Friday Night Junk Drawers & My Home Office

Growing up, a REALLY unforgettable Friday night meant…rearranging my bedroom.
…or a friend’s bedroom.

Let me say that again.
I massively enjoy rearranging other people’s things.
Does that creep you out?
Keep reading.

The Best Way to Spend a Friday Night

Rearranging wasn’t just sitting with my back against the wall and using my legs to push against a mammoth of a dresser. It also meant organizing & decluttering whatever my friends had under their bed & in their closets. Yep, I went there. And did so with sheer five-year-old-like joy. For me, I didn’t need to work out to get endorphins pumping through my body. Nah. I was – and still am – addicted to the rush of a well organized, curated room. And for a minute, my friends and I alternated weekends of who’s room would have the makeover.

Read: each of our rooms were rearranged monthly, if not bi-weekly. #weirdiknow.

Because of this, I seriously considered becoming a professional organizer. Yes, that’s a thing. And a preeeeeetty good paying job, too. Also on the proverbial career list?

• Professional styling for magazines like Better Homes & Gardens or Martha Stewart
• Becoming Pottery Barn or Anthropologie’s lead Art Director
• Freelance Graphic Designing
• Running an Apartment Staging company in cities like Boston, LA, or New York City (solely inspired by Leap Year with Amy Adams)
• Interior designing – after receiving training & internships in Paris (duh)
• Professionally dancing (tap / ballet) and traveling the world
• Developing a minimalist clothing line and employing women rescued from sex trafficking

Would it shock you if I told you I have (and potentially still actively am) researched and pursued each of these career options? The top two were actually what I was hardcore pursuing after graduating high school. And then styling led me back to my first love: photography. Yes, it’s always felt a little confusing to be such a multi-passionate person. I’m always afraid of being that girl with her head perpetually stuck in the clouds…

Enter -> The Blunkalow: My Home Office

Gratefully, I have found an outlet for most of these skills & passions. Specifically within styling & curating my own spaces with intentionality. And as a multi-passionate entrepreneur, creating a space that feels productive, focused, & calming is key. Enter: My Home Office. And while we have since moved to a new apartment (which I can’t wait to share in later posts), I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our first apartment’s home office!

This is where I emailed from. Created from. Skyped from.
Crafted the perfect lists & tasks within my bullet journal. And, most importantly, where I had conversations with each of you.

(Photos by Erika Aileen, edited by me)

Perspective: This was a sliver of a space within our entry way/living room area.
Read: Our entire apartment was 536 square feet.
Read: functionality + beauty = top priorities. Everyone who came over would see my office.

If you want a look at the rest of our little home: Click here for a decked for the holidays, tour.
Or HERE for just a little snippet of home life & favorite nooks.

My favorite interior design / apartment decorating inspiration: Various Insta accounts I follow. The Every Girl. And of course, Apartment Therapy.

-> But you tell me…

What elements are important to you when decorating your spaces? For example, is it texture, functionality, or more of a minimalist approach? What were some of your career dreams growing up?

With junk drawers and love…

Always,
–Tara M