**The Joy of Working without Cords**

We've all been there - surrounded by cords and cables in our workspace, feeling like we're trapped in a sea of wires. But what if we told you that there's a way to escape this cord-filled prison? A world where devices can be charged wirelessly, computers and everything else can be connected without the need for pesky cords. While this technology may not be here yet, designers around the world are eagerly awaiting its arrival.

**Cord Management in Office Spaces**

In the meantime, we have to deal with cords and cables in our office spaces. It's a challenge that many of us face every day. One trick that I like to use is hiding them in plain sight. I find it nice when my cords can match the color of my wall, as it helps them visually disappear from view. Another way to manage cords is by using a box or a cabinet to store them behind our computers and other devices. This not only keeps them out of sight but also hides our hard drives and other sensitive equipment.

**Cord Keepers and Creative Solutions**

For those who need a little extra help keeping their cords organized, there are cord keepers available on the market that can be purchased online or in-store. These small holders can be placed on your desk or surface to corral cords and keep them tidy. I've even been known to use a decorative object, such as a vase or a figurine, to cover up my cords when they're not in use. It's amazing how something as simple as a plant or an ornament can help hide our cables from view.

**Lighting: The Final Touch**

But lighting is perhaps the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a cord-free workspace. Lighting can make or break the ambiance of a room, and it's essential to find the right balance of brightness and dimness to suit your needs. I've found that having soft, ambient lighting in my office makes all the difference in terms of productivity and overall feeling of calm. Overhead lighting is also important for tasks like writing or working on a computer, as it provides focused illumination without overpowering the senses.

**My Own Design Quest**

As someone who's always on the lookout for inspiration, I've been searching high and low for the perfect desk lamp to complete my workspace. A good task light can make all the difference in terms of comfort and productivity, and I'm determined to find one that meets my needs. For now, I'll continue to scour design spaces and online marketplaces for the ultimate lighting solution.

**The Power of Community**

But designing and creating a beautiful space is not just about aesthetics - it's also about community. Our workspace should be a place where we can thrive and feel inspired, surrounded by like-minded individuals who share our passion for design and creativity. I'm proud to be part of such an amazing community, and I hope that you'll join us on this journey into the world of cord-free living.

**Before and After: The Next Chapter**

As I finish writing today's article, I'm reminded of my own workspace - a room that I love to be in, but also one that needs a little TLC. I've left the camera out for now, as I need to focus on finishing the other side of the room. But don't worry - we'll be back with another video soon, where we'll show you before and after photos of my workspace transformation. Stay tuned!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello and welcome to the house of Valentina I'm Valentina and today we're going to be talking about office styling mistakes that I've made myself and I see other people making all the time and I am going to load you up with inspiration I'm going to load you up with styling tips and I hope leave you feeling super inspired to create a work environment for yourself that you will absolutely love if that sounds like fun I hope you'll give the video a big thumbs up make sure you hit subscribe because if you love this video we're likely to come out with more just like it so or maybe a version of it always let us know down in the comments what videos you hope that we will make next because that is how we figure out what you guys want and that way we can give it to you so without further Ado let's jump into all this mistakes and how to fix them biggest mistake is that people do not set aside an area for their office now adays let's face it the internet has completely changed the way that people work a lot of people work at home they work at home part-time they work at home full-time there's all different varieties in between there and everybody's got their different work situation whether you're a student studying or you are an executive at a big Corporation you need your own space in which to work sitting on the couch slouched over your laptop is not a good way to work it's not good for your back it's not good for your neck and you're gonna get your into you're gonna get yourself into so much trouble later on in life when you have all kinds of back and neck problems it's not smart and laying in your bed while you work I don't think it's a good thing to do either I think you really need your own space even if you have just a bedroom in a dorm room have a desk area have a spot that you sit down and you study even if it's reading even if it's writing computer laptop I don't care what it is you need a place to sit that's the biggest mistake that I see people making all the time so once you've kind of realized hmm I need a spot to work there's a lot of other mistakes that you can kind of fall into but they are also really easy fixes one of the biggest things that I see people do all the time is that they forget to create storage that is probably the biggest challenge for a workspace whether it's a humongous office with beautiful wood paneling and Library style shelving even if it's just a desk in the corner of your dining room that would be me a lot of people forget that you just need storage