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Have you ever wondered how to make your workspace more effective and more tailored to your individual ambition?
On today’s podcast we are delighted to have Susan Meier, a branding genius and acclaimed artist, and Hallie Burton, a world renowned lifestyle photographer. Together they created Workspace Studio, a website featuring the world’s most beautiful and productive workspaces. They share with us how to develop your home workspace so that it reflects who you are, emboldens your productivity, and enhances your creativity.
Many people are being much kinder to themselves when it comes to designing their home workspace compared to their office. Most of us weren’t allowed to fully make our work space represent ourselves in the office. Working from home is a different experience because you have full control of creating a space that compliments you, your needs, and your expression. It’s a place where you can feel the most comfortable.
#1 Get Creative in Creating a Room of Your Own
Many people who work from home struggle to find a way to create a room of their own. With the onset of the pandemic, our homes went from the places that we leave in the morning, to the places we stay at and use all day and night. Most people don’t have a dedicated home office, making it even more difficult to find this room of their own.
Even if it’s not an actual room, do your best to get creative. Figure out where you can create, carve out, or re imagine that space where you can close the door and form a physical boundary that shows you are working. Establishing this room of your own allows for physical privacy, and both surface and wall space.
#2 Make Organization Mobile
Being organized inside your home workspace can be a real challenge, especially if you’re sharing that space with different people and for different activities throughout the day. For example, you may be using your kitchen table as your desk during the day and then have to transition to clearing the surface for dinner making in the evening.
In situations like this, Hallie and Susan recommend creating a work tote. The work tote is a mobile organizer that you can take to the space you need to work and move around as needed.
#3 Keep it Simple
Keep your workspace simple, even if that means spending 15-30 minutes at the beginning and end of your day to simplify your workspace. Organization and simplicity allows you to be more flexible, open and creative.
#4 Personalization is Key
Personalizing your space creates a portrait of you. Use small, meaningful items such as artifacts or mementos to ground you and provide talking topics in Zoom meetings. Think about adding items that have meaningful stories for you.
For example, a seashell from a special trip, pictures of your family, or a wood carving made for you can add meaningful richness to your environment. These items are reflections of you and should be key elements inside your home workspace.
Another idea that can help you personalize your workspace is adding things that will help improve your ability to work, foster a creative zone, or provide a spot to rest. For example, Hallie loves having a thermal mug warmer because drinking tea is an important ritual in her working day.
#5 Add Nature Elements
Hallie and Susan recommend that most workplaces contain greenery. You can add natural elements into your workspace such as flowers, leaves, and succulents. Adding elements of nature helps create a relaxing atmosphere.
About Hallie & Susan
Hallie Burton
Creative Director Hallie Burton is a world-renowned lifestyle photographer based in New York City. She is best known for her breathtaking photographs in Vogue Living magazine, Living Etc. magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Donna Hay magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple and Odette Williams.
She has also photographed hotel interiors around the world for the COMO luxury hotel group. Hallie’s intimate artistic vision and experience with interiors brings to life the inspiring relationship between people and their spaces. A native of Australia, Hallie lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Susan Meier
Harvard-trained artist and brand-builder Susan Meier has been innovating the work-from-home lifestyle ever since she left the traditional office life 25 years ago, when she traded in a luxury midtown office for a graffiti-covered art studio in late-nineties DUMO and never looked back.
From Brooklyn warehouses to walk-in closets, she has fashioned spaces great and small into havens for creative work. Susan has worked with the world’s most beloved brands, from Pepsi to Lipton, M&Ms to Doritos, and her art is in private collections including Saatchi & Saatchi, the New York Stock Exchange and Pfizer and has been exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History. A native New Yorker, she holds a BA in art history from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard University and lives in New York City with her husband and children.
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