Kate Spade Home

Have you heard? 

Kate Spade launched a collection of Home decor items & it's super cute! I'm especially fond of the polka dot Downing Desk.  It's so chic & love how it also has three drawers with a lovely brass finish. As they say, pretty things increase productivity.  I agree. Working beautifully is something I enjoy doing. But a little more than I could spend on a desk at this time...but perhaps it would work well for you? Below are a few of my favorites from the Home collection, available directly on the Kate Spade site!

-post by jen ramos

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Desk Shopping

Sooo....we'll be moving NEXT month to another apartment & I'll also be looking for a new desk for my studio. I really want gold legs on the new desk, and I am contemplating whether to go the DIY route by painting the legs gold, or not.  A DESK with drawers is also ideal, and although option a & f are super cute, I'm always opening & closing my current desk drawers...so, to avoid standing up all the time, drawers are top priority.

It needs to be sturdy & not feel cheap. Since I'll be using the desk everyday, it would be smart to invest in something good that will last! Same goes for a desk chair....agree??

I'd love for you to help me choose, which is your fave?

a. wayfair

b. zinc door

c. shop candelabra

d. zgallerie

e. high fashion home

f. zinc door

-post by jen ramos

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Poppin for the office

poppin // I love this company & how they've created an interesting twist on the regular day-to-day office supplies we use. By adding color into to those BORING office items like staplers, pens, scissors, calculators & more! 

Not only did they add color, but also a sleeker look & feel to your average stapler etc. For me, I'm not so much into the colorful hot pink staplers, but would rather go for an all-white modern look for my office space.  I've actually tried their ballpoint pens, they're super SMOOTH to write with & have been a favorite in my home office!  I can't say enough about this small business - and it's growth within the last few months...except I wish every office stocked up with poppin items.

So, if you're looking for cool office supplies in a variety of colors, check out their easy-to-navigate website to fill your office necessities!  Right now, one of my main necessities here in my office is  pens & these handy white letter trays.  In order to make more space on my current shelf - I'm going to need to go up, and stacking these trays will help create a ton more space for paperwork & so on.

So, tell me, have you heard of poppin? What's your fave poppin office item?

-post by jen ramos

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OFFICE CHIC

Updating the home is awesome, but because I spend most of my days in my home office, it is definitely a MUST-DO this new year. In order for inspiration to flow - I need it to be neat & CHIC. How about you?? 

I put together some of my favorite office accessories - these items will definitely bring a sense of chic to any office. Come on, replace those 1990's vases & lamps, what better way to start then NOW before the new year!! Here are my suggestions for updating your office space:

1. quartz bookends high street market // 2. madeline weinrib // 3. black dots abstract via made by girl // 4. gold miami vase via zgallerie /// 5. horn pencil cup high street market // 6. black is the new black pencils via made by girl // 7. regina andrews alabaster lamp via horchow // 8. rae tray via tory burch //  9. fresh flowers via bloom flowers nyc // 10. gold+white notebook via hattan home // 11. gold+black notebook via made by girl // 12. gold+lucite tape dispenser

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My Office Gallery Wall + Tips

After months of thinking of whether or not I should do a gallery wall in my office, I have officially taken the plunge. I admit, I was inspired by Michelle Adams & her gorgeous NYC bedroom (last photo) and so that led to removing the large piece I had, & incorporating the gallery wall.  For the wall, I used mostly MADE BY GIRL (my own) pieces & some other random photography.  The figure drawings are by Chance Lee - a fantastic artist from Taiwan that I love ......& Kate Moss, well, it was a gift. All the frames you see below can be purchased via my shop. We have gorgeous shiny gold, matte gold, black matte frames & more!

The Kate Moss gold-corner frame was a DIY project we did, which we'll add onto the blog soon!

If you're looking to install a gallery wall,  here's a good way to start:

/// SELECT ART YOU LIKE ///

I decided to add most of my own art, because it inspires me & reminds me to keep creating. You should be able to know what kind of art you'd enjoy looking at everyday. This wall is in my office so it's a wall I look at pretty much ever single day. So, yes, I will be looking at Kate's face on a daily basis...oh well, she's gorgeous right? I find that mixing word art with photographic ones gives the space a lot of interest. You may want to do something similar or just choose to add personal photos of your family & so on. For me, I'm  not big on personal photos all over our apartment & neither is my husband. We prefer random art over personal shots. We tend to keep those to a minimum. But remember, select art that inspires, makes you smile, and that you love.

