Cheryl Shops

On a Friday afternoon in March 2020, I grabbed my laptop and a few files from my desk, thinking I'd be working from home for a week or two until the whole Coronavirus thing calmed down. And here I am, two years later, still working from home. I miss seeing my coworkers' outfits and gossiping with them after meetings, but I really don't miss commuting downtown in a packed bus every day, nor do I miss my tiny cubicle with zero privacy. At first, I worked from our living room—it's nice and sunny there, plus our couch is super comfy—but when it became clear that I'd be working from home for much longer than a week or two, I decided a more permanent setup was necessary. I am lucky enough to have a two-bedroom apartment, and in the nearly eight years I've lived here, our second bedroom has functioned as a kind of multipurpose space—part guest room, part game room, part office. But as I noted in my bedroom makeover post last year, spending so much time inside has caused me to re-look at all the rooms in my home with razor-sharp focus. Since I'll be working from home indefinitely—and at least half the time once my office reopens—I decided that the second bedroom needed to be a dedicated office space (sorry, visitors, you can stay at the hotel down the street!). Here's how I gave my office a complete makeover. 

So maybe I'm not immune to trying new things in the new year after all; last week, I bought a pair of flats. That's right, flats! I stopped by Topshop to check out the sale selection (with the ridiculous exchange rate they charge, I refuse to pay full price for anything there) and walked out with this pair of studded blush ballet flats for $20. Yep, I said $20. No, I will not shut up! Even better, they're from the Office in-store boutique, so they're real leather from Spain, unlike many of Topshop's house-label shoes, like the similar but inferior (read: synthetic) Mine flats. Unfortunately, the shoes aren't available online; this studded quilted pair from  Office is similar, but the wrong color and not at all on sale (plus—oof—£25 for shipping). The closest I could find are the Mantsopa flats from Aldo, a chic quilted style with round gold studs at the toe cap (they're also available in all black or camel with a black toe). They're synthetic (boo) but just $50, a bargain (yay!).  I might just buy another pair—who knows, maybe in 2013, flats are the new platforms!