and there's a lot of different ways to go about storage and in an office first of all having a great desk is really really important you need somewhere that is your command Central I really think that it's a great way of really setting your mindset and also thinking about what goals you want and really just yeah I mean it's your it's your command center okay so it should feel like that and it should really represent your personality I think you could also have a desk from Ikea with some great drawers in it you can look at all sorts of different places first dibs has some great ones if you want to look for something that's vintage and you want something really unique but you can also check at places like Pottery Barn West Elm CB2 they all have great options look at the storage that these desks provide I've tried in the past to go with just a slab top on some legs and there's just not enough storage I like to have my drawers I like to be able to put my things away and I think storage is really important I like to have boxes like these so even if you don't have a lot of drawer space you can also use a piece like this you can store on top of your desk or on a sideboard and I personally have things just everyday items that I might not that aren't very decorative let's just say that they're things that you really need they're things that help you enjoy your space that you just might want to talk away I've got matches in here as well I might not leave those sitting out but I do like to have a spot to tuck them away so whether you have drawers whether you have a cabinet like this or you have a box these are all great ways to create storage within your office so let me take just a moment and thank our video sponsor for today which is beekeepers Naturals I absolutely love their products and I know that you will too these are amazing I didn't know this before but propolis is actually the protector of the Beehive it's immune supporting and it bites off germs so that's what protects the bees and amazingly it works for us as well and so that is what you will find in these beekeepers Naturals products they've got quite a few products but two of my favorites are the the throat spray I absolutely love this stuff it doesn't have all the junk that a lot of throat sprays have in them and I love the way that it just kind of coats the throat in a very natural way I like to have this by my desk because if I'm on a zoom call or if my let's just face it the winter weather sometimes the it gets super cold and your throat can just get really dry there's a lot of different reasons why you would want to have this but I love it because literally you just open it up and scored it in and it really has a very neutral nice taste to it I also love their energy lozenges if I need a little pick-me-up in the middle of the day these have a little bit of caffeine in them and it really gives me a great pick-me-up they're made with the propolis as well and the matcha I love to have these by my desk and pop one in get a little bit of that propolis and all those immune supporting ingredients but at the same time also give me a little caffeine boost these products are also 100 gluten dairy and fine sugar-free their paleo certified keto certified they're non-GMO and non-toxic and my favorite part is that you can order them online you do not need a prescription for these and they really work so click a link below and use my code to get their best-selling propolis throat spray and my favorite throat lozenges for 20 off site wide I know you guys are gonna love it I'm gonna leave all the details Down Below in the show notes thank you again for being our sponsor to beekeepers Naturals now let's chat a little bit more about storage because we talked about storing on the outside what about some bookshelves those are another great thing that you could also add into your space if you do not already have them you could have them custom made in your space You could also have bookshelves that have them lie in the wall buy them at a store IKEA has some great ones if you're really looking for something that's super budget friendly and I like the fact that you can add the glass to them you can add the lights over them but you could also really upgrade your bookshelves go to places like our house Crate and Barrel have some really beautiful ones and add lighting over them and really just take them over the top but you can also do what I've done at a sideboard and this is perfect because I can tuck away my files I can tuck away my samples I've got all sorts of equipment in here I've got a lot of stuff stored in this one little thing and you can really stretch your storage now for me I did a big piece of art in here instead of doing High bookshelves I may be debating whether I should have done bookshelves you gotta really think through how much you how much storage do you actually need some of you don't need hardly any storage at all and others of you will need a lot so think through your situation and what's going to work best for you and even if you just need a shelf over the desk whatever you have make sure your storage is nailed and you will enjoy your space so much more another key component is your desk chair this is something that I have learned the hard way it's a mistake that I have made and I have paid the price for it I wanted to have a really pretty chair and I didn't want to have one of those that came up and down or looked ergonomic no certainly not a gaming one right like I feel like the better they are for your back the uglier they are to look at right so I tried for a really long time for a number of years to use a pretty chair as a desk chair and if you're just gonna be sitting there for just a little bit that will work but this is another reason why you shouldn't be sitting on at your kitchen table working it's another reason why you shouldn't be sitting on your