rug and the sawhorse desk. I love the idea of the shelves, now that my monitor won't block them, and the messy styling because let's be honest... it's easy.

This caught my eye because I currently have a similar pin board above my desk but it was awkward to reach with the monitor in the way. I love the simplicity of the decor and how accessible the board is for when inspiration strikes.

What better to draw me into my work space than some cozy string lights or mini paper lanterns?! I absolutely love mood lighting. That might be why I work so much in our living room... it's open and bright and there are twinkle lights on the mantle. :) An easy, yet room-changing fix.

I also thought this was a great idea for keeping things organized. Since the pin board is more for momentos and inspirational scraps, I tend to collect stacks of papers on my desk. This would be an easy way of sorting through those but not losing track of them. It may make me crazy though... and my papers probably wouldn't be all that pretty to look at.

We'll see. Maybe I just need to accept that I'm a couch dweller and repurpose my desk for something else. In any case, I can't wait to reorganize and make use of that space... even if it is just for looks!

Sources: HomeDit, The Every Girl, My Paradissi, and The Pretty Blog.