Similar to finding my ideal work space, I spent a long time thinking about how I wanted my room of creativity to feel. The freedom to make decisions that NO ONE ELSE had to agree to. To have no one to compromise (*cough*argue*cough*) with. To envision what *I* want... for ME... it was a very rare opportunity after nearly 10 years of constantly caring for others and putting myself on the back burner.
Part of me struggled with whether to make it a very professional atmosphere. It was in an office building, after all. And maybe I'd pursue some type of interior design consulting (interior design, btw, was what I originally set out to study when I came to San Francisco, meaning it has always been an interest of mine, and after project managing two major home remodels, I feel like something of an expert... the kind of expert who knows they would have a LOT to learn before becoming an actual interior designer...), and for that I'd need a place to meet with clients. But that didn't really feel genuine, that felt more like what other people might have imagined for me rather than what I truly want for myself.
I'm going to bring my yarn here. And my fabric. And my machines. Don't make this into a sales office. Just let it be your space. Don't worry about what other people will think. What will make YOU feel inspired? Trust that if it inspires you, it'll inspire other people. The ones who will best collaborate with you.
The walls were white. The carpet, brown-grey. Kind of stark and depressing. I definitely needed to feel energized in this small, long room. I wanted to really emphasize light, air, freedom. Things I need in order to get into my creative-brain space. A giant window taking up one entire wall of the room really represents those aspects, so I felt it was important to draw attention to the window. And to make the room feel longer than it naturally is. I love playing those kinds of tricks of the eye.
The carpet had to go. Who would bother replacing carpet in a rented office space, especially if it's something you pay for out of pocket and likely have to restore to the original when you move out? Yup, a Real Housewife of Silicon Valley. Throw rugs just wouldn't do! I wanted to brighten up the entire room. I wanted a fresh, clean floor that I would mess up myself. No one else's dirt. I considered how long I might have this space, and whether or not the expense was worth it. You better believe I priced out a wood floor option! haha. But the building manager said no. Had to be carpet. I gave myself some kind of budget and visited my local flooring store, Florcraft, many times to study my options.
While I considered the flooring, I meditated on what colors to surround myself in. Again, I debated between a mature, professional color palette, maybe some moody purply greys with gold accents here and there? But that wasn't the mood that felt inspiring to me. I felt a little bit... guilty? childish? when I reminded myself that I could pick any color I want. It doesn't have to be professional. It just has to be what *I* like. And *I* like ridiculously candy-bright colors.
I've studied quite a bit of color theory, so I know that colors impact mood. And... creativity. The color of creativity is Green. I researched greens. On trend! Green was everywhere. A bright, limey, playful green felt so much better than an olive green (my main wardrobe color and one of the 3 colors of my soul... the other two are oxblood and uh, brown).
I like to think that I have a special relationship with color. I feel color. Not exactly in a synesthesia sort of way. But I am definitely in tune with the energy colors give off, whether they will vibrate or harmonize, and how it impacts how I feel. Like color intuition. And boy do I have a lot of opinions about how the houses are painted on my street! That said, sometimes I see a color combo I wouldn't ever pick for myself, but can definitely appreciate the merits of someone else's preferences (like the lemony yellow house with turquoise trim? it's so bright and cartoony! but i mean if that's what they were going for, mission accomplished.)
But an entirely green room would be too much. I thought a while about how I could incorporate other colors. The room has this weird half-column on one wall. I could either paint over it, or really accentuate it and paint it... gold! I dunno why I keep wanting to put gold in here. I guess the kids love it so much and it makes everything feel fancy. Maybe it feels like I HAVE to because I'm a RHoSV and RHs are fancy.
Hmm, well, you know what color goes really good with lime green? Pink! hot pink! I love hot pink. Ooh and to balance it out, a dark purple. Totally channeling the box of popsicles that was always in the freezer when I was a kid. Cherry, grape, and lime. yaaaas. Hmm, but one green wall, one pink wall, one purple wall.... that feels kinda cheesy. OOOH I know, Lines. Sight lines. Pull your eye to the window. Add energy and depth to the space by creating diagonals of color on each wall. But the window isn't centered. So the diagonals shouldn't be the same. One goes to the top of the window. The other goes to the bottom of the window. Hmm, satin or gloss finish? I love shiny paint. Let's really accentuate the depth by doing the purple in matte, and the green in gloss. That'll really help the green stand out (shine!) and the top of the wall recede, which hopefully will make the space feel taller and longer. Green on the bottom on the left wall, balance it with green on the top on the right wall, definitely want green to be the main color, purple and pink for accents. Turn around, hmm, the door. The other wall. Make it the darkest color, purple, so it recedes and makes the room feel even longer. The door? pop it with pink! Woo!
So excited! Wait, the floor. Ok, so, now that I have a good idea of the colors, how do I find a carpet that'll work? Carpet shopping is so boring, and so are the options. I found an off-white that had a slight greenish tint to it that I expected would both brighten the room, compared to the current brown, and work well enough with the green walls. I picked a carpet that would be easy to vacuum but soft enough that I could walk around barefoot. This is like office-grade flooring, not the plush stuff in your mom's bedroom. Anything would be better than the drab old carpet anyway.
Put it all together aaaaaaand.....
Ok! Walls and floor - DONE! Now, how to furnish.... That'll be the next post!
Thanks for reading!
-nina
Again i have to say, your writing is beautiful, natural, shows how deeply, carefully, creatively you process your life.