My (Not So) New Space
A year ago I decided it was time to grow my business and find an office space. I had been working out of my house since I started Jennifer Taylor Design and the walls were closing in on me. I had taken a "baby step" in early 2016 when I joined a co-working office space called CoLab and being there really showed me that having a real office was what I needed to take JTD to the next level. Being able to have a presentation space was key to providing my clients full-service design. So, the search began...
I have to say, it wasn't pretty out there. I saw some UGLY spaces, but my agent was patient and helped me find something I could afford (which was key) and that I could make my own. Manor at Midtown is an office park just down the street from my house, so the location couldn't be better for me. Here's a few pictures from the day I saw it for the first time:
As you can see, I had to really look past all the negatives and know I could create a space I could be proud of. Now, a year later I'm finally sharing my new space. The main room is where I meet clients and store a lot of my samples. I still have a wish list of more improvements (draperies, new fabric on the chairs, etc) but those will come with time. The more I can disguise that ugly brown carpet, the better!
The second room is where we work and a place I can hide my messes. I used most of the pieces from my home office and added a some new. My biggest challenge in this room was hiding all these ugly wires. You can see this wall from the main room so I really had to dig deep to come up with something.
With the help of my carpenter, I designed a slatted panel with hinges that could open in case I never needed to get back there. Thank goodness I did because this is where my internet wiring is! With the addition of a fun light and colorful art, it became the perfect backdrop to my desk.
One of my favorite things in my office is the wall space above the meeting table. I had a metal screen fabricated by my local metalworker and installed some colorful art on top, then added some fun floor lamps on each side. It was a great mix of contemporary and industrial!
