Tag: Design inspiration

How to make your bookshelf smile

Organisational Aesthetics

This week I was telling colleagues, clients and friends about the trends in senior leader training, I’d been hearing about. Especially those deep soft elements that help presenters with engagement in hybrid, virtual or online meetings. There has been a lot discussed about the importance of backgrounds when you are doing an online meeting, especially if you are a senior in the organisation. Interestingly in the middle of one of the meetings I was asked about my own bookshelf and they pointed to one of my lights and it started a nice ice breaking warming conversation.

I understand why this is happening. I often get asked about my bookshelf style in wonder. Some think its one of those generic backgrounds or that I am in a very swanky part of the HQ that no one has ever seen. Little so they know that it is through  using my old film studies scholar hat, I made the connection of how we still turn to the dramatic arts and cinematography in organisation life. And how this part of the cultural sphere can help us to understand how best to convey the identities that we want with clever use of props (our own home office decor). A WebEx, Zoom, Go To Meeting screen is no different to the big silver screen. It’s just smaller and because you are the central actor the mise-en-scene should convey more about who you are.

Continue reading “How to make your bookshelf smile” →

Celebrating Unique Bookshelves

Organisational Aesthetics

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.

Cardiff Castle Inspo 🏰

London Culture & Places

I visited Wales this week and happened to drive by Cardiff castle 🏯.

Cardiff Castle

I first noticed all the Japanese business people walking past and admiring the different gargoyles and statues on the castle as they walked hurriedly in their smart business dress. I too thought about the makers of the stone and metal castings and carvings. But I wondered about their daily toil. I imagined the working conditions of those aged artisans who made their creative marks luckily lasting 100s of years.

Continue reading “Cardiff Castle Inspo 🏰” →

Noticing the artistic contribution in our everyday life.

Personal Reflections

I visited Covent Garden for a meal and did some shopping. There I also noticed how the artistic contribution features m in our everyday encounters. Sometimes we must look deeper to notice how the hidden artist gets to express their work through mundane things like our retail experiences and our eating out.

A balance of thought used to present this maple tart at Clos Maggiore.
Continue reading “Noticing the artistic contribution in our everyday life.” →