Embracing Cosy Innovation in Your Office Space

This week I worked in an amazing training room up in Scotland.

The beautiful and comfortable meeting space was on the Mezzanine and considerately designed by an architect. It had beautiful view of the sea.

The materials used for building the structure and decorating were also fascinating. 

Some of the walls were made of painted straw board and massive bricks of pink salt, which gave off a beautiful light, and it felt good for my well-being, too.

I loved that the room had an eco-friendly vibe, which you could see when looking at the painted stringboard. The stringboard walls also gave it an industrial edge, and the painting of the stringboard made it feel a bit more glamorous than if it was left bare.

I loved the pink blocks of salt used in the wall construction. Apparently, there are many benefits to using pink Himalayan salt as a construction material, including its being inflammable, great for acoustics, creating healthier indoor environments, and reducing pollution.

The design and materials are fascinating because salt bricks are used a lot in spa salt rooms (spaces I used to know well).

From this, I began to understand why the space was good for my well-being. https://pin.it/69njtGSGy. I felt nostalgic and joyful when I realised a designer had considerably considered inner wall construction for building, aesthetic, eco, and well-being reasons.

Salt rooms have a range of untested physiological benefits, such as fighting infection, clearing coughs, and reducing stress.

I also liked how they used giant pink Himalayan salt discs to make the table’s legs.

Another innovative feature of the décor and design was the wall of pots that adorned the main wall. This cute crockery collection offered subtle branding for the business but, most importantly, emitted creativity, camaraderie, and cosiness.

The wall of themed crockery, I imagine, acts as a fantastic backdrop for when they are doing virtual meetings.

Overall, because of the many innovative features I found in this training room, it is one of the more remarkable spaces I visited to facilitate learning workshops this year.

Visiting this space, this week helps to justify integrating more natural elements in decor items in the future. Potentially looking at new ways to integrate pink salt into my making and shelf decor items. I shall also look at collections of items with small words that buyers can use on their walls for more meaningful virtual meeting backdrops.

Here is a link to a product in my shop that gives off cosy office vibes https://homeofficecharm.etsy.com/listing/215250388

Festive Tips for a Welcoming Virtual Office

This week I was delivering professional development training and facilitated workshops in Manchester in the north of the UK and back down in London.

Me setting down after leading a one day professional development workshop about successful meetings

On the way back home I noticed how all the HQ buildings in the area had beautiful Xmas trees. Next year I will do a post on the line up of Xmas trees at corporate HQ buildings.

AI generated image

It told me something about how just putting up a Christmas tree in the spacious reception areas of these building is important for converting a sense of arrival and welcoming.

Seeing how the facilities teams of these massive organisation seriously consider the decorations made me realise that when we work from home we must also create our version of the well dressed welcoming Christmas tree for people that join our meetings online in virtual meetings.

My photo of Ashridge house Xmas decor
The beautiful tree in the entrance to the learner’s breakout area at Ashridge House
Me using the decor backdrop of Motel One in Manchester

3 top tips for more festive spirit in your virtual and online office scene

  1. Print off a printable Jolly leadership quiz to have some festive fun amongst other managers to bring some cheer to the workplace and available in my Etsy shop this holiday season.
  2. Hang a stocking on your book shelf to signify and mark the festive season has begun and start conversations about being ready for Christmas and build rapport conversations about Xmas gift giving habits
  3. Arrange some baubles on your shelf to give your audience something to break the ice about when joining your online meetings

What will you do decor wise this season to bring cheer to the office and team?

Strategic Shelf Styling for Effective Personal Branding in Virtual Teams

Admiring their backdrop

I was watching BBC news while away from home and noticed my eye drawn to what the presenter was saying. It was a psychology Professor in Sheffield interview on BBC.

I noticed how it seemed like he had carefully arranged how his office set up would appear on screen.

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The Drums are not Beaten

My return to and finding new uses for the small drum lampshades have sparked fresh creativity and renewed interest.

Currently the empire and coolie (more correctly conical) style of lampshade is all the rage. This created my dilemma, as fewer people were buying the drum shades, especially in the small sizes that I make. And I had made a lot to experiment and sharpen my practice of adding more decorative elements to them like the metal upholstery studs as I’ve always loved that classic look.

But, this week I set on a spree to rediscover what the styling options were for the plethora of small 15cm drum lampshades that I have in store (not all are in the online shop).

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Designing Certificate of authenticities

I’ve designed the back of my paintings so that proprietors get suggestions for styling as well as a certificate of authenticity and more.

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Ability to follow engaging Style is

What makes a good leader?

This bloganuary prompt (what makes a good leader?) made me chip in mid week and roll over to Sunday. We are seeing more reports on successful leaders being able to follow a variety of elements within the organisation. Some of the elements include what their followers say is of concern. Leaders today also must follow guidance and advice from a range of stakeholders. Later you will read how important it is that leaders get the very soft and aesthetic elements right too.

Following rules for shelf styling. Clumping elements in threes, fives or sevens, Maximising the layers, using lighting, botanicals, colour and painting tactically to get an inspired feminine industrious vibe.

Zone into wellbeing elements like designer iconic candles and image on a brochure i liked.

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Celebrating Unique Bookshelves

This new year allowed me to reflect on how important our home office decor is. I was encouraged about its importance from recently watching the Jay Shetty conversation with Kelly Wearstler (famous interior designer) on You Tube 2nd October 2023. The messages about decor from their talk (Your space can affect your Mood) that I took away were:

  • The decor of your home needs to stand out and be distinctive to everyone else’s as so much of our interiors looks the same these days
  • Beautiful interior decor and careful styling can help to uplift your spirit as well as bring peace and calm
  • Everyone is looking at our backgrounds in online meetings and trying to make sense of who we are
Picture is of my backdrop in the midst of a shelfie makeover. I was trying to get the books and outline aligned to the obligatory smile shape. Lighting of the bookshelf is also vital several reasons which I shall explain in other postings

Some of the other reading I have done say more. Since doing my interior styling course and reading more about shelfies and office decor, I note they all tend to stress the connections that people make about your decor and your identity. Our office decor then is an important piece of personal branding.

I even stumbled across a couple of old organisation behaviour papers that I shall share later in other blogs with you. These research papers point to the important role of artefacts like office decor on shaping and sending messages about organisation culture.

So this year some of my content will provide helpful hints and tips about home office styling that converts your online meeting attendees into people that start icebreaking conversations that are more meaningful.

Drop me a line. If there is anything particular you would like me to cover in my future posts about home office styling, shelfies, backdrops, cultural artefacts in organisations, then please let me know.

A Better Style

My last post of 2023. This balances out the product showcase post on Sunday 17th.

I went on an interior styling intensive course at Chelsea College of Art and Design. It strangely felt like revisiting my old employer twice. Once because I was previously course director of a MA programme at UAL and second because I worked for the Tate one summer in the membership department at the Tate Britain (Millbank) site in the 1990’s. My work at Tate Britain meant that I then went on to do my arts management dissertation comparing Tate and Art institute of Chicago’s membership strategies. Ahh, those were the days. Sorry I digress.

Anyway, last week, the tutor for my interior styling was the amazing Emma who took us through the practical steps of being one of those people who set up the shots for glossy interiors magazines as well as the communication collateral for big brands.

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