Bare Wood And Natural Light
You won’t find stark surfaces and strong artificial lighting in today’s featured workspace. Natural is the watchword.
From the unstained wood flooring and wood desk to the knitting pooled on the desk there is an organic warmth to Risager’s workspace. A freelance web designer, she apparently has a solid knack for transferring onscreen design talent into the physical world. Her office is airy thanks to large windows and light colours.
There is plenty storage ranging from small pull drawers to entire shelving units. Like previously featured workspace Operation Orange the office space serves double duty as an area for work and for crafts, the second desk against the back wall is a sewing station and the chest beneath the desk serves double duty as a foot rest and a yarn storage locker. By far the most novel element of her office, revealed only through the notes on her Flickr photo, is the basket by the leg of the desk:
This basket contains my iPod, FM radio, hand lotion, lip balm, kleenex, phone – it’s my “Home Purse” and moves with me from room to room.
Seeing an obvious solution in the making, I showed it to my wife who gave the idea an immediate seal of approval. Great work with the office and sharing the handy basket-as-home-purse idea!
Bare Wood and Natural Light [The Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool]
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Beautiful workspace!
Beautiful workspace!
Not saying that this workspace isn't cool. It's just that I prefer those Epic,Nerdy,multiple-monitor, $10,000+ setups. Like the Media Mecca one, that one absolutely made me flip out in astonishment. I'd like more of those honestly.
Drew Blake Hall
@Drew Blake Hall: While I too am drawn to the pure awesome of geek caves, I do appreciate a work space now and then that doesn't require it's own power plant ;-)
@Jason Fitzpatrick: True. I liked that Monochrome Nook one. Twas nice and minimalistic.
Drew Blake Hall
@Natnie: I was also wondering this. Especially for those long sessions on Lifehacker. :D
Drew Blake Hall
How does she work without a backrest?
Natnie
@Drew Blake Hall: Sorry guys, I'm oblivious to what I'm typing half the time.
Drew Blake Hall
@Natnie: That chair has a backrest.
shaft0
@Natnie: Look closely, it has a backrest.
@Natnie: Look closely, it has a backrest.
@Natnie: EPIC FAIL
Ian Katz
@Natnie: EPIC FAIL
Ian Katz
This is screaming Ikea at me haha
and that seat would not work for me.
I think clearing the massive pile of shiiite of the desk next to me will definitely make my work environment feel a lot nicer than bare wood etc.
Smiling_Gandalf
@Natnie: it is true, the chair has a backrest, though i thought it didn't when i first saw it myself.
but once you see the purse's strap and the purse dangling below, it's hard not too miss.
i'm a firm believer people only see what they want to see. and when the eye can't make sense of something, an illusion forms that's hard to break. but once you break through, it never goes back.
i'd also argue that the seemingly "backless" chair is a testament to a concise design. colors match other colors in the room. that, or a specific camera angle throws it off...
nicesocks
I concur Jason the most noteworthy feature here is the idea of a "home purse".What will they think of next? LMAO
I appreciate the ingenuity but if can't go to the bathroom for a dose of lotion or a slice of tissue then there's an extra silly bit of laziness goin' on.
skidmarker
I concur Jason the most noteworthy feature here is the idea of a "home purse".What will they think of next? LMAO
I appreciate the ingenuity but if can't go to the bathroom for a dose of lotion or a slice of tissue then there's an extra silly bit of laziness goin' on.
skidmarker
Last fall, my partner had bilateral foot surgery and needless to say, was off her feet for a few weeks. Before surgery, she prepared a very similar basket that contained her pain meds, cell phone, water bottle, snacks, books, etc. The basket went with her from couch to recliner to bed. Now that she's back on two feet, that basket turned out to be so handy it is still in use. And now we have a name for it!!
pinecone99
@skidmarker: Now I know what to do with all those old easter baskets that can't be stacked in the closet.
Monty Montaño
Sorry, but this article was over for me at "bare wood"
metaslugx
The home purse is useful from both a where-did-I-put-that and an anti-clutter point of view. For me, the benefit is not that I avoid going to the kitchen to get my mobile, but that when I go to the kitchen and get my mobile and grab a drink out of the fridge, I don't leave my mobile in the fridge. It would also help me be less of a messy person... maybe I would stop leaving a trail of crap behind me wherever I go.
This would also work well for no-pockets GTD; you could pop your notepad or hipster PDA in there along with the other bits and bobs.
NotMandatory
A nice way to touch up the natural color and protect the wood is by using linseed oil. It's a natural oil that is non-toxic and keeps the original color. It's not going to protect like polyurethane, but it will seal it and preserve it.
David Cross
@Jason Fitzpatrick: its own power plant.
FTFY.
Looks real nice for someone who doesn't need to get any work done.
robogobo
@Natnie: So it has a backrest, but since you brought it up, I thought I'd answer your Q anyway. I work without a backrest, on an adjustable stool, at a desk slightly higher than standard. I've found that my posture is better with a backless chair, and I don't just sit there and lounge- I just work. I think it helps concentration and I actually have fewer back problems since I switched to this setup.
robogobo
As an amateur woodworker, I love all things wood- and I especially like the unstained look she went with. I do hope she sealed it though.
I approve of this workspace. Very nice.
Looks way too cluttered for my likeing
englishman
I hope all the "unstained" wood is at least waxed or protected somehow, or it won't remain unstained for long. A few cups of coffee and it'll be a nice brown color.
Another couple of observations...
1) How can she see anything on that monitor with all that natural light streaming in? Either she has the brightness turned up all the way, or there must be some blinds that come down when its time to work.
2) Home purse - what the hell? Does she live in a 95 room mansion? How hard is it to get up off your a$$ and go to the kitchen to answer a cell-phone call? Why do you need an iPod if you're sitting at a computer? This just seems like one of those useless things marketers dream of (like the remote control caddy).
@Ian Katz: Epic? Really?
GregH
Sorry I don't get the home purse thing. I can make it to the kitchen and back without having to lug lip balm and my iPod.
So, when's LH doing an article on the home purse, or the garage manbag?
@Jason Fitzpatrick: Also, I prefer a workspace that seems practical and affordable.
Hand lotion and kleenex eh? I wonder what kind of web sites are frequented.
On a serious note unstained floors will resulted in a floor stained in unintended ways.
randomusername2
@skidmarker: Doesn't everyone keep lotion and tissue beside their computer? ;-)
That is my kind of space! I have several bare wood items in my apartment. I'm a carpenter by trade and it's amazing what you can throw together for $20, much less out of scraps from the shop. I like unfinished wood. I like to see the grains and patterns. The girlfriend wants to paint everything we have crazy colors. I haven't turned her loose with my stuff yet. I've got a bookshelf, a CD rack, a 2nd tier to my desk and a funky kitchen shelf that I've built since we've been here.
@iamellis: There is no spoon...
xanderbeedle
@Smiling_Gandalf: it's funny because I reckon the only IKEA thing in the room are the storage boxes at the back.
Also my version of a "home purse" is a a black beanie inverted over a wire kitchen basket I got on clearance at target. Cost me a few bucks and I toss everything in there when I come home. If I'm in a super hurry or if there's an emergency I can just grab the whole beanie for a quick and handy satchel.
jeebussez
the chair has a backrest
iamellis
Holy Cow!! That looksjust like my office.
RobertL
The entire southern exposure of my apartment is windows, just about. I have an office with a beautiful view but I can't see ANYTHING on the monitor until the sun goes down :\
Anyone have any solutions?
P.T.Wheatstraw