My Office Makeover: How We Created a Big Transformation On a Small Budget

I strongly resisted going to work at the beginning of summer. I suppose it’s hard for most people to work during the summer, but it really affected me. Mostly because I work in a beautiful office and felt guilty for not wanting to be there. No matter how guilty I felt, I couldn’t shake the resistance. I would get up in the morning and trudge along, only to sit down at my desk with utter misery and contempt. In part, I think these feelings had to do with the fact that the walls were bare with nothing of personal significance sitting on my desk. There were no candles on my desk like there were at home, and everything felt dull and corporate (the very opposite of our company). My tagline echoed in my ear: “The future of business is personal.” My vision for this space was that I wanted it to feel like ours. I wanted the spirit of Personal Brand Accelerator, self-expression, and creativity to fill every inch of our office. I wanted it to be a place I looked forward to walking to each morning, a place where people enjoyed spending time.

Right around this time, Michelle Mercado with Carr Workplaces, gave us the opportunity to decorate our office space. She said, “You have $1,000 to personalize your space and make it “our own.” I was ecstatic and up for the challenge. To be honest, upon starting this project I had no idea the amount of work this would entail. It took hours to plan, organize, source items, and bring our vision to fruition: a vision that was continually being shaped and molded as the days progressed over the summer.

Something I thought we could finish in a couple of weeks, turned into a couple of months. Perla, our graphic and web designer, drew out what each wall would look like with various prints that represented what our company stands for. I called up my friends at Desenio, to see if they would be interested in partnering with us (to which they agreed) so we could offset some of the costs of buying our own prints for the two accent walls.

We made a field trip to the Blessing Barn in Mendon, MA to find pieces of furniture that would fill out the space and make it feel cozy and comfortable when guests would come to visit. My friend, Luis, was kind enough to provide us with a rug from Ruggable, a piece that really helped hide the off-brand blue color on the carpets. My dear friend, Janet Vanderhoof, a brilliant artist, donated a beautiful piece of her artwork that now sits above my computer. We ordered additional pieces like the bean bags, lamps, and faux fiddle leaf trees from Amazon. We got our glass, vintage coffee table from Facebook Marketplace (a total steal!) Slowly over time, our space began to feel more like our own. It was personalized, thanks to the help of so many wonderful people and ideas working together.

Today, I noticed I don’t feel that resistance anymore. It’s gone now. I knew this subconsciously, but I don’t think I realized what a profound effect my environment had on my mental health. I love walking to work because I have things to look forward to. It took me a long time to realize that what and where you choose to spend your money on matters, and how you decorate your space is one of the purest forms of self-care to master. So, if you’re feeling uninspired at work, ask yourself: “How can I create a work environment I love?”