Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
and now, a quibble: i LOVED some of the offices with unconventional chairs 
and desks in the book, but hello, ergonomic nightmare! for those of us 
chained to desks, is there a wrist- and back-saving solution that is not 
an aeron and an adjustable computer desk? (hint: loved the reupholstering 
advice) (i have an aeron. it is good for me, yet it is hideous and makes 
me so sad. also: humungous.)

and for those who don't spend all day at our home desk, but maybe use it 
as a place to pay bills or do a tiny bit of work or art in the evenings, 
can you share some of your kickass suggestions for desks and chairs? 

and while i'm in peppering-with-questions-mode, some of your delicious 
desktop wee-object storage suggestions? 
  

    

(just an aside, obi, that toy box page has some great stuff. My fave is 
this one: http://www.bebeandbacups.com/images/toybox_frog_lrg.jpg)
  

    
that coud make a great coffee table
  

    
want frog coffee table
  

    
(and the prices are really not insane for handpainted stuff!)
  

    
desk chairs:
I use an old-fashioned office swivel chair, re-upholstered with a
strudy Georgian red twill fabric--and spiced up with a more fragile
Brunschwig & Fils red and ivory patterned fabric on the backside of the
backrest--where it gives a nice visual tweak but doesn't really get
any wear.
ergonomically, it seems fine, because I changed out the casters so the
chair seat is the right height for me and I tuck a black and white
Parisian print pillow behind the small of my back if I'm putting in
long stints of typing.
truth be told, however, the most important ergonomic addition I made
was a very simple one: a telephone headset. could it be I spend more
time talking on the phone than actually typing? can I blame it on
research?
anyway, I was having neck spasms from cradling the phone receiver
between shoulder and chins--and the headset eliminated those. AS per
our advice in Org Home, I put a simple hardware store cup hook on the
side of my desk to hold the set when not in use.
  

    
Obi, The Relax The Back Store has chair cushions made from the Nasa
Swedish Foam. I have the mattress, TempurPedic and they have it in back
and seat support form. It's pricey, at over $200, but not as pricey as
the Aeron.

http://relaxtheback.com/global/product/pg_product_detail.cfm?TID=7255312239282
80415048381&CFID=14312239&CFTOKEN=570415042&Site=main&treeID=1866&group_ID=180
8
  

    
Casey I have the same chair. I think I need a pad too. The seat is
leather and slightly padded, but I want more. Did you get yours made?
  

    
must say, i'm finding all of this so inspiring.  So many deliciously
simple yet fabulous tips.  I think i'm going to have to order this
(even tho i already have so many tomes on organizing that i am the
object of derision for anyone who knows me and where i live).   

Esp love the wrapping paper idea--so perfect and allows for more
kraftiness in the wrapping process.   Don't know if they have this
there, but here you can get double sided paper: one side brown like
craft paper and the other side blue, red or green, both sides with
shadow stripes.  Stores often use this paper and do fancy things with
folding edges over, so you get both colors, thus eliminating even the
need for ribbon.  You can even do fancy pleats of color, if you're
patient enough.   But this is also the perfect solution for the Ribbon
Ho, not that i would know anyone like that..
  

    
oh, I want some of that paper!
  

    
That sounds like the gift bags I got during the holidays.  They were
black matte color on the outside and the brown kraft was on the inside.
 I got them from the local wholesale paper supplier. 
  

    
Back to desk chairs: if you want to use a funky chair rather than a
big ole UGLY-but-good-for-your-spine one, I think you can do some
ergonomic editing by adding a small footstool, a back pillow etc. But
if you truly are typing away for long hours and need your Aeron, I
think...........................................................
that Randall will be along soon de-uglifying suggetions.
  

    
WITH de-uglifying suggestions.
  

    
and here they are!

- Have a slipcover made from a vintage fabric and make sure there's
enough of a skirt to hide the rolling base of the chair. No matter how
ugly or utilitarian the chair is under the slipcover, on the outside it
will look great.

- Upholster a chair in baseball glove leather and have the seams
stitched like the glove too.

