A desk area that manages to be both inspiring and functional is an elusive enterprise. My challenge is balancing my love for bits of ephemera with actual space to, you know…get stuff done. Sadly, the ephemera usually prevails, and my computer ends up wedged precariously atop a stack of pretty (but otherwise useless) letterpress invitations that I can’t bring myself to part with. It’s a sad state of affairs.

Our lovely intern Caitlin is in the process of creating her own productive/inspiring workspace. Hopefully she’ll do better than I did.

Herewith her strategy. Enjoy!

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By Caitlin Adams

Do you have a desk set-up you love? I’m jealous if you do because I sure don’t.

Throughout college, I loved studying in coffee shops and on the porch of a quaint bookstore, but now that I am inching into “adult territory,” I feel like it is high time to create my own little space. There is just something about a desk that I think would inspire me to get work done at home in a productive manner (One can only hope…)

Desks are like windows into somebody’s soul. What is displayed or how it is organized (papers thrown everywhere or filed away neatly) tells a lot about the occupant. With that in mind, I want to be just like the person who can claim this desk.

It was love at first desk when I saw this picture on A Piece of Toast (one of my favorite Dallas blogs)…light pouring in providing some much needed vitamin D, a chic sheepskin throw, neutral accessories? Seems like the perfect recipe for a productive day to me.

Keep reading to see how I recreated this look with my own little twist using pieces sold right here in Dallas. Happy shopping!

• 1. Bust, $45 at Mecox
• 2. Moleskin Journals, $13 at Papyrus
• 3. Desk, $230 at World Market
• 4. Sheepskin throw, $105 at Design Within Reach
• 5. Vase, $25 at Nest
• 6. Ivory box, $82 at Shop Ten 25
• 7. Matisse print, $10 at Dallas Museum of Art
• 8. Black armchair, $203 at Shop Ten 25
• 9. Pharmacy lamp, $112 at World Market