couch or in your bed when you are working because you really need to be sitting upright and sitting appropriately for the alignment of your back so are there any chairs that are good for your back good for your posture and still that you want to look at yes there are this is something that I'm shopping for so I've been looking at quite a few places and there's a lot of different places that have much better looking versions of these chairs but personally I haven't decided yet I've definitely looked at like Design Within Reach for some options I've looked at CB2 I've looked on Wayfarer as well and even Amazon but I don't know myself which one I'm gonna end up with but for now even just having the one off of Wayfair that comes up up and down and I can adjust and it's soft and I'm not sitting on a hard chair creating all kinds of back problems for myself yeah so much better so really think about upgrading your chair think through how long you're going to be sitting there and really think about your health because it is a matter of health and not just of design but yeah try to make it pretty too we've briefly touched on Art but let's face it a lot of times in the office we forget about art we just I don't know why we do that you know you I actually think the truth is I actually think that the problem is is that we think that work has to be work it's supposed to feel like work and we're supposed to suffer well I don't know about you but I work a job that I love and yet I still brought in this idea of utilitarianism it's supposed to be focused work it's not to be too much fun here I it as if having fun while you work would be a distraction I made that mistake at first and I very quickly remedied it because I was like I do not feel inspired to work in this space and I think a lot of that is the art that we put into our rooms it's really important so again whether you just have a little desk station in the corner of a room or you have an entire office dedicated to your workspace the art that you put into your room is hugely important we say this all the time on the channel choose art that you love that is the most important thing that you can ever do for yourself you need to have things around you that you look at and love that's it that that's the key to good design is choosing something that you love and there's a lot of different places that you can find artwork of course I love when I can shop on first dibs I love going to antique fairs and uh you know estate sales I look on places like Etsy all the time for really great art something one of a kind that really just jumps out at me but then I've got big maps and stuff I found it RH I've got a piece you can kind of see it just a little bit back there from Amazon I'll I paint my own pieces there's no limitation to what you can do I think looking on places like Crate and Barrel they've got some really gorgeous they've got not only they have gorgeous pieces they have a variety and I think that's really nice our house has some gorgeous prints as well and then of course the places that I've already mentioned but don't let your budget be your limitation but also don't cheap out on your art either because this was an investment piece I I nearly died you know at the time it was about 600 and that was more money than I'd ever spent on a piece of art in my life and I thought I was gonna die like it's so much money and now these things I got it on the clearance at RH and now they're so expensive and I'm so glad I bought it when I did it's something that has really set the stage for my room and it's iconic for me every time I look at it I remember going through the uh the tube or Metro System in Paris and all the different stops and my kids come in and we talk about when we went to the Eiffel Tower and the different places and where we've been and I love it it's something for me that has ended up being a piece that always has a place in my home something that I really love and that is how your art should be but definitely just get started with something and you can always switch it up don't forget that too you can always change it out switch out whatever's in the frame and create something that really keeps you inspired another big mistake that people make is that they forget about their personality and I think this is a catastrophic mistake in a work environment we've kind of already touched on that but part of that is also adding in accessories into your office it does not have to be file folders this is my office this is where I work every day I spend a lot of hours in here and I've created a space that I just really love and I don't want to look at my file folders so a lot of things are now digital so we don't need as much but that's why I've got things down underneath here like uh there's a microphone there's equipment there's samples there's things that I don't necessarily need to look at every single day and I've talked them away so I've got a lot of the utilitarian things set underneath or put it behind closed doors so I'm not looking at it all the time but then you've got space it was a gorgeous accessories in here I've got this handmade sculpture in here that is created by the artist and it's a one of a kind and it's just unbelievable and it really helps express my personality I've got a vase that has this sort of like scaly feel to it and I've got the Chagrin I've got a candle going in my office this is something that I learned from my mom my mom always has a candle going in her space this is my personal favorite it's the spiritual it's just a candle that I just love I feel like it just really gets me in the mood to work and makes me feel really happy and I feel like I always produce amazing work when I'm working from my environment because I I invested in it I invested in some beautiful books some beautiful accessories and I've really expressed my personality through ART as