Open For Inspection…

 

We’ve got our first open for inspection this afternoon. This, of course, means that the surfaces are cleaner than they’ve ever been, and rooms are cleaner than they’ve ever been, and even the insides of cupboards are cleaner than they’ve ever been.

Boxes and boxes of unwanted glasses and china and books went up to Wesley Church yesterday for inclusion in their regular garage stall. One of the volunteers told hubby that it was a bit like finding the mother lode – everything was in such good condition.

Anyways, when the real estate took the posh photos back in December – before I ruined it by putting up the Christmas tree – they deliberately didn’t shoot my study, the spare room that we use as Miss T’s TV room or the bathrooms. This meant that every box, picture frame, whatever ended up in my study. I can deal with a little chaos, but it was so claustrophobic in there I couldn’t think, let alone write.

Yesterday, we cleaned it out – so I figured I’d show you around…

The walls are full of pictures and whatever – one of the reasons why our agent, Jane, looked around and said, ‘no, we won’t be shooting this room.’ I happen to love the colour and the chaos – it’s a perfect creative space.

I love these ink and wash prints by Andrea Reid. The fish wearing headphones is a nod to my extreme Piscean-ness…and the fact that I’m often found at my desk with music blaring through my ears. The feather is about writing. The frames are from Ikea, as is the little shelf thing and the candle-holders. The over-sized dream catcher for my over-sized dreams came from a local market.

The little cement and copper plaques came from the markets at Queenstown. They’re all about water.

Moving around the wall is a collection of black and white postcards I bought in New York, and a Buddha pic a girlfriend brought me back from Thailand.

Next to this is my Love Is Like A Flower print. It’s by Garry McEwan. It’s mad, chaotic, and very pink. It says:

Love is like a flower-

when it starts blooming in you,

you have to share it, 

you have to give.

And the more you give,

the more love grows.

If you go on giving,

a day comes when

you become a constant,

infinite source of love.

Continuing the journey around the wall is another by Andrea Reid. This one, a lion with a native American head-dress is for my birth-name- Lyons. It’s also for fearlessness and courage…and just because I like it too!

On the other side of my desk are some wall tiles I bought at Abstract– an amazing design store in Cuba St, Wellington.

The photos (which you can’t see really well) are by my favourite Kiwi photographer- Jason Law. I have one of his triptychs hanging on my bedroom wall too. Next to the photos is some more kiwi-ana (yes, there’s a definite theme happening here) in the shape of the combi clock that I bought at Te Papa in Wellington.

My mood board started life as an ideas board, but is now just a whatever board. I love everything on it- especially the pohutakawa clips, the Queenstown kiwi, the Photo Booth strips, and my anything is possible fairy card.

Pride of place on my desk is my set of Chinese fortune sticks. I bought them at Shanghai Tang in Hong Kong. There’s also what I like to call the ceremonial cabbage. It’s a plastic bok choy pencil holder – one of the tackiest things you ever did see – but my BMF bought it back from Shanghai for a laugh. I love it.

Miss T bought me the goat when she was in China a couple of years ago – it’s my Chinese astrological sign, and my hubby bought me the solar powered dancing daisies. Daisies are my favourite flowers, and these ones jig about when the sun hits them. Of course there’s also the magic 8 ball – which I threatened to use as a decision making tool in my last job when things got too much – and a Nessie snow globe from Scotland. When I first took that into the office I declared that every time my serenity bubble got pricked I’d shake Nessie to watch the sparkly bits fall around. Poor Nessie no longer sits straight on her plinth.

Then there’s my desk and my bookshelves. I’ve had to take down all the photo frames and my little bowl of crystals for the open home, but am refusing to put away my little kiwi. I picked this one up from Queenstown markets last November. The woman who makes them names them, but I’ve forgotten. Here it is in close-up. Cute, hey?

So that’s it. My office. It even has a cushion for Kali, Adventure Spaniel to snore on when she’s ignoring her guard dog duties, and a swiss ball that acts as my visitor’s chair, i.e. for when Miss T wants to come in and annoy snoring spaniel with spaniel toys.

What’s your work space like? Any ceremonial cabbage pen holders?