This is the first in a three week series that leads you through my real life (and somewhat embarrassing) example of how to create a functional and beautiful multi-use room in your home. Multi-use rooms are great for optimizing the space in a small home, when well planned and executed. You may find this short series helpful in taking on a similar project.

Today, we’re on a tour of my office, comparing reality against what I originally intended for this room.

My Intention
The vision for this room was that I’d conduct the administrative side of my business, plan, write, read, do yoga, meditate and occasionally play with the dog and cat here.

Reality Check

It’s the second day of 2012 and I used the past week to assess the reality of my office: I took photos and measurements, got second opinions (my husband, sister, colleagues), and compared what I found with what my intention. Important note: I did not get down on myself for being the human I am.

The Verdict

It’s a cluttered, clausterphobic mess. [Do 'cluttered' and 'mess' cancel each other out?] Mixing office and studio functions is blocking my ability to create. The cat and dog are the only ones who seem to enjoy this room.

This is difficult for me to talk about because I help other people create the spaces of their dreams:
rooms in which they can retreat, relax, sleep, eat, play, hang out with loved ones, write, read, work, work out, meditate…
rooms that remind and inspire them to follow their passions…
rooms that provide the tools,  systems and energy to move ahead with the concrete actions that make their dreams reality.

Once in a while, we can all use an honest assessment of how our spaces are working for us. My time is now.

What Happened?

I started designing a series of queen sized duvet covers and needed a large open space so I could lay everything out and see the designs as they progressed. My upstairs studio table is 4′ x 8′ and I needed at least 9′ x 9′, so I moved to the yoga area to spread out and design each new project.

Root Cause
Not sticking to my intention. Not being committed to this room always providing a peaceful environment for administrative work (which stresses the heck out of me), yoga and meditation.

Now What?
1. I’ve removed the things not directly related to the core functions of this space (like the ironing board and fabric). They are now in my studio, or if I don’t use them for art making, I’m giving them a new home (another part of the house or a totally new home).
2. Have a Studio Clearance Sale! All listings in my Etsy shop are 50% off from January 2 – 23. Gorgeous original etchings and one of a kind eco-decor can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/goodlines
3. Designate another space for large projects and furnish it with the items it needs to function properly.

Coming Up
January 9: Renewal: Eco-Spicy Cleaning, Fixing, Organizing

1. Re-commit to having this room function as a peaceful office, as well as my yoga and meditation area and put systems in place to keep it that way.
2. Sort remaining useful stuff that has not found a place in my studio, another part of my home, or been sold.
3. Create or fix organization systems for these things.
4. Organize the room so I can conduct my administrative activities with ease and pleasure, do my yoga without bumping into furniture, and meditate without too much distraction.

January 16: Decorating: In with the New (or should I say, in with the re-purposed and new-to-me?)