I learned very quickly that overhauling and restyling your space leads to more productivity, less stress and more happiness.
Before I started getting into minimalism and interior design, I had a basement suite packed with things and no room to move around. Clutter was everywhere and there was nowhere to work properly. The dining table was essentially the go-to workspace with a desktop on it. This caused some stress because nothing could ever look neat and it was tough finding a spot to work while resisting the urge to clean.
Here is how my partner and I took a small old school suite and turned it into an official work/life studio.
Keep spaces open.
When it comes to opening up spaces we like to keep our furniture closer to the walls of a room rather than segmenting the room by putting a couch facing a wall. This allows you to create different areas within a room. You'll notice that we place the sectional couch on the far wall with the coffee table directly in front of it. Sectionals have the ability to create a zone amongst themselves where guests can relax. We used a sectional from Moe's furniture and the Truman coffee table that rove concepts had provided us with. We chose the Truman for its storage and expanding the ability to host more guests in a smaller space.
Create dedicated work areas.
To create a dedicated work environment in an apartment with only one bedroom and no office we decided to bring the station as close to natural light as possible to give the "office" light and airy feelings. We equipped the space with a standing desk and a custom 72-inch solid acacia wood top. We were debating between a lighter butcher's block and to use it as a desk but decided the interior colors would match with the acacia.
This paired with the simple iMac setup and fully wireless workspace provides ample room to begin switching from desktop user to design suite. We found having the extra room with the 72 inches helped the user move around. We also added a Philips Hue LED light strip to the back of the desk to show it off and make it work with the rest of the apartment as we have every room rigged with Philips lighting. We really wanted to make the home as smart as possible connecting the Philips system to the google home's throughout the house allowed us to do just that.
Entertainment is still important.
Don't worry we didn't skip out on the festivities. We know a home isn't all work and no play. For this, we enlisted the help of some professionals. The Hisense team sent us one of their new 2019 55-inch Q8809 4K QLED Android TV. This size was perfect for the apartment and also has chromecast build in and works seamlessly with the google home system we have in the house. It had all the goodies one would want for a fantastic evening of movie watching or game playing. We also found it to be perfect for listening to music throughout the day since we can cast our favourite playlists to the TV from Spotify (no need for extra speakers!).
Organize your bedroom.
As your bedroom is the first thing you wake up to and the last thing you see before you sleep, it's important to keep it clean and organized to keep your stress to a minimum. Rove Concepts was kind enough to furnish this space with several pieces that helped us create a clean yet comfortable space. Our favourites are the Grayson Dresser with its soft close drawers, the Ophelia bed to keep us super comfy when reading a book against the smooth fabric headboard and finally the most useful addition, the Oliver side storage. It has a detachable tray so you can bring breakfast in bed and enough storage to keep your books and valuables off the floor!
Just remember when creating your bedroom less is best and make sure you don't have places to pile clothes on, keep the temptations away!
Applying these four tactics can help you build a space that helps you become a happier person and truly enjoy the space you are in.
If any of our furniture pieces caught your eye you can visit Rove Concepts here.
If you are interested in the Hisense Smart TV or other Hisense products you can visit them here. Products can be purchased through here.