- Adjust the firmness of a chair seat with a marabou trimmed pillow.  

- Have a pillow made that straps the back of the chair so you don't
have to constantly fluff and reposition it.

- Paint an wood swivel chair in hot pink, lime green, or a very pale
blue glossy enamel

- Decoupage the plastic back and base of an old office supply swivel
chair with color Xeroxes of old postcards or seed packet labels, or
vintage Betty Page pin-ups.

As for unorthodox containers on desks, try these:

- Inexpensive Bento boxes to hold paper clips, post-its, and stamps.

- Vintage tea tins for pens and pencils.

- A pair of old wood bunk beds from a child's toy collection, used as
stacking "in" boxes.

- Empty soup and coffee cans (washed, with labels removed) painted
white or left in there shiny metal rawness - perfect for pens, rulers,
scissors, etc.

 


 
  

    
IS HE A GOD OR WHAT???
  

    
ok, I'm swooning here about the baseball glove leather chair with
appropriate stitching


and to answer titanic's question from way above: no, didn't have the
chair made--it's just a formerly-beat-up oak swivel chair, found at an
antique shop (or, as my-mother-the-antiques-snob calls it: an antiques
and junque shop)--and one more decor note about ma chaise: all the
upholstered edges have those funky nailheads along their lengths. 
  

    
ooo, love those ideas!

  Was just thinking about the unconventional containers my ikebana
teacher used to employ and bento boxes were one of them: lay parallel,
with sides touching, but not flush with each other, like two cars, one
edging ahead of the other, positioned horizontally to viewer.  Fill
both with water, but only put flowers in the back one.  

jwts, Casey, your mother is a GENIUS!

I've just come home with several rolls of solid paper (black, red/navy
blue, tiffany blue and ivory, plus glossy (pearlescent)  ivory (ok, i
cheated).   Plus a bunch of ribbons and some silk roses.   Altho it's
fun to play with all the different combos, l couldn't help feeling that
almost everything looks best with the ivory papers, even the ivory
satin and ivory wire ribbons.  Wish i had a blk and white check ribbon
to go with the red silk rose.
  

    
esp love the vision of the ergodynamic chair rolling around room
wearing a vintage fabric skirt.
  

    
Ivory paper with a contrasting white ribbon is very pretty, too.    
  

    

I feel that nettie needs to send us all gifts.

(seriosuly, one of the sad things about having great gift wrap is when you
don't have enough occasions/people to give gifts to all the time, and while
I lvoe the idea of giving an unexpected wrapped gift toa friend "just cause"
-- in my experience stuff like that often makes people feel guilty or bad
they don't have something to reciprocate, etc, instead of just enjoying it).
  

    
twould cause me no guilt whatsover, mim. 
send Armani.
  

    
here's another question--

this book really goes beyond home organization and touches on life 
organization, how being organized in your personal life can really help 
you live better and happier. an exaple is your advice about being a good 
host, keeping a journal of menus, your guests' food preferences and flower 
arrangements you've had. i'd imagine this could become pretty fun to leaf 
thru, no? 
  

    
My pen-and-pencil holder is a ceramic baby head vase. Paper clips are in a 
clear ribbed-glass cream pitcher.
  

    
I can't put a _slipcover_ on my _Aeron_!

But I guess that means I don't have to.
  

    
Re: #147 - Yes, we call it a household journal. It's where you keep
track of what worked, what didn't, and it can also be used as a sort of
an inventory list; like where you've stashed things such as holiday
decorations, etc. The household journal really serves as a reminder:
oops, a fork got munched in the garbage disposal. Notation in household
journal: "replace salad fork." Then before a big party or shopping
trip, you refer to the journal and see if anything needs replacing.
It's also a good place to keep a wish list. Like "gee, I'd like a table
in the hall, but it's so small so the table has to be..." then you
take measurements and keep them in the journal. And when you head out
to shop for the table (or stumble across it,) you already know what
size works and what doesn't.

The household journal is our running list version of those books they
used to give you after you had your colors done. But better and more
useful.