My in-laws stayed in our one-bedroom apartment for over a month. It was hard to be productive, so I had to set boundaries.

The author, a reporter, details her experience and strategies for setting up an efficient home office within her Brooklyn bedroom, in anticipation of at least six more months of remote work. With the company's full remote transition in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the author recognized the need for a long-term solution to maintain a work-life balance. The initial setup involved moving into the largest bedroom in her shared apartment, paying $950 a month for 150 square feet. The room previously contained a queen-sized bed, which was replaced with the author's full-sized bed to optimize space. This adjustment allowed the bed to be placed against the longer wall, creating enough room for a small walkway. The workspace was established using an existing entryway table, despite its lack of legroom, as a cost-effective solution. A central aspect of the author's strategy was to physically separate her work life from her personal life. This was achieved by creating a partition between the sleeping area and the office space. A cloth tapestry was used for this purpose, with two small holes cut into its top corners to allow it to be hooked onto the ceiling. This innovative solution effectively divided the room into two distinct sections without consuming additional floor space, providing a visual and psychological boundary between work and relaxation. When the tapestry is in place, the office area is out of sight from the personal side of the room, which includes the bed, a desktop computer, a wardrobe, and areas for hobbies. This separation helps reinforce the distinction between work and leisure. The personal space also features a significant number of plants, with six on the windowsill and one hanging from the ceiling. This inclusion of greenery was inspired by advice from a therapist, who highlighted the mental health benefits of being surrounded by nature. One plant is specifically kept at the desk during work hours. Further emphasizing the importance of personal well-being, a dedicated corner of the room is reserved for hobbies. This area houses an electric drum set, a ukulele, and film developing materials. The author uses drumming during breaks to de-stress from work. This comprehensive approach to organizing the bedroom for remote work has proven to be more effective than previous arrangements, successfully integrating both professional and personal needs within a single, limited space. #RemoteWork #HomeOffice #BedroomOffice #WorkLifeBalance #Productivity #MentalHealth #SmallSpaceLiving #BrooklynApartment #InteriorDesign

During the initial phase of quarantine, the author engaged in various activities like puzzles, attempts at sourdough, long walks, and binge-watching. However, by the second month, a sense of boredom set in. While others pursued home improvement projects, the author and their boyfriend, confined to the author's parents' residence, lacked similar creative outlets. This prompted the author to seek a different form of engagement. The author shifted their attention to real estate, specifically imagining a country house with extensive acreage, natural ponds, and historic elements. This interest evolved into a more active pursuit: creating mood boards for an idealized weekend home using the curation app Urstyle. This digital tool allowed for the integration of numerous inspirational images, paint swatches, fabric samples, and vintage furniture listings that the author had previously collected. The process felt akin to playing simulation games like Animal Crossing or The Sims, but with the added dimension of using real-world furniture and design elements. The design process began with simple choices, such as a Farrow & Ball paint swatch, a Morris & Co. wallpaper reminiscent of a 'Secret Garden' aesthetic, and a specific Vico Magistretti Carimate chair in hunter green, similar to seating found in the author’s family cottage. This initial room concept quickly expanded to include citrus-hued pleated lampshades with floral patterns, blackened elm coffee tables featuring cylindrical legs, and mirrors adorned with seashells. The imaginary nature of the project meant there were no practical constraints on room proportions or furniture inclusion, allowing for a pure focus on the overall vision: a wood-paneled room with a large fireplace and expansive views of a fictional lake. The author then transitioned to designing a bedroom, which, while lacking a bed, featured a comfortable vanity-meets-workspace area. This space included an oak desk, a red scalloped mirror, and a rust-colored velvet pouf. Additional envisioned elements for the bedroom comprised an armchair upholstered in striped camel mohair, a framed Cocteau print, and an Anissa Kermiche Love Handles vase. The color palette for this room leaned towards dusty rose, caramel, and cherry red, complemented by further imaginary water views and crackling fireplaces. The most recent design endeavor focused on a window-lined dining room. This space incorporated a vibrant banquette upholstered in Christopher Farr’s fuchsia Chubby Check fabric, drawing inspiration from a Los Angeles kitchen designed by Frances Merrill. Other planned features for the dining room included forest-hued leather-wrapped chairs from BDDW, terracotta lamps, plaster chandeliers with small wicker shades, a tall olive tree, a decorative Beata Heuman frilly pillow, and blush rattan sconces. The envisioned color scheme of hot pink and forest green was intended to create a dynamic contrast with an imaginary antique herringbone brick floor. A significant advantage of this imaginary design project was the absence of budget limitations. While the prospect of acquiring a real-world weekend home might be a distant and more modest reality, the act of designing this fictional retreat provided the author with significant enjoyment and served as a much-needed mental escape during the extended period of lockdown, offering a mini-vacation without physically leaving home. #QuarantineActivities #HomeDesign #InteriorDecorating #MoodBoarding #DreamHome #WeekendRetreat #CreativeProjects #DesignInspiration #VirtualDesign