How we transformed our media workplace with California Closets and Neat Method
When moving out of our ‘kitchen table’ office into our new digs on Music Row, we were beyond ready to get organized. After months of waiting on the building remodel and hauling boxes in our cars and having things scattered in china cabinets and kitchen drawers, it was time for a reset. The key factor we all agreed upon was to keep things streamlined and clean, without cluttered décor or furniture. With that in mind, one of the first steps taken was to approach California Closets of Nashville to have them assist us in coming up with a plan that works for now but also would allow for growth and future storage needs.
After meeting with our own personal space designer, Michele Lanham and going over options we were quickly in the process of having our ideal space come to life. A few of the details incorporated thanks to her creative expertise using our wish list brought things together in a stylish but functional way:
We chose the exclusive California Closets Dove white finish. It has a unique brightness and “satiny” feel. Gold Hardware felt polished and modern.
For ease of use, drawers are dovetail joinery with under-mount, soft close runners.
A cabinet and open shelving combination storage system wall include touch release magnetic back painted glass doors. These are set up with a finish that allows writing and wiping off-notes daily directly onto the surface.
Accessories include popup Power Stations with 2 USB ports and 2 Electrical outlets in between workstations for less clutter and cord issues. They can be hidden when not in use. Under counter trash cans behind cabinetry with pull out mechanisms also keep things clear.
A high-top working island offers room to spread out layouts and lots of shelving and drawer storage on either side. Bar stools allow for seating at the space for changing up seating patterns during longer days.
Michele suggested using Haberdash, an earth-tone fabric to cover up expansive wall space where we can display current work and vision boards, which is an incredible (and highly used) feature. Smaller pieces of the same material were used at work-station corners for individual use. Posting invitations, notes, etc., is frequent.
After all of the installs were complete, we then had to get the haul we were bringing into the space positioned so that we didn’t ‘junk up’ the well-designed working areas. We luckily found help through a staff member’s friend and were instantly on the line to Holly Trepka who manages NEAT METHOD for the Nashville area. What a resource! She was incredibly helpful, making quick and thoughtful notes on our wants after asking questions about our work environment, routines, and interaction. Within a couple of days, she was back with a good selection of storage pieces to organize our drawers, shelves of magazine issues as well as baskets for the island station shelves to serve as catch-all holders for awkward or larger items that are on hold for photoshoots or events. From the baskets to the array of unique paper clips and pencil holders, she found items to complement our décor in polished gold-tone/brass finishes or clear acrylic.
She does a great deal of home office and craft room design, so we had the right sources to find exactly what we needed, as our business can often feel like a craft project during event season and gift-bag assembly. In addition to hitting The Container Store and Target, she also pulled some of the most useful things directly from Neat Method’s inventory. That’s one of the things we loved most about the service—that they have their own site full of options for ordering storage solutions for every situation.
After Holly worked her magic, it was time for styling our shelves in a way that not only looked attractive but also housed reference materials in a pleasing way. Fortunately, most of what we look to for inspiration include luxury books on fashion, photography, art, design, and travel. We pulled from personal home collections and found a few that were on our wish list but left plenty of room for more. In addition to the storage boxes Holly provided, we found pieces from AERIN such as the Mila Decorative Box, a lovely rounded brass vessel topped with an Aquamarine mosaic stone lift. It’s ideal for stashing away post-it note pads and clips. For keeping all of those books upright and in order, we chose the art deco style ARCHER BOOK ENDS from AERIN to coordinate with our gold-tone hardware. They are seriously heavy, which will be a plus as we add to our collection. Luckily, the local store, G & G Interiors is now carrying the line, as we are loving all things curated by Aerin Lauder at the moment.
Final touches including adding some plant life, which is mostly succulents, the perfect thing for offices since the care needed is almost non-existent. With the accents in place and our workstations a picture of perfection (well, that may be a stretch depending on who’s spot it is), we are ready to work even harder on producing content for our readers in a space filled with inspiration.