well to create something that feels like me and that way the work that comes out of me feels like me as well so I think that that's really important so if you're just getting started and you're not even sure where to look uh again I mentioned CB2 a lot because I really like their accessories they really just have a good variety and I love theirs what they have but Crate and Barrel is another great place that's just getting you started of course you can put shop places like Amazon I've got a ton of mood boards over on Amazon that you can shop if you're looking for ideas and you want to see some ideas put together you can shop those and see if you just see some things they really jump out at you I try to give you guys different ideas and different styles so that you can really discover what is your ultimate style that's what I get to do what I love so there you go and it's from this environment so that's what you get to see and it's on Amazon so I'll leave a link for that as well but don't forget to also shop your own house don't forget that what you put on your bookshelves in your living room you might like to have in your office as well and you might already have some things sitting around go see what you've got maybe from your travels somewhere you've been something that makes you really happy and reminds you of why you're working in the first place another mistake is forgetting to put down a rug a lot of people forget to put down a rug in the office again it goes back to this idea this is work it's utilitarian I'm supposed to be focused that's a very stoic idea but if you really want to love your work put down a rug create warmth create coziness I have a sofa in my studio so I have pillows in here so I I have a lot of soft things I like to put down blankets as well and I think putting down a rug and really decorating out the space really does a lot so put down a Rock think about your personal style I have a zebra in my own office it's what I really love it gives me a great punch of energy but you might like a Persian you might like something really modern but having a rug in your office really will set that stage that this is a room it's just an extension of your home it's an extension of your life and it's not so utilitarian I think also if you've got a room hang curtains in your space I think that's really important I think hanging curtains in your office really just adds a softness to the space it really makes it feel cozy you don't have to break the bank the curtains I have literally right here I'm gonna pull you over here let's go here look I've got curtains in mine and those are from Ikea so you don't have to spend a lot of money if you want to have them custom made of course I love to shop at places like the shade store if you want to have them custom made for your space but you can also look at places like Ikea Pottery Barn has some really nice ones and then of course RH is a great source as well well one big final mistake that so many people make and it's a constant struggle even for me that just drives me crazy offices have a lot of cords I cannot tell you how often I say I look forward to the day when we can charge our devices our our devices our computers and everything Can Go Wireless when are they going to invent this I feel like they will uh one day we will be cord free and designers all around the world will celebrate but until that day arrives we have a lot of cords and dealing with chords in an office space can be really annoying actually because it's really hard to hide them so there's a couple little tricks that you can do one of the things that I like to do is of course hide them in plain sight it is nice that they can match the color of your wall that does help then they kind of visually disappear I also like to put a box I've got a similar box on the on the other side over here with the desk and it just kind of hides the chords that are behind the computer it hides my hard drives and everything can kind of sit behind the box so you can use something to just kind of cover them up on your surface and then underneath it also sells some really great little cord Keepers on Amazon if you need them for your space that will help you to at least Corral them and then just try to hide them in plain sight just use something that you sit in front of it you can even have a boat Olive Tree or a fig tree or something like that and just put it over it that way you don't even see them but uh the final thing is lighting and lighting is very important and I tell you guys this all this time all the time I always have my lights on especially on a day like today what's super cloudy and kind of dark uh I just turned them off for the video because it's it makes it hard for you guys to see as well but normally my lights are on I put these on dimmers and oh oh the work that I do I feel like I don't whirl but I do I work a lot and I work a lot of hours but I never feel like it's work as in like hardship do you know what I'm saying and I think that a lot of that comes down to having light creating Ambiance in my space I have a room that I love to be in and it is my joy to sit in here and I love to dim those lights I have a chandelier in here as well I think overhead lighting is really nice and I think having some task lighting if you need to do some writing and things like that I personally am on the hunt at the moment for a great desk lamp uh I keep stealing when I go to style spaces up because we had so many issues with uh shortages over the last couple years and so I I'm I'm on the hunt for the perfect desk lamp myself and that you might need a task lamp if you do a lot of you know detail work and you might be riding at night or dark maybe you get up early uh but either way I think having a test light or maybe something that's really ambient can make a really big difference in your office so definitely remember to light