Whether you work in an office or have an office in your home, there is no reason it can't be fun! I've had the pleasure of working on three different offices in the past six months and I'm excited to say -- all 3 are unique and inviting. HMC Advertising asked me to design their creative spaces -- which included a garage bay. Thanks HMC -- it was fun! After pictures by Susan Teare.

So here is the before of the garage bay. This space was occupied by another company before HMC took over. Instead of using it for storage -- this bay was to become the creative/hang out kitchen area for the team.

So here is part of the space now. We used the couches they had upstairs in their offices and I found an old table base and painted it black and a vintage sign I turned over and with duck tape (yes duck tape) created the top. The "BRIGHT IDEA" bulb was created to cover all the electrical panel stuff in the garage bay. My friend Brett built it for me and then I had all the fun drilling the holes and inserting the holiday lights in it. You really have to get that just right to have the lights stay in it. 

So here is what the old renters used one of the office spaces for...kinda boring right!?!?! 

With some clever pieces -- this room turned into a fun and inviting conference room. The table legs are old saw horse legs, the wooden chairs picked up at Habitat for Humanity. The vintage clipboards exhibit the companies work, the metal table top was made by MetalWorks and the live edge shelving and table base I picked out from a local mill. Thanks Brett for making the table for me.  

Sometimes I have no where to go but up...

I'm told that the clients of HMC want to move into their new space :) That's the biggest compliment ever! Using a piece of metal from the scrap metal yard -- baby pictures of the team are on display. The table was made with an old car rack. The couches and chairs where brought from their upstairs offices -- the maple buckets hold greener which soon will stream down the walls, the old door was beefed up and used to create a doorway to the creative garage bay area -- where a vintage industrial table (picked up at Barge Canal) sits with old Singer Industrial chairs on a vintage Persian Rug. Pops of Vermont plaid made from Johnson Woolen Mill wool, add some warmth to the space. Simple, affordable touches, and the space is transformed.

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner..." Okay I just had to say it :)  Anyway...here is how the old tenant used this office space -- this corner is just sad and uninviting and right next to the entrance door -- so it had to have a wow feature.

A little more inviting to get creative! There are two chairs (moved one for the picture). I wanted to do a fun printed wall -- so I had the words picked by the advertising team.  The custom made wood and pipe shelving gives loads of space for the advertising books and movie exchange. 

Creative spaces encourage creative thinking!  Have fun with your own office space.

Big Thank you to Susan Teare, www.SusanTeare.com  for the great pictures!

Thanks! Joanne