Thirteen things I decided were essential when putting together my new home office:

1. Two desks – one for the desktop computer and one for laptops and/or papers, notes, etc.
2. A cool overhead light fixture – it needed to set the mood for the room with a bit of whimsy.
3. Soothing colors on the walls – I’m not fond of beige but knew I didn’t want a dark color. I went with sage instead.
4. Task lighting – the overhead fixture will kill you if you are on the computer a lot. It’s easier to have lamps for task lighting and keep the overhead on low.
5. Interesting furniture – I fell in love with the Christopher Lowell shore collection. It’s not heirloom quality but it’s pretty nice with antiqued white bodies and cherry veneer tops. I could afford it, too.
6. Enough bookcase space for writing books and supplies – I really wanted to put things AWAY. But I also didn’t want to line the whole room with them and crowd myself out.
7. Comfortable desk chair – I sit a lot of the day and comfort/ergonomics are key.
8. iPod Dock – I love having music but don’t like computer speakers. I want the computer sound OFF. For me, my lovely iPod dock with remote control is just the ticket. It’s a bonus that it drowns out the cats who are Most Displeased that I won’t let them into the office and yowl outside the door in protest.
9. Extension cords – too many times I’m stuck with the outlet behind some piece of heavy furniture. I put extension cords in all the outlets before putting together the furniture this time.
10. Remote switches for lamps – I didn’t want to put the task lighting lamps on a timer because i don’t want them on if I’m not using them. Instead I found nifty (though bulky) remote controls for them. Lamp plugs into the fancy socket, socket plugs into the extension cord and there’s a little remote to turn them on and off. Lazy but I love it.
11. Artwork – I have a stockpile of lovely artwork that is framed and ready for this office. I’ve collected it and stored it and can’t wait to put it up.
12. Scissors – I bought six – yes SIX – pairs of scissors for the office. Apparently, at least at my house, the men who need to “borrow” a pair of scissors look for them in my drawer and then fail to return them. I plan to hide a few of these, mind you. This way maybe I’ll actually be able to find a pair of scissors when I need one.
13. A reading nook – I bought a lovely rattan chair and stool to tuck into the corner to relax in and read when I need time away from the rest of the family or just want a cozy quiet place. I even have a warm throw for it (though not out right now, too hot).

Yes, I know there are substitutes available but somehow they just aren’t the same.

1. Bread
2. Lasagna
3. Cake
4. Soy Sauce
5. Saltine Crackers
6. Malted Milk Balls
7. Thai Food
8. Croissants
9. Dumplings
10. Pie
11. Donuts
12. Thick-crust pizza
13. Muffins

Late last night Mr. Maura and I finally got the last of my office furniture (bar a floor lamp) assembled and wanted to put it in it’s final positions so I could actually USE the office. A shove of (very large and very heavy) items into the places I thought I wanted them showed me something very important.

It Would Not Work.

I had been working with an idea of where I wanted the furniture but because I cannot visualize anything — I have no visual memory — I could not imagine what would happen when they were in those places. The furniture was bigger than I expected and the stupid closet kept mucking up my plans.

Mr. Maura started proposing other options – some of which did away with my reading nook (unacceptable). And here we come across the really annoying part of my strange brain wiring. He would explain where he wanted to move something and I could NOT tell him whether I like it or not. I can only really deal with layout if I can interact with it. He tried to get me to take some graph paper and graph it out and I had to explain (again) that it would not help. The drawing on the paper would not translate to anything I could say I liked or did not. That transition just never happens for me.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that Mr. Maura is the king of “or you could…”. He wants to make sure ALL options are considered and I hear, in deep and excruciating detail, about every single one of them. Often multiple times. This frustrates me because I like to make a decision quickly and execute. I don’t want to ponder for long periods of time and by this point I was SO ready for this damned office to be done. I couldn’t keep track of the options and couldn’t ponder how they might make me feel.

I’ll admit, after a while we were both frustrated and snarling at each other. Finally we moved some things around so I could sit in my desk chair and really see how much room I’d need for desks, etc. Then Mr. Maura proposed a plan that was not anything I’d really considered and we decided to try that one. I did swear that, if I turned out not to like it, I would only ask him to reshuffle furniture once more.

It’s actually really hard to explain to someone, especially someone highly visual, that your brain doesn’t operate the same way and you have to touch and experience things they just imagine in order for them to make sense to you. I cannot close my eyes and remember faces or picture something. I don’t even dream in pictures – I hear words as if someone is reading a story to me. When Mr. Maura wants to find something, he visualizes where he last saw it. When I want to find something, I try to remember when I last touched it or interacted with it. It’s actually a very different way of relating to the world. I’m very much a kinesthetic.

This also explains why I’m not much on comic books or graphic novels. I find them confusing to read and the pictures don’t really matter to me. They convey no emotion and I basically ignore them. The words are all tossed on the page and you’re supposed to somehow integrate the words and the pictures. SO not me.

The experience with the office is a good reminder, though, that when writing characters I also need to remember that everyone reacts to and interacts with their environment in at least a slightly different way.

I’ll crop and post the pictures in a day or two. Right now I think I’ve earned some dinner.

As many of you know, I’ve been working on my new office for weeks (seemingly forever) and it’s finally starting to get to where I can see the potential past all the boxes and piles of stuff for Goodwill or the dump. I think the real turning point was being able to start putting things away instead of shoving them from one side of the room to the other.

I have 4 of the 5 pieces of furniture that need assembly set up but only one is in its permanent home so far. The others are waiting for the new surface of the computer desk to arrive so that can be assembled before we block the floor with the final layout. Sort of a chicken-and-egg scenario (my mother calls this the “But First…” scenario – where you need to do x but first must do y and before that you must do m).

I am thrilled at the fact I can start getting my pretty things out so I can see them. I have a collection of eggs and spheres made of various minerals and gemstones and gave them their own shelf. There are about another half dozen that need to be set up but I had to order some more stands. And, yes, one of these things is not like the others, the huge egg in the back left corner is a russian painted porcelain egg – a gift from a friend.

On top of this bookcase is my fairy sculpture (yes, she’s headless, deal with it) and her collection of crystal points as well as a candle and vase I just really like.

The drapes you see in the background in a darker green are the ones over the closet. I have a baker’s rack in there with a surface on it to serve as a mailing center and place to put together promo stuff. The closet is, of course, for storage. You can see the room colors in this picture. The ceiling looks a bit white but it’s a light sage. The walls are a darker sage and the trim is an off-white.

I’ll post some more pictures as more of the room gets done and things get put in their places.

The interesting thing is that when I come into the New Office, I expect to work. Right now that work may mostly be putting away stuff but because it doesn’t mix with the place I watch TV or socialize with my family. I seem to (mostly) be better able to stay focused. Maybe that’s the sign of the right Writer’s Nest for me? Hope so – lots of writing to do.

1. Mule deer.
2. Bunnies.
3. Coyotes.
4. Cats.
5. Dogs.
6. Great Horned Owls
7. Bald Eagles.
8. Red-Tailed Hawks.
9. Pileated Woodpeckers.
10. Marmots.
11. Raccoons.
12. Blue Herons.
13. Ducks.