My Happy Place
Earlier this year, I cleared out the oshi-ire in our living room and set up a desk space on its shelf. I decorated it and installed some shelving for my books and things, but months later, I realized I didn’t use it as much as I imagined I would because the makeshift desk was too high to work comfortably on. And since it’s a closet, I need to always have the work lamp on.
I adored it, though, and felt bad that it was underutilized. So I asked my husband if I could move the office upstairs to my sister-in-law’s childhood bedroom that, until recently, we’ve only used as a storage for huge empty cardboard boxes and as a drying room for laundry on rainy days. It has huge windows on two of its walls, and in the morning, sunlight streams through them abundantly. It’s delightful.
I moved the boxes to another room, cleaned the space, and started moving my stuff. Then, on Black Friday, I bought a cheap desk from Amazon, which turned out to be pretty solid despite the low price, and goes perfectly with my beloved Kullaberg chair.
I took an old rug that we used as a bed sheet for the sofa bed in the living room when we had guests over, folded it in half, and laid it on the other corner of the room by the bookshelves. I added some cushions, pillows, a throw blanket, and voila! A little reading nook.
I decorated the walls with tiny shelves, photo ledges, and a wire mesh from the 100 yen shop and a wall shelf I impulsively bought on IKEA. Next to the desk is a drawer full of my art materials and on top of it, my small collection of BTS albums.
The postcards I got from my visits to museums this year I taped onto a wall with some washi stickers from Seria.
I only need to hang the cafe curtains now, but other than that and photos of my family that have yet to be printed, it’s complete and I’m happy with how it turned out.
It has become the place I’ve always dreamed of having in this house—a cozy space that makes me smile just by being in it, filled with things I love. My little corner in the universe.