Erinn's Office

With Erinn now having to work from home, she was sharing the kitchen table as an office.  Office by day, dinner table by night, not ideal but it was the only table with the space enough to collaborate her portable office and make some sense of it.  She was spending hours sitting in a chair and working on a table that was not made to serve as an office.  Nice kitchen table though!

She told me she wanted to get a desk from Ikea, her neck and body had taken a beating from poor posture.
There is a little corner of the living room we could designate as “Erinns office space.”  With an ergo chair we were looking at a simple desk and chair for under $1,000.00

I told her I wanted to build her a desk.  Something nice.  I asked her to find a picture of an office she liked, after looking at a bunch of nice offices online, she found one she liked.  It was also a design that we could customize to keep space and flow in the room.

I loved the use of wood and the real feeling of floating furniture.  Easy to clean under!!

I've had been dying to use a live edge product.  Easily available at any big box store.  Just a slab of a wood rough cut.  Erinn also loves the warmth and character of this product. 

I used a belt sander with two grits and then a palm sander, I used a Dremel sander for the crevices.  

The bark on this one was tough to remove.  But the profile is spectacular. 

My kids wanted to get involved with helping build mommy's desk.  As always, I include them in our renovations as long as it's safe for them to do so.  

My grandfather was a carpenter.  I find working with winemaking and woodworking a way to connect with him.  I have a piece of furniture that he built, a huge wooden box with castors. Old delicate hardware perfectly crafted with dovetailed corners and you can't see where he had put any nails, that is an old technique that he did teach me.   When my grandfather left Italy, he loaded up the box with all of his family's possessions, rolled it on a boat and started on his way to Canada.  I've used it as storage....but it looks brand new.  It was well built.   

He had made my sister a desk, which BTW!  She still has.  It's a beautiful wood desk, delicate features but solid and well built.  He promised to make me one when he was feeling better.  He was never able to make that desk.  

This wood has real character without being wild and not so rough that it won't make a nice smooth surface that you could write on.  

I cut and stained the live edge slabs for two desk top areas and two shelves.  

I had Erinn sit in a chair and find the most comfortable positions.  I used a laser to determine appropriate heights which facilitate ergonomic comfort and promote proper posture. 

She wanted simple black brackets, and a delicate floral wallpaper white with blue accents.  
I used a beeswax finish on cedar I had from a previous project.  Wanting to use it as the border and define the space a little.

I mounted a couple of thin led strip lights, which helps when on for zoom calls.  She's not in a shadow anymore.  Plus accent lighting is always fun in a room to create mood and comfort.  

Those little LEDs give out a lot of light!  And they're dimmable!!

I don't love a lot of wallpaper but It can really change a space and create a texture and theme.

We had to wait 7 weeks for the wallpaper, I'll spare you the minutia of the details but our print changed three times!  Not our fault either, all retail-related delays from the pandemic.  Erinn handled the delays REALLY well.   Somewhere someone got sick, production was halted, transportation and logistical delays.....

I spent under $2,000.00 on materials. It was a fully custom to fit workspace that could also serve as a nice spot to put out drinks or snacks when entertaining.

I catch her looking at the corner.  She's very happy with the wallpaper; the blossoms have a silvery sheen that can only be seen when the light hits it just right. After getting back to work she has admitted that although we designed this with a minimalistic approach, it's very functional and comfortable. 

Fun project.  I'm sure my grandfather would approve.  

Interesting to see how the impact of this current pandemic has changed our business, family and household.  Also, how intuitive we have to be to adapt and change in our new environment.   From offices to outdoor rinks!!  Change what is tangible in your everyday life for some comfort and simple pleasure.  

We are survivors!