your space it'll really change the way that it feels light your candles put out your art create a room that feels like every other room of your house and it feels like an absolute dream and I think it'll get you a lot more excited about working in it so I hope that you have enjoyed these tips and tricks for today I know I have it's really given me a lot to think about and I'm like yeah so I have a blank wall on the other side which I'm not showing you because that side of that I need to take my own advice okay so I need to take my own advice and finish the other side of my room stay tuned hit subscribe I may actually update you guys on that and show you the before and after right now it's piles of books that have come in from a job and things are piled up you know I want to see that right you want to see the reality you guys want the aspirational side of the house of Valentina stay tuned hit subscribe I will very likely show you a before and after on that side of the room and share with you my finds as I find a chair and a lamp and I'll keep you up to date on that but either way I hope you will hit subscribe and hang out with us we have an amazing Community we really do just truly just wonderful kind design enthusiasts who love to create a home and spaces in which to live and it is truly an art of living and we have an amazing community so we hope you'll join us also be sure to check out the beekeepers Naturals link that I have given you all that and the pictures and the links to the items I show you in the video I always leave those linked up for you in the description box for you so thank you so much for joining me I will see you guys in the next one cheers bye thank youhello and welcome to the house of Valentina I'm Valentina and today we're going to be talking about office styling mistakes that I've made myself and I see other people making all the time and I am going to load you up with inspiration I'm going to load you up with styling tips and I hope leave you feeling super inspired to create a work environment for yourself that you will absolutely love if that sounds like fun I hope you'll give the video a big thumbs up make sure you hit subscribe because if you love this video we're likely to come out with more just like it so or maybe a version of it always let us know down in the comments what videos you hope that we will make next because that is how we figure out what you guys want and that way we can give it to you so without further Ado let's jump into all this mistakes and how to fix them biggest mistake is that people do not set aside an area for their office now adays let's face it the internet has completely changed the way that people work a lot of people work at home they work at home part-time they work at home full-time there's all different varieties in between there and everybody's got their different work situation whether you're a student studying or you are an executive at a big Corporation you need your own space in which to work sitting on the couch slouched over your laptop is not a good way to work it's not good for your back it's not good for your neck and you're gonna get your into you're gonna get yourself into so much trouble later on in life when you have all kinds of back and neck problems it's not smart and laying in your bed while you work I don't think it's a good thing to do either I think you really need your own space even if you have just a bedroom in a dorm room have a desk area have a spot that you sit down and you study even if it's reading even if it's writing computer laptop I don't care what it is you need a place to sit that's the biggest mistake that I see people making all the time so once you've kind of realized hmm I need a spot to work there's a lot of other mistakes that you can kind of fall into but they are also really easy fixes one of the biggest things that I see people do all the time is that they forget to create storage that is probably the biggest challenge for a workspace whether it's a humongous office with beautiful wood paneling and Library style shelving even if it's just a desk in the corner of your dining room that would be me a lot of people forget that you just need storage and there's a lot of different ways to go about storage and in an office first of all having a great desk is really really important you need somewhere that is your command Central I really think that it's a great way of really setting your mindset and also thinking about what goals you want and really just yeah I mean it's your it's your command center okay so it should feel like that and it should really represent your personality I think you could also have a desk from Ikea with some great drawers in it you can look at all sorts of different places first dibs has some great ones if you want to look for something that's vintage and you want something really unique but you can also check at places like Pottery Barn West Elm CB2 they all have great options look at the storage that these desks provide I've tried in the past to go with just a slab top on some legs and there's just not enough storage I like to have my drawers I like to be able to put my things away and I think storage is really important I like to have boxes like these so even if you don't have a lot of drawer space you can also use a piece like this you can store on top of your desk or on a sideboard and I personally have things just everyday items that I might not that aren't very decorative let's just say that they're things that you really need they're things that help you enjoy your space that you just might want to talk away I've got matches in here as well I might not leave those sitting out but I do like to have a spot to tuck them away so whether you have drawers whether you have a cabinet like this or you have a box these are all great ways to create storage within your office so let me take just a