I’ve been talking about my new (to me) basement office for so long, it’s not really new anymore. I think it’s time to show where I spend most of my days. I was hoping to do it at the same time as my big basement reno reveal, but I’ve been hoping that for 3+ years and here we are. The basement is still 90% finished and probably will be for the rest of eternity (or at least until my husband retires and finally gets around to painting all the trim).
Finishes – and a toilet- and sink-less bathroom – aside, we’ve been enjoying the space for years. It has the only TV in our house, so it’s where we watch sports and movies. It’s also where my daughter and I do a lot of our crafting. I’ve got my second main library down here too, which houses my romance, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction collection, along with a small reference section. It’s a truly multi-functional space. And I haven’t even mentioned my second closet, the second pantry, and the main storage “cave”. For a relatively small area, it’s a marvel of utility. Once the bathroom is fully fitted, we’ll really be in business! I could just move down here and never leave, lol!
The office area was originally my husband’s pet project. After the pandemic, he continued to work fully remote for a few years, then part-time, so he created himself a very swanky office set-up. Unfortunately, earlier this year, he had to return to the office full-time – much to his chagrin. His loss was my gain, however. Why let a perfect good space go to waste, amirite?
As you can see, there is room here for two people to work side by side, but we have never done that. Our respective jobs both involve highly confidential matters, so we need privacy for calls and so on. The iMac on the right is my husband’s college-era machine, still kicking 20+ years later. It’s actually what we (mostly he) use to format and lay out my books. It runs an ancient version of InDesign from my husband’s years in architecture that somehow, magically, still works. And if you’ve ever bought one of my paperbacks, you’ll know what a great job it does, too.
This is my current set-up. There are usually more water bottles and coffee glasses around, but I tidied up for you 😉 My old office had a very small desk surface area, so it’s been amazing to have such a large one to spread out on. As you can see, I’ve done a little bit of decorating. I do like a tidy work space, though, so I try not to go overboard with clutter.
The large art installation above the desk is a custom piece that a friend made for us – I want to say around the time that we got married, but it’s been almost 17 years, so I might be misremembering the timelines. Anyway, it’s painted on a solid wood panel in mixed media (paint, stencil, collage) and meant to represent our journey, from Soviet Block immigrants to our new life together in Edmonton. It’s one of my favorite art pieces we have.
Speaking of favorite things, this keyboard. Guys, I’m obsessed. I had been using a different mechanical keyboard for a few years, which was nice as well, but I decided to give this one a try after being influenced by videos on social media. LOL, I know! But, listen: I needed a second keyboard because I recently thrifted an iMac as a personal computer and I couldn’t get used to its original keyboard anymore. With my nails, it’s much easier to work with a keyboard that doesn’t have a super low profile.
Anyway, I got this Yunzii cat-themed keyboard with the creamiest, most thocky sound, and it has brought so much joy into my day-to-day.
Sorry, this did not turn out to be a very good photo, but my other must-have is my Tecknet mouse. I love how lightweight and smooth it is, and it’s pretty inexpensive and durable. Plus, it comes in fun colours!
So, that’s my office! Hope you enjoyed the tour!