Simple Ways to Upgrade Your WFH Space
Small changes can make a BIG impression.
A balanced home sets the foundation for a balanced life to unfold. At Create & Cultivate, we apply this same principle to our workspace—which, for many of us, has taken on new meaning this year as WFH has become the new norm. Whether you’ve temporarily transformed your guest room into a home office or simply designated a corner of your kitchen table to your workspace, the importance of having a dedicated place to work within your sanctuary has never been more abundantly clear. We tapped three entrepreneurial and influential women to showcase simple ways to level up your WFH setup and maximize productivity with Thomasville accents and accessories — proof that small changes can make a BIG impression.
Read on to hear their tips to level up your WFH setup.
An ergonomic office chair is a great investment piece because our chairs are the place many of us spend the majority of our WFH hours. We produce some of our best work when we feel comfortable and supported, so finding a great quality office chair to do just that can help boost productivity while elevating your workspace.
Never underestimate the power of a little extra comfort and support in your workspace. Adding a plush accent pillow with a pop of color can help bring the space to life while also helping provide upper back support in your work chair.
For the ultimate comfort starting from the ground up, adding a soft shag rug adds an extra element of warmth to any space!
An organized home echoes a balanced state of mind. Between busy schedules, commitments, and to-do lists, it’s important to keep life organized to maximize productivity.
Begin by creating storage space, so you can declutter and rearrange. Drawer organizers are great because they give smaller objects a designated place. Reducing clutter means you’ll spend less time looking for things, and more time focused on your to-do list.
Whether you have a designated home office, or are utilizing your kitchen as your workspace, our WFH environment can quickly become overrun with clutter. Use separate systems to organize your work life, especially if you share a space for work and household duties.
A great office chair is a must when working from home! This Thomasville office chair is supportive and functional, but also gorgeous! It’s completely changed my opinion of the typical “office chair”. Yes, it’s easy to pull up any old chair you have lying around the house, but taking care of your back and body is important when you spend so much time sitting at a desk.
A large, cozy rug really ties a space together. I love using warm neutrals to create an inviting space for productivity and creativity. I always recommend choosing a larger sized rug that will really fill the room. You want all of your furniture to fit comfortably on the rug with room to spare! This new rug is a much better fit for my office and makes the space feel larger.
Little accents, like this lumbar pillow, add personality to a space and also tie together your home with your home office. When the rooms flow seamlessly together, you’ll be more likely to enjoy spending time there. Maybe this becomes your new favorite reading corner - whether it’s a budget report or a new novel.
If You’re Looking for Stylish Yet Practical Workplace Solutions, We’ve Got Them
WFH just got a makeover.
For many of us, our home office is a sanctuary for creativity so it needs to be stimulating to get those juices flowing. But there is definitely a fine line between designing a space that’s visually interesting but also has a purpose too. And with more renters in large cities than homeowners, we need to find practical (and pretty) solutions that suit any space.
This also means versatile, multi-functional furniture and décor that can turn any nook or tiny area at home into a productive workspace, because let’s face it, not all of us have room for a designated home office. When Create & Cultivate editorial director, Sacha Strebe works from home her dining room converts into a home office (Bonus: it’s right next to the kitchen for snacks on-the-go).
In this story, we tapped our C&C team to share how they work from home using the stylish, multi-purpose pieces from our friends at Pottery Barn. You too can design a convertible home office that's both inspiring and productive.
Photo: Courtesy of Pottery Barn
Sacha Strebe, Editorial Director, Create & Cultivate
The Home-Office Tip: Don’t overfill it.
Why It Works: “To limit any distractions when you’re working from home, be sure to create an environment that’s both stimulating yet minimal. You want an inspiring space to get those creative juices flowing but you also need to focus and get your work done. So, create a streamlined, clutter-free space in the house (for me it’s my dining room table) and only keep the bare minimum. I love to have fresh clippings from the garden in a vase next to me while I’m burning a candle to enhance the mood. The only other things I keep nearby are my laptop, a bottle of water, pens, and a notepad. Sometimes I will even put my phone away so I can really hunker down.”
How to Get the Look: “This vase is decorative yet minimal and I just know the palo santo scent of this candle will ramp up my productivity.”
Pottery Barn Quinn Ceramic Vase
$39
Carly Johnson, Senior Director, Brand Marketing
The Home-Office Tip: Think outside the box.
How It Works: “You don’t need to settle for the traditional office furniture for your workspace. A credenza can double as a chic storage solution to keep all of your files and papers, while also being a space to decorate with objets d’art and inspiring pieces. Then you can keep your desk very minimal and work-related.”
How to Get the Look: “This credenza from is a practical size with a classic look that will stand the test of time. And while it’s sitting pretty, you can store all of your office essentials without anyone noticing.”
Pottery Barn Dolores Cane Media Console
$999
Caitlin Shier, Vice President, Brand Partnerships
The Home-Office Tip: Use a console table as a desk.
How It Works: “We don’t always have the luxury of space but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style or function—turn your console table into your part-time desk.”
How to Get the Look: “Place decorative items on this modern rustic console so it adds to the overall design of the room, but keep a space clear front and center or to the side so you can shimmy a stool underneath when you need to work.”
Pottery Barn Malcolm Console Table
$854
Adry Perez, Social Media Manager
The Home-Office Tip: Use stylish storage to hide your office supplies.
How It Works: “If you have a roaming home office as I do then various furniture throughout your apartment can be turned into a temporary workspace. But that means I need somewhere to store my office supplies. My solution is stylish storage.”
How to Get the Look: “I keep notepads, pens, paperwork, and files in my chic rattan baskets either underneath my console or near my couch in the living room, where ever I typically work from home the most—no one will know the wiser. And when you don’t have a designated space, then I recommend this organization system that can be set up on a wall nearby to keep you on task. Working from home can be filled with distractions so any help is appreciated to stay on track. ”
Pottery Barn Jacquelyne Lidded Barrel Basket
$129
Nairi Najarian, Senior Director, Digital Marketing
The Home-Office Tip: Invest in double-duty furniture.
How It Works: “Customize any space to suit your needs with a modular pop-up desk that doubles as stylish storage.”
How to Get the Look: “Since I only work from home a few days a month I need multifunctional pieces that look like stylish furniture when they’re not being used. This modular system is fully customizable and looks like a compact storage area with a hidden compartment—a popup desk hides all of my cords and even has a place to stash my cell phone and smaller desk accessories when not in use.”
Pottery Barn Mission Modular System Collection Pop-Up Desk
$209
Kylie Tansey, Vice President, Sales
The Home-Office Tip: Light it up.
How It Works: “Lighting at home isn’t always optimized for working—think warm, soft, and moody which isn’t really what you need when it’s time to focus on a project or tackle your inbox. That’s why I love to have a task lamp nearby so I can shed some light on the space I’m working from.”
How to Get the Look: “Opt for a table lamp like this stylish bronze lamp which can be moved around the house from the dining table to the sofa, or wherever you feel inspired that day.”
Pottery Barn Stella Task Table Lamp
$137
To shop more of the stylish, multi-purpose pieces from our friends at Pottery Barn, visit potterybarn.com.