moment and thank our video sponsor for today which is beekeepers Naturals I absolutely love their products and I know that you will too these are amazing I didn't know this before but propolis is actually the protector of the Beehive it's immune supporting and it bites off germs so that's what protects the bees and amazingly it works for us as well and so that is what you will find in these beekeepers Naturals products they've got quite a few products but two of my favorites are the the throat spray I absolutely love this stuff it doesn't have all the junk that a lot of throat sprays have in them and I love the way that it just kind of coats the throat in a very natural way I like to have this by my desk because if I'm on a zoom call or if my let's just face it the winter weather sometimes the it gets super cold and your throat can just get really dry there's a lot of different reasons why you would want to have this but I love it because literally you just open it up and scored it in and it really has a very neutral nice taste to it I also love their energy lozenges if I need a little pick-me-up in the middle of the day these have a little bit of caffeine in them and it really gives me a great pick-me-up they're made with the propolis as well and the matcha I love to have these by my desk and pop one in get a little bit of that propolis and all those immune supporting ingredients but at the same time also give me a little caffeine boost these products are also 100 gluten dairy and fine sugar-free their paleo certified keto certified they're non-GMO and non-toxic and my favorite part is that you can order them online you do not need a prescription for these and they really work so click a link below and use my code to get their best-selling propolis throat spray and my favorite throat lozenges for 20 off site wide I know you guys are gonna love it I'm gonna leave all the details Down Below in the show notes thank you again for being our sponsor to beekeepers Naturals now let's chat a little bit more about storage because we talked about storing on the outside what about some bookshelves those are another great thing that you could also add into your space if you do not already have them you could have them custom made in your space You could also have bookshelves that have them lie in the wall buy them at a store IKEA has some great ones if you're really looking for something that's super budget friendly and I like the fact that you can add the glass to them you can add the lights over them but you could also really upgrade your bookshelves go to places like our house Crate and Barrel have some really beautiful ones and add lighting over them and really just take them over the top but you can also do what I've done at a sideboard and this is perfect because I can tuck away my files I can tuck away my samples I've got all sorts of equipment in here I've got a lot of stuff stored in this one little thing and you can really stretch your storage now for me I did a big piece of art in here instead of doing High bookshelves I may be debating whether I should have done bookshelves you gotta really think through how much you how much storage do you actually need some of you don't need hardly any storage at all and others of you will need a lot so think through your situation and what's going to work best for you and even if you just need a shelf over the desk whatever you have make sure your storage is nailed and you will enjoy your space so much more another key component is your desk chair this is something that I have learned the hard way it's a mistake that I have made and I have paid the price for it I wanted to have a really pretty chair and I didn't want to have one of those that came up and down or looked ergonomic no certainly not a gaming one right like I feel like the better they are for your back the uglier they are to look at right so I tried for a really long time for a number of years to use a pretty chair as a desk chair and if you're just gonna be sitting there for just a little bit that will work but this is another reason why you shouldn't be sitting on at your kitchen table working it's another reason why you shouldn't be sitting on your couch or in your bed when you are working because you really need to be sitting upright and sitting appropriately for the alignment of your back so are there any chairs that are good for your back good for your posture and still that you want to look at yes there are this is something that I'm shopping for so I've been looking at quite a few places and there's a lot of different places that have much better looking versions of these chairs but personally I haven't decided yet I've definitely looked at like Design Within Reach for some options I've looked at CB2 I've looked on Wayfarer as well and even Amazon but I don't know myself which one I'm gonna end up with but for now even just having the one off of Wayfair that comes up up and down and I can adjust and it's soft and I'm not sitting on a hard chair creating all kinds of back problems for myself yeah so much better so really think about upgrading your chair think through how long you're going to be sitting there and really think about your health because it is a matter of health and not just of design but yeah try to make it pretty too we've briefly touched on Art but let's face it a lot of times in the office we forget about art we just I don't know why we do that you know you I actually think the truth is I actually think that the problem is is that we think that work has to be work it's supposed to feel like work and we're supposed to suffer well I don't know about you but I work a job that I love and yet I still brought in this idea of utilitarianism it's supposed to be focused work it's not to be too much fun here I it as if having fun while you work would be a distraction I made that mistake at first and I very