parks and recreation — Blog

I’m turning 30 this year. I used to dream about what my life would be like when I was 30. I knew I wouldn’t be married or have children, I hoped that I would live in New York (still hoping) or London (had a wonderful time living there in my mid-20s but happy to be out of it) and I wanted to have a steady career that I worked damn hard at and loved.

I used to think about my work space a lot. I feel like I’ve finally created an environment that’s conducive to getting things done but doesn’t feel oppressive or pressurised in anyway. It’s organised, but not sparse and super tidy. I like to keep meaningful items and things collected from my travels around the office, and if I see something in a magazine I’ll tear it out and put it on my wall. I like structure, but I also like the freedom of not having a specific colour scheme or decorative theme.

Having said all of that, I’m typing this on my sofa so I’m still not used to having dedicated writing place, but I’ll get there.

All photos were taken by the amazing Anna Harding from Hello Ding.

Wearing a second hand grey sweater from Beyond Retro, navy corduroy skirt from Uniqlo and tortoiseshell glasses by Ray-Ban. The chair was bought by my dad from Habitat in 1980; it looks like it wouldn’t be comfortable but it works perfectly as a desk chair.

My locker is by Mustard. I purchased it from Trouva, an amazing online store that sells pieces from beautiful independent boutiques. it’s my favourite item I have bought for myself - it really ties my entire office together. I like to swap the pictures and postcards on the locker around. I love keeping photos of my family and boyfriend on there to remind me why I do what I do - to make them proud.

Old magazines, crystals and a delicious candle from The Box Of.

The figure of Leslie Knope was a present from my brother last Christmas. She now oversees all of my work, which just feels right. The Ben & Jerry’s print is actually a napkin from a Ben & Jerry’s shop in the US that my parents had framed over 25 years ago - the frame is completely broken but the napkin is still very much a piece of art.

Much to the joy of my neighbours, I also practice saxophone in my office.

Nothing is as satisfying as receiving mail. I occasionally get letters, postcards appear sporadically, but online shopping deliveries are a frequent arrival in my mail box - possibly a little too frequently for my bank account to successfully cope with but let's not focus on that right now. I'm a huge fan of ebay and a regular ASOS customer but recently it's Etsy, a diverse marketplace selling everything from greetings cards to swimwear, that my heart belongs to.

Etsy is where beautiful and ridiculous dreams are made - literally handmade, by creative brilliant people who seem to know what every person wants before they know it themselves. I have lost entire afternoons and evenings to this website because it's simply not possible to escape a search engine circle.

For example, I typed in my current TV obsession Parks and Recreation and found these:

*www.etsy.com/shop/thelordoftheearrings*

Quite frankly, my ears feel naked without them.

Obviously, the next logical search to type in would be one that combined two of my favourite things, vintage travel posters and Harry Potter.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheSeventhArtShop

They actually exist. I could have these hanging on my walls in a matter of days, and my life would be complete.

I always end these Etsy sessions with a broad search of 'the 1940s', a decade which is close to my heart (see www.thespitfiresisters.co.uk and twitter.com/spitfiresisters). The results are endless and totally absorbing. A few of my current favourites:

This amazing '40s coffee pot.

A 1940s pie dish - I have no idea how to cook but I'd give it a good old go if I had this to cook with.

I can't recommend exploring Etsy enough. Get involved. Find some much needed television based accessories or a lovingly refurbished vintage tea set, and look forward to something exciting arriving in your mail box.