The Best Job EVER.
My house has three bedrooms. I turned one of them into a ridonkulous dressing room. I was planning on using the extra one for a guest room, but who am I kidding? No one wants to stay overnight at my crappy house. It’s just as well, because what I really need is an office.
Exactly one year and two weeks after I closed on my crappy house, something big happened. I lost my job. (Wait, did I say big? I meant awful.) The company where I worked (for 7 years!) went out of business. And there I was. Unemployed. With a mortgage. Ruh roh.
Skip to now. My new job is great. The commute is short (about 4 seconds), the dress code is causal (pajamas), and my boss is really cool (me!). I am Founder, President, CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, CIO and Senior Designer at 3-D Cat, my very own company! While it’s been terrifying at times, it’s also been awesome. I work how I want, where I want, and when I want. 9 to 5 can suck it.
Since my job requires that I be creative on demand, I decided that a neutral work space would be best. A space that doesn’t hijack my brain. A Zen space. When I’m staring at a blank screen and can’t think of a single idea and panic starts to set in and I think maybe every idea I’ve ever had in the past has been accidental and I really have no business being a designer and what was I thinking starting my own company?!, Zen is good.
I painted the walls Dior Gray, by Ben Moore. It’s a semi-dark gray with slight violet undertones. It’s a bit moody. Like me. (Just ask my mother.)
Remember when this room was gutted? When we were putting it all back together, we put an extra wire in the wall so I could have a ceiling fixture. Good thing, too. No one should have to work in an office without a chandelier. There are labor laws for that sort of thing…
Installing a light fixture is super easy, in case you were wondering. I put this one in myself. (You knew that.) You might not think of chandeliers when you think of Zen, but you totally should. And sparkly curtains too.
Who says Zen can’t be glamorous? Nobody says that.
I think my office is looking pretty great so far, but this is just the beginning. You are really going to want to see my desk makeover. I got it for free from Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and made it into something amazing. I’ve also got plans for some built-in bookshelves and crown molding. I’m going to reupholster a desk chair too. Trust me. You don’t want to miss any of it. You definitely want to subscribe!
15 Comments
Lisa
“No one should have to work in an office without a chandelier. There are labor laws for that sort of thing…”
Quote of the year goes to you!!
My Crappy House
Ahh, thank you. Thank you very much… *takes a bow*
Brian Smingler
You lost your job, so sorry to hear that.
You started your own company, that is fantastic! I will pray that God blesses you beyond your capacity to understand.
Brian
My Crappy House
Thank you, Brian! You’re very kind
Dee
I love the sparkely curtains !!
My Crappy House
Thanks! They look a little intense due to the flash, but they’re really pretty in person.
dbmojo
Congrats! Scary journey, but you got all the right stuff. Wish I knew about 3-D Cat before my own scary journey with gonzo Zebra happy designers!
psst follow MyCrappyHouse on Twitter #shameless plug
My Crappy House
lol yes, now THAT was a scary journey… Thanks for the shameless plug! I really have to remember to tweet stuff…
Desiree
Ok, so we have baseboard heat too and everything I’ve read on the web says not to hang curtains in front of it because it’s inefficient for heating and a potential fire hazard. Since I’m phobic about fire (shouldn’t we all be phobic though?), I have our curtains hanging above the baseboard heat and it looks so stupid and I hate it but I’d hate my house burning down even more.
BUT, it looks like you have your curtains in front of your baseboard heat. Are you not scared of fire? Am I irrationally afraid of fire?
Burning questions, these. (I had to, it was right there…)
My Crappy House
That’s a great question! I think I can help. I have hot water heat. My radiators will never be hot enough to cause a fire, so the only downside to putting something in front of the baseboard is efficiency. In my office, I have two full walls of baseboard, so there’s plenty of heat in there. It’s not a concern for me.
Now if you have electric baseboard heat, that’s a whole other story. They get very hot and can most definitely cause a fire. You want to keep those clear of any obstacles. Hopefully you have hot water so you can do whatever you want!
Bryan
Beautiful look. I love the gray theme. That’s what I have in my room and I love those sparkly curtains. I used to have them and I was wondering where you got them? got mine at Kohls but they no longer have them. Great transformation.
My Crappy House
Thank you! I got my curtains at Kohl’s too. Must be the same ones
Bryan
Yes. Great Taste. Too bad they don’t have them anymore. I don’t even remember the brand name or the designer?
My Crappy House
Since they’re sheer, I removed the tags I’m sorry I don’t remember what the brand was. My Google search for sheer sparkly curtains came up with nothing.
Bryan
That’s okay, thanks for trying. I’ll see what I can come up with even though I’ve tried numerous times =)