quickly remedied it because I was like I do not feel inspired to work in this space and I think a lot of that is the art that we put into our rooms it's really important so again whether you just have a little desk station in the corner of a room or you have an entire office dedicated to your workspace the art that you put into your room is hugely important we say this all the time on the channel choose art that you love that is the most important thing that you can ever do for yourself you need to have things around you that you look at and love that's it that that's the key to good design is choosing something that you love and there's a lot of different places that you can find artwork of course I love when I can shop on first dibs I love going to antique fairs and uh you know estate sales I look on places like Etsy all the time for really great art something one of a kind that really just jumps out at me but then I've got big maps and stuff I found it RH I've got a piece you can kind of see it just a little bit back there from Amazon I'll I paint my own pieces there's no limitation to what you can do I think looking on places like Crate and Barrel they've got some really gorgeous they've got not only they have gorgeous pieces they have a variety and I think that's really nice our house has some gorgeous prints as well and then of course the places that I've already mentioned but don't let your budget be your limitation but also don't cheap out on your art either because this was an investment piece I I nearly died you know at the time it was about 600 and that was more money than I'd ever spent on a piece of art in my life and I thought I was gonna die like it's so much money and now these things I got it on the clearance at RH and now they're so expensive and I'm so glad I bought it when I did it's something that has really set the stage for my room and it's iconic for me every time I look at it I remember going through the uh the tube or Metro System in Paris and all the different stops and my kids come in and we talk about when we went to the Eiffel Tower and the different places and where we've been and I love it it's something for me that has ended up being a piece that always has a place in my home something that I really love and that is how your art should be but definitely just get started with something and you can always switch it up don't forget that too you can always change it out switch out whatever's in the frame and create something that really keeps you inspired another big mistake that people make is that they forget about their personality and I think this is a catastrophic mistake in a work environment we've kind of already touched on that but part of that is also adding in accessories into your office it does not have to be file folders this is my office this is where I work every day I spend a lot of hours in here and I've created a space that I just really love and I don't want to look at my file folders so a lot of things are now digital so we don't need as much but that's why I've got things down underneath here like uh there's a microphone there's equipment there's samples there's things that I don't necessarily need to look at every single day and I've talked them away so I've got a lot of the utilitarian things set underneath or put it behind closed doors so I'm not looking at it all the time but then you've got space it was a gorgeous accessories in here I've got this handmade sculpture in here that is created by the artist and it's a one of a kind and it's just unbelievable and it really helps express my personality I've got a vase that has this sort of like scaly feel to it and I've got the Chagrin I've got a candle going in my office this is something that I learned from my mom my mom always has a candle going in her space this is my personal favorite it's the spiritual it's just a candle that I just love I feel like it just really gets me in the mood to work and makes me feel really happy and I feel like I always produce amazing work when I'm working from my environment because I I invested in it I invested in some beautiful books some beautiful accessories and I've really expressed my personality through ART as well to create something that feels like me and that way the work that comes out of me feels like me as well so I think that that's really important so if you're just getting started and you're not even sure where to look uh again I mentioned CB2 a lot because I really like their accessories they really just have a good variety and I love theirs what they have but Crate and Barrel is another great place that's just getting you started of course you can put shop places like Amazon I've got a ton of mood boards over on Amazon that you can shop if you're looking for ideas and you want to see some ideas put together you can shop those and see if you just see some things they really jump out at you I try to give you guys different ideas and different styles so that you can really discover what is your ultimate style that's what I get to do what I love so there you go and it's from this environment so that's what you get to see and it's on Amazon so I'll leave a link for that as well but don't forget to also shop your own house don't forget that what you put on your bookshelves in your living room you might like to have in your office as well and you might already have some things sitting around go see what you've got maybe from your travels somewhere you've been something that makes you really happy and reminds you of why you're working in the first place another mistake is forgetting to put down a rug a lot of people forget to put down a rug in the office again it goes back to this idea this is work it's utilitarian I'm supposed to be focused that's a very stoic idea but if you really want to love your work put down a rug create warmth create coziness I have a sofa in my studio so