Inspiration abounds in this whimsical writer’s nook, where spring-fresh decor calls for creativity and invites novel ideas on a budget befitting any character, whether from Dickens’s imagination or Austen’s.

High or low?

 

Can you tell the difference?

 

High $14,401

 

• FRAME PRINT Vintage framed print, Angus & Company, $695.
• FRAME White St. Petersburg frame, 5" x 7", Michaels, $28.
• FRAME Studio decor gilded-wood frame, Michaels, $90.
• DESK LAMP Rich brilliant willing oak-and-powder-coated- steel Excel desk lamp in white, LightForm Canada, $470.
• DESK Oak Colonie architect desk, Stacaro Home Interiors, $1,990.
• BASKET Small Durham Seagrass basket, Ethan Allen, $179.
• RUG Nepali wool Glenlivet rug in blue/charcoal, 9' x 12', Elte, $5,945.
• FRAME Vintage gilded-wood Venetian frame, Ribbehege & Azevedo, $3,000.
• FABRIC Cotton/polyester Marvin-A JPL2 fabric in 03, Designer Fabrics,  $45, per yard.
• FRAME Polished silver frame, 8" x 10", Indigo, Chapters, $30.
• MODEL HAND Vintage plastic model hand, The Queen West Antique Centre, $145.
• STORAGE BOX Umbra repose jewellery & photo storage box, Kitchen Stuff Plus, $35.
• BUST Small wooden bust, Morba, $82.
• ARMCHAIR Eero Saarinen Tulip armchair, Design Within Reach, $1,667 US.

Low $1,941

 

• FRAMED PRINT Vintage bird framed print (similar), Bronze Home Decor, 416-913-6545, $69.
• FRAME Plastic Kvill frame, 5" x 7", IKEA, $7.
• FRAME Vintage gilded-wood frame, Bronze Home Decor, 416-913-6545, $49.
• DESK LAMP Oak, steel and cast-iron Brunodes desk lamp, CB2, $119.
• DESK Pine mortise-and-tenon industrial age desk, Pied-a-terre, $895.
• BASKET Braided bankuan Emlyn basket, Crate and Barrel, $80.
• RUG Korhani Home viscose Bancroft geometric rug in grey/silver, 7'5" x 5'3", Lowe’s, $159.
• FRAME Custom wooden traditional gold frame, The Picture Picture Co., $115.
• FABRIC Linen/rayon Gazebo fabric in Cloud, Designer Fabrics, $23 per yard.
• FRAME Cupecoy brushed-steel bevelled frame, 8" x 10", Kitchen Stuff Plus, $18.
• MODEL HAND Wooden model hand, Metropolis Living, $40.
• STORAGE BOX Lacquered MDF Jewels storage box, Urban Barn, $19.
• BUST Wooden bust, Metropolis Living, $79.
• ARMCHAIR Fibreglass armchair, Modern Furniture Knockoff, $269.

Embellished frames

Embellished frames aren’t exclusively for art and photography. Why not use one to fancy up a purely functional bulletin board instead? And think outside the frame when it comes to materials as well: Crown moulding fashioned into a rectangle of your selected size offers an inexpensive alternative to the real deal!

Pushpins

No longer reduced to the utilitarian thumbtacks from the average office supply shop, we can now pin up our photos, notes, reminders and magazine clippings with pushpins that are just as pretty as what we’re hanging. And even when we don’t have anything to hang, we’re not worried – these pins stand out on their own, making a welcome accessory in any feminine home office.

Woven baskets

As versatile in decor as they are in function, woven baskets are all but a requirement in any interior, from rustic to contemporary. Whether they’re storing a paper shredder or wallpaper samples (as they are here), holding laundry, electronics or firewood (uses that Style at Home staffers have appointed for their baskets at home), a basket with a solid base and sturdy handles amounts to portable storage for those sometimes unsavoury-looking necessities.

1 Large Beni seagrass, Urban Barn, $49.
2 Braided bankuan Emlyn, Crate and Barrel, $80.
3 Small Durham Seagrass, Ethan Allen, $179.
4 Grey wicker in Washed Oval, Ethan Allen, $179.

Fabric

So you’ve already found a fabulous frame and pretty pushpins to take your bulletin board from average to artistic. Now, it’s all about the backing. Whether you choose a solid or a print, a fabric highly textured or one that’s completely smooth, the simple act of covering that boring brown corkboard takes a home office essential from something that should be hidden away to an art piece that merits display. Pinterest has nothing on boards as fun and beautiful as this!

Simple DIY project: Bulletin board

For a rustic-chic rendition of a one-of-a-kind bulletin board, why not wrap twine tightly around the frame and tuck your notes between the twists of string? The workaday surface you use to corral your reminders and receipts will become a thing of beauty, regardless of any lacklustre papers stuffed into it. You can also use a frame sans backing to draw attention to a small memento of an unforgettable evening, like the corks framed here.

Stylish storage solutions

Let’s face it: Not everyone has the ample storage in drawers and closets that we all crave – nay, need – to keep knick-knacks in order. So in absence of enough existing spots to put your stuff, find plain, clean-lined storage boxes and bowls to sort, store and tuck away your extras. Keep the items that you use every day (like your iPod) in open, easy-to-reach options, but keep the little bits that could look messy (like desk accessories) under closed lids. Whatever you do, in a room already as full of life as this one, keep the options plain so they blend into the background.