A work-in-progress WFH office

Salumbre · 2024-07-13T02:30:21+00:00

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About four months in, my 450 square-feet studio apartment is still a messy work in progress, but at least my office corner is beginning to look a little more inviting, as well as functional.

My lease is an ironclad nightmare —no painting, peel-and-stick wallpaper, only 3mm nails allowed on the walls, and so on, so I'm very, very, very limited in what I can do.

(No worries, gentle readers, you can purse your lips to your heart's content. I won't be offended… 😉)

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Comments

DanielaAraya

I love that you found a way to display a large piece of art by leaning it on the window there! Bravo on making your space feel more you 👏 And hello, cutie cat!!

Just a thought on the strict lease: Would command strips work in your space, or is that a no-no too? I've had some good luck using those in rentals when I was more limited on what I could do

Salumbre

Thank you for the kind words, @DanielaAraya!

Alas, my lease explicitly forbids the use of command strips, among many other explicitly mentioned things. I circumvented it by installing peel-and-stick wallpaper inside the kitchen cabinet where I keep shoes.

As for the kitty, she is Penelope the Kangaroo, and she's a tripod. She rules the household with a tiny iron paw.

DanielaAraya

@Salumbre peel-and-stick inside a cabinet is such a great idea! Also, I'm formerly petitioning for you to share more photos of Penelope the Kangaroo in The Lounge board 🤠

MeganBakerDetloff

Seconding @DanielaAraya , LOVE how you've displayed art here!

If you're allowed to use finish nails, you can actually do a lot with that! One option is to hang wallpaper or fabric and instead of pasting/sticking it to the wall, just use strategic finish nails to hold it in place. The DIYer behind this bedroom redo used a staple gun to hang her "wallpaper" (it's actually curtains!) but you could do it with thumbtacks.

If that sounds like too much work, maybe a large wall hanging? You can use a picture hanging kit to secure one, and that would only leave you with three small nail holes that you can fill before you move out.

Can't wait to see what you decide!

Salumbre

Thank you for the lovely comment, @MeganBakerDetloff!

Alas, my lease explicitly forbids any kind of wallpaper, and I'm trying to keep a low profile.

Besides, it has been interesting trying to work within such strict limits. I added noren curtains to the bathroom door using tension rods, and I'm going to hang my beautiful shower curtains in the laundry closet using the same technique.

I hung a handmade tapestry with embroidered unicorns I have on my other window, also using tension rods, but my Siamese took it down and used it as a bed. So no luck there… 😫

CullenOrmond

I'd love to see more photos of this incredible space @Salumbre! it seems as though your cat (need to know their name!) enjoys their home, too! the natural light is absolutely stunning, but I think it's so ingenious how you used a piece of artwork to act as almost a curtain! I recently wrote about using artwork as a privacy measure/light blocker after seeing it in a home tour, and it's so cool to see it IRL again!

Salumbre

Thank you, @CullenOrmond!

Yes, the natural light is one of the best things about the place, but there can be too much of it, so I had to do something to cover that window. And then I realized that, since I had that huge poster in a big heavy Craig frame I had to lean against something, I could kill two birds with one stone.

I absolutely love the art they used in that bathroom to block the window. And it's very apropos…

My Siamese's name is Spike, aka Mono. He is a chaos demon, as is Penelope (aka Chernobyl, because of her deadly, radioactive flatulence).

natalie8827

A small change that I felt made a big difference in our WFH space was out of sight cables. Perhaps explore this for your space? And I would add a plant or two, whether on a desk or in a planter on the floor or both. I feel like they are magic in making a space feel alive. Good luck!

Salumbre

The WFH corner got a new desk a few weeks back. Also, the big mess of cords is now behind that green storage ottoman.

One of those chairs is now gone, and I put the gold screen back where it originally was, because it was just cramping the space.

There is "new" art, too (new to that wall, anyway) but the main change was that little cart desk (desk cart?) and it has made all the difference.

Ideally, I would have preferred corralling all that equipment on a large L-shaped desk, but I like that old MCM desk/sewing machine too much and do not have any other place for it, this being such a tiny apartment.

Salumbre

https://community.apartmenttherapy.com/discussion/comment/2413#Comment_2413

Alas, I can't do plants, due to having a deranged Siamese. I have small fake ones in places he can't or won't get to.