I have pillows in here so I I have a lot of soft things I like to put down blankets as well and I think putting down a rug and really decorating out the space really does a lot so put down a Rock think about your personal style I have a zebra in my own office it's what I really love it gives me a great punch of energy but you might like a Persian you might like something really modern but having a rug in your office really will set that stage that this is a room it's just an extension of your home it's an extension of your life and it's not so utilitarian I think also if you've got a room hang curtains in your space I think that's really important I think hanging curtains in your office really just adds a softness to the space it really makes it feel cozy you don't have to break the bank the curtains I have literally right here I'm gonna pull you over here let's go here look I've got curtains in mine and those are from Ikea so you don't have to spend a lot of money if you want to have them custom made of course I love to shop at places like the shade store if you want to have them custom made for your space but you can also look at places like Ikea Pottery Barn has some really nice ones and then of course RH is a great source as well well one big final mistake that so many people make and it's a constant struggle even for me that just drives me crazy offices have a lot of cords I cannot tell you how often I say I look forward to the day when we can charge our devices our our devices our computers and everything Can Go Wireless when are they going to invent this I feel like they will uh one day we will be cord free and designers all around the world will celebrate but until that day arrives we have a lot of cords and dealing with chords in an office space can be really annoying actually because it's really hard to hide them so there's a couple little tricks that you can do one of the things that I like to do is of course hide them in plain sight it is nice that they can match the color of your wall that does help then they kind of visually disappear I also like to put a box I've got a similar box on the on the other side over here with the desk and it just kind of hides the chords that are behind the computer it hides my hard drives and everything can kind of sit behind the box so you can use something to just kind of cover them up on your surface and then underneath it also sells some really great little cord Keepers on Amazon if you need them for your space that will help you to at least Corral them and then just try to hide them in plain sight just use something that you sit in front of it you can even have a boat Olive Tree or a fig tree or something like that and just put it over it that way you don't even see them but uh the final thing is lighting and lighting is very important and I tell you guys this all this time all the time I always have my lights on especially on a day like today what's super cloudy and kind of dark uh I just turned them off for the video because it's it makes it hard for you guys to see as well but normally my lights are on I put these on dimmers and oh oh the work that I do I feel like I don't whirl but I do I work a lot and I work a lot of hours but I never feel like it's work as in like hardship do you know what I'm saying and I think that a lot of that comes down to having light creating Ambiance in my space I have a room that I love to be in and it is my joy to sit in here and I love to dim those lights I have a chandelier in here as well I think overhead lighting is really nice and I think having some task lighting if you need to do some writing and things like that I personally am on the hunt at the moment for a great desk lamp uh I keep stealing when I go to style spaces up because we had so many issues with uh shortages over the last couple years and so I I'm I'm on the hunt for the perfect desk lamp myself and that you might need a task lamp if you do a lot of you know detail work and you might be riding at night or dark maybe you get up early uh but either way I think having a test light or maybe something that's really ambient can make a really big difference in your office so definitely remember to light your space it'll really change the way that it feels light your candles put out your art create a room that feels like every other room of your house and it feels like an absolute dream and I think it'll get you a lot more excited about working in it so I hope that you have enjoyed these tips and tricks for today I know I have it's really given me a lot to think about and I'm like yeah so I have a blank wall on the other side which I'm not showing you because that side of that I need to take my own advice okay so I need to take my own advice and finish the other side of my room stay tuned hit subscribe I may actually update you guys on that and show you the before and after right now it's piles of books that have come in from a job and things are piled up you know I want to see that right you want to see the reality you guys want the aspirational side of the house of Valentina stay tuned hit subscribe I will very likely show you a before and after on that side of the room and share with you my finds as I find a chair and a lamp and I'll keep you up to date on that but either way I hope you will hit subscribe and hang out with us we have an amazing Community we really do just truly just wonderful kind design enthusiasts who love to create a home and spaces in which to live and it is truly an art of living and we have an amazing community so we hope you'll join us also be sure to check out the beekeepers Naturals link that I have given you all that and the pictures and the links to the items I show you in the video I always leave those linked up for you in the description box for you so thank you so much for joining me I will see you guys in the next one cheers bye thank you\n"