DesignWriterMason Wednesday -- Personality, Organizaton and Inspiration

contemporary home office design by vancouver interior designer Maria Killam

Welcome! 

Today's DesignWriterMason 
and tomorrow's  #DesignWrite Chat -Twitter 10AM are all about  
Personality - Which one are YOU? 
And today's Writer's Inspiration is 
Steampunk Style!

Which one are you?

• Type A Personality:
• Do you scan every document, receipt, and magazine article to keep in your dedicated external hard drive? 
• Paperless to the extreme? Apps galore on your phone, so you never clip a coupon, never read a book *gasp!* that killed a tree?
• Are your cords carefully managed via a discreet hole in your work surface, threaded down the corner of the wall, and bound with velcro/ cable wraps?

Ah! You're the one whose able to rock the space below the stairs that sits front and center in the Entry hall, visible to the front door and every visitor, guest, and FedEx delivery person.

                                                                                                                                 

                                                                    
You KNOW those cords are tucked up and tidy and wrapped with velcro or something like the Container Store's Cable Turtle. 
Lots more cord container ideas at that site.

• Type 'Me' Personality: 
• Everything that comes in your front door gets dumped in plain view: newspapers are stacked on the floor, books are stacked by the bed, papers are stacked on every kitchen counter, table and surface.
• Your kids' bookbags, your pet's toys, your Aunt Mathilda's insurance policy are all there too. 
• Where do you find what you need?

Closed doors and cabinetry, or fitting out a closet with shelving, office and dorm solutions are our answer:

traditional staircase design by san francisco general contractor Nunley Custom Homes

Step by Step Instructions from Container Store

And Lots of organization tools like these:
Check out places like the Container Store and Linens & Things and others for DormRoom furnishings and organization supplies. School starts soon!

This one's tintable.

Think Vertical! Get the clutter off the surfaces by mounting shelving on the walls above. And add bulletin boards, magnet strips, hot files on the walls or paint the back wall with dry erase or magnetic chalkboard paint:
Even painting a door on one side with dry erase paint gives you more workable surface.

For recovering RWA writers who want sophistication-- Black & White is Classic and screams NYC!

RateMySpace

RateMySpace

And Gray/Silver/White is Trendy and Fresh and Young. Don't you love the punch of purple?

  

 

And now for some Inspiration for Writers' Writing -- Steampunk Style! 

Photos via The Datamancer and Newsweek magazine

The pictures above and below are examples of Steampunk, defined by Maria Killam on Colour me Happy as --

"The intersection of Technology and Romance"

--  a perfect definition for a Romance writer like me.


<-Laptops by Richard Nagy, 'RetroFuturistic' Aesthetic.

Here's another example of an office space in San Francisco

Yeah, WriterMason. How do I use that for my home office? ...

Take a look: hardwood floors -- bet some of you have them in your homes. Dark, jewel toned walls -- Maybe. Maybe not. 

Homey, Victorian styled furniture. Are your dining chairs similar? And look how in the very first picture there is a lounge chair along the wall-- do you have a bench? A daybed? A couch? to fit in your office space? 

The whole point of DesignWrite is to stretch your imagination. 

Sure, those chairs have lived in the kitchen all these years. But suppose you brought them into another room and gave them a new life with fresh purpose. Would a coat of fresh paint color make them a better fit for the new space?

3Rings in SanFrancisco

The empty frames on the blue wall - imagine them as inspiration boards, a different type of vertical file for schedules and calendars, character charts and outlines. These pictured look like blackboards inside.

Wouldn't it be nice to clear the clutter off the desk? And put the important papers in a place where they won't be covered by another pile of bills... receipts... notebooks...? 

Imagine the possibilities there! Place corkboards or padded bulletin boards, chalk or dry erase boards within beautiful frames, and your space has style and personality to match the rest of your home.

Join us!

Thurs10Am -> #DesignWrite Chat on Twitter

@PamelaVMason  and
@ErikaatBluLabel

Lots more fun Home Offices to give you inspiration and ideas. It moves fast, so download Tweetdeck or go to tweetchat.com to follow the conversation in real time. The conversation will be archived so you can print out links for later -- You want Erika Ward's info and links ya'll!

A Bientot!