Well I moved into this house in April 2015 and have been struggling with how to properly set up my jewellery making space. Finally last weekend I think I got my office set up the way I want it! I am so excited by this. I will admit it took me awhile. I tried a couple different configurations and furniture/storage options before I got to where it is now. I am always bargain hunting for furniture and feel each space needs different pieces to make it work. I often buy and sell on sites like Kijiji or Facebook Buy & Sell groups.

My home office is a small space, about 2.3 meters by 2 meters and I run two businesses out of it so I had to be strategic about what was in there. I had this 1950s dinette set from my old apartment that doesn’t fit in my current kitchen but I love it immensely and I recovered the chairs myself so there was no way I would part with it. That instantly became my desk. It gives me a nice big surface to work on and also extra chairs for any consultations I might need to do.

Last summer, on Kjiji, I found this stunning 1900s era printers cabinet, tiny narrow drawers, perfect for jewellery supplies, tools and stones storage. That came home right away and helps me keep stones, wire and tools are neatly organized. My sweetie had a small black 2 drawer file cabinet that he needs to keep so that became the printer stand. To jazz up the old cabinet, I displayed some jewellery on top.

Two weeks ago, thanks to my cousin and IKEA I found the missing piece! Two shelves with a bar and some hooks. I believe this is meant for kitchens but right away I saw it fit into my home office. On the shelves I have displayed jewellery that I still need to photograph as well as some of my favourite nick knacks and reference books.  The hooks hold some bags that I need in my other business with Arbonne and also my camera bag. You can also see my “printer stand” in the bottom right corner.

Having the pieces I haven’t photographed out and on display helps me in two fabulous ways. First it keeps them in view, every day so the task of photography doesn’t get forgotten. Second, seeing the pieces I have designed before helps my creative process. New design ideas often feed off of previous ones. Before I set up this shelf I had all my completed pieces stored away in my carrying cases and I’d only see them when I brought them out to art shows or to sales. Now I see them everyday and I love it.

I believe all I need now is a cork board (I’m in the middle of making myself one). I plan to use it for story boards. Fashion photos or colour palette displays that help inspire me. The contents of the cork board will change frequently as I use up 1 idea and move onto something new. I also need a short 2 level book shelf I can use for books and some paper materials I need in my other business. I haven’t located that perfect short double shelf yet, but I have no doubt I will!