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

Intensive Pigment Palettes: Creating a Moody and Cozy Home Office Aesthetic

When it comes to home office decor themes I discovered that have my preferences.

I don’t like the cold, stark, hard surfaces office look. It might seem futuristic (very 21st century to us Baby-boomers). But those images used to be the standard result of search for office decor or desk style as far back into the early 2000’s.  It felt boyish, channeling teenage son lone woolf, building code and gaming in their bedroom and I just couldn’t relate.

White office chair, mac computer on white desk with view to city centre scene
Home Office” by Matt Bango/ CC0 1.0

To the other extreme I do not like the overtly feminine big frilly country kitchen table, make shift office desk and ramshackle bookshelf disorganised recipe books; propped up iPad against tiny metal pots of lavender look. That was a trend for a while, fitting in with a cottage core or rustic chic.

English country garden with green teapot and two cups of green brown looking tea in glass cups
Photo by Jovan Vasiljević on Pexels.com

There is also the girl boss look, I see with some YouTubers which is less chintzy but has neon name signs on white walls and lots of fluffy textures incorporated whether the a macrame wall hanging or stringy plants dangling from shelves or wall (for the backdrop). These are combined with sheepskin covered chairs or armrests. It does give off a dreamy fantasy of what a girl’s world of business could be like (pink fluffy and pretty). It seems to be playing at being in business and those of us women working in corporate or refugees from freelancing know that, it sure ain’t no game. However I get the need to convey the light ethereal fantastical vision contrasting the hard realities of our capitalist system.

Woman sitting at a desk with white wall and wispy flower in mint green vase. She wears baby pink dress and has half drunk coffee and white macaroon on saucer
Photo by Moose Photos on Pexels.com

Instead, I like a style that that emanates wisdom, elegance and being grounded. The moody and cozy home office style is indeed a theme on Pinterest. When you look at those images you see a bold cohesive comfortable and elegant look.

The cozy home office

Be mindful, though. This look isn’t that shining high polished look that you might find in Dubai, Knightsbridge or Belgravia show houses where our top interior professionals produce. Perhaps akin to what you see in TV show Buying London (Netflix 2024). No, this cozy home office look is somewhere that you and I will feel comfortable doing everyday business because it is as if our friend down the road was the cabinet maker and our interior design pal (old friend from local comprehensive/ grammar school) helped with sourcing of fabrics for the wall and space planning of our furniture.

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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.

Continue reading “Ability to follow engaging Style is”