I've found that long and strenuous hours sitting at a desk in your home office — be it a dedicated room, a desk tucked into a corner, or simply your kitchen table — hard at work can cause a feeling of mild bitterness towards the thought and sight of your own place. I started working from home as a freelance writer and editor in my early twenties, and what at first felt like enormous freedom quickly turned into crumbs on the couch and a desk so overpopulated with chargers that you'd think they were multiplying. This was long before COVID drove people out of offices, before "work from home" was a trending term, and it wasn't something many people around me were talking about. There weren't companies offering quick solutions or, at least, not ones that made stuff that I wanted to surround myself with.
Through the process of reclaiming my space and defining a line, albeit slim, between work and the rest of my life, I learned that the secret to a successful at-home office isn't having a fancy desk or comfy office chair — it's surrounding yourself with things that make you want to work.
Here at Quittner, we strive to make each and every single room in your home evoke a feeling of comfort, warmth, and delight — even, and, perhaps, especially — in the spaces where fatigue seems to fester. Surrounding yourself with objects that bring character and charm to your environment are key to chipping away at and changing any negative rooted feelings associated with how that space is used (think, a rough day at work).
We advocate for an elegant piece of art, a quiet candle, and even a simple vase to hold a small collection of your favorite fresh flowers. Small additions can completely change the energy of your office with minimal effort, but astonishing outcomes.
Nearly a decade since I vacuumed that first crumb-filled couch, we still work from home. Ben and I juggle our business and our son alongside each other every day, and while we both technically have "offices" (converted horse stalls in our workshop), you can most often find us working wherever Crowe is. But the most important things remain the same: flowers in a vase made by a friend, art that inspires us, the warm glow of a candle, and not too many chargers.
Our picks for a dream home office, in any room...
An antique stoneware bottle bud vase is perfect for housing a subtle splash of color and freshness in your office when used to hold a single or mini collection of your favorite flowers.
The Felted Wool Trivet protects and preserves your surfaces from mug rings and hot lunch plates while still adding to the design of your work space.
Amazing for holding paper clips, tacks, pins, erasers or any other smaller stationary items that are way too easy to lose, the everything bowl is an elegant way to keep them in reach.
Vertebra Candle Holder, Silver or Bronze
For those late nights, the vertebra candle holder, provides the perfect ambiance when you should probably go to bed but there's just a little more to do.
Pair of Original Architectural Sketches (one shown)
Perhaps the most important piece of any space we work in is art that inspires without distracting. Architectural sketches show human potential in a soft format, and for us perfectly fits the bill.
Finally, you need a perfect mug for cozy drink and energizing drinks, soup on cold days and happy hour sangria when it's just one of those days.
Working from home is a lifestyle in the truest sense of the word. In order to do it successfully and — key here — sustainably, you'll need to consciously craft an environment that motivates you and welcomes you in every day, but that lets you turn off when it's time to put work away. Balancing these two states is immensely difficult and something we're still trying to get right, but a pretty desk and the smell of a beeswax candle certainly helps.
research and writing contributed by Nina Bellino