/// SELECT YOUR FRAMES /// 

MADE BY GIRL offers a variety of gorgeous custom frames. You can order them on their own from my shop or add it to the artwork before checkout. Custom framing looks amazing & is pricier, but if you're on a budget - you can always try IKEA.  They have a variety of sizes for under $200.
 

/// PLAN IT OUT ///

Think about where you want to place each piece of art.  See what pieces look good next to each other & try not to place all similar colors & styles together. As you can see, both my black prints are away from each other. This creates a more balanced look. Also, the higher you place the gallery on the wall, the taller the space will feel. Drawing a diagram with proper measurements on a piece of paper will really help keep you organized. Feel free to play around with different arrangements, that's what we did. You can cut-out shapes of each frame by using poster board and tape each one onto the wall where you will place the artwork.  This is a great way to move the shapes around & get an idea of what it will look like before committing to anything. Remember, you don't want a bunch of extra holes in the wall. Have fun!

 Ta da! The close-up.

Here's the roundup of most of the art featured on my wall. You can purchase them via MADE BY GIRL. 

And here is my husband helping put everything up - so sweet!

-top 3 images by jen ramos

-last image by patrick cline

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For Sale - Office Items

UPDATE : ALL items have SOLD

I'm bringing in some new chairs + artwork - so I'm offering these items up for SALE. Please email me if you're interested or with questions - prices are below. As for the chairs, they were bought at Ballard Designs - and are in good condition. They do show some wear, but not that visible. The seat covers have zippers - so they can be washed. However, it would be best to have the covers replaced, which is relatively inexpensive. 

This photo was featured in an issue of Style at Home amagazine!

Chairs:
They're very dark brown (not black) - They do have a slight shine, but are not super shiny. Bought them for over $200 each.  Selling for $90 each. Minor wear. Can be used as dining chairs! Only NYC local pickup please - cannot ship these.

Large Art: 
Gold frame + art canvas paper print 
Measures 42"x41" 
Selling for $245
Great condition.
Can be shipped within USA, but will cost more. 





-image by janis nicolay

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Office Update & Thoughts...(Via Made By Girl)

This is a pic I shot today of my office with the updated black wall behind the shelves. You can also slightly see the 108" white curtain panel to the left. That glass door goes out to a lovely 3rd story balcony.... very convenient when I want to get some fresh air during the daytime. 

I'm REALLY considering changing out the WHITE drapes to either black, an IKAT, or a thin-lined zebra pattern.  What do you think?? Ideas??

(click on pic for larger image)

P.S. All the ARTWORK currently in my office is painted by me....

-image by jen

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Thinking About My Office....(Via Made By Girl)

Remember my old office space? Well, I'm missing it right now just a bit!  I was SO excited when I re-did it earlier this year (see pics here). At the time, it felt so great to work in a NEW space! Well, now I have another blank office to work with and this time it will be a challenge.....in many ways. Even though most of the furniture is with me, the decor is what will change.
I have some IDEAS but would love to hear your input & recommendations. Since this space doesn't accommodate the 2 Parsons desks together, this is where it will be placed.  I have a desire to place wallpaper on the wall directly in front of my desk & even though I'm contemplating an animal print paper, I'm NOT sold on it yet!!   

Any thoughts on what kind of wallpaper for my wall?? Will the animal print paper work here?

Ok, DON'T LAUGH...this is just a mock-up I did super fast in Photoshop so  that I could get a clear picture of what it might look like. Ha!

Who knows..I may TOTALLY HATE this idea in a few days...I'm like that.

Maybe I should just paint a really LARGE canvas and place it over my desk...hmmmm

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My corner work area....

This is the laptop area of my desk and where I've placed my inspiration board. The other side of the office/studio (not pictured here) isn't quite finished, so I don't have pics of it yet. The thing is, I need to add more shelving and I'm in a desperate search for that as we speak. The GOAL is to make everything look as neat as possible on the other side of my work area. So...this is all I'm showing for now until its finished. Like in this post, I'm looking for similar storage shelving... anything cute for storing files etc. Any suggestions on what stores to go to?? Thanks!

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