Office Makeover Inspired by ‘The Intern’ #OneRoomChallenge

image via The Intern Movie on Pinterest

Have you seen ‘The Intern’ yet? Well I saw it over the weekend and now the set design from the movie is officially my inspiration for my #OneRoomChallenge office makeover! Director Nancy Meyers (of ‘It’s Complicated’ and ‘Somethings Gotta Give’ fame) hit another interiors home run with the set decor of this movie. The interiors were very Pinterest-inspired and the movie spoke to the changing of the guard when it comes to the way we work today and who is running the show.

via The Intern Movie on Pinterest

As a working mom to four middle-to-high school age sons – and being of an age in between that of the main characters – I still felt that I could easily relate to the aspirations of both: Anne Hathaway as the young mom/internet start-up success story trying to find balance in her work and personal life, and Robert De Niro, a recently retired senior looking to fill his post career days with meaningful work and joy. I have always been intrigued with these types of stories. How do we do what we love, provide for our families, and still find balance in our days? The main character played by Hathaway, Jules Ostin, has to deal with managing a successful boss-babe empire on top of figuring out the whole “can we have it all” thing. It is definitely worth seeing how everything turns out for her and her loves while this beautifully decorated film is on the big screen!

Below is a photo of the loft space of her internet-based fashion business, About the Fit ... 

image via Nancy Meyers instagram feed

Houzz article by Anne Colby // photo credit Francois Duhamel
‘The Intern’: Nancy Meyers on Bringing Movie Interiors to Life

What I really liked about the company’s office interior was the modern design paired with classic styling, intentionally set with open spaces for collaboration and multi-tasking. The super large work surfaces are my favorite part. In fact, I have a table pretty big in size (3' x 8') in my current office. In all honesty, it is probably a bit overscaled for the room size, but when I saw how good a large desk looked in the movie, I have decided to keep it in my room makeover. It is a great work surface to have and I have always intended to keep part of it cleared off for impromptu design projects. But since I got it a couple years ago, it has becoming somewhat of a flat filing system much like the desk of Jules Ostin’s executive assistant in the movie ...

What my desk looks like (maybe a little worse!)

photo credit Warner Bros. Pictures via Houzz

How I would like it to look:

Fresh flowers. Seating for guests. Organized.

Clean. Room to be creative.

photo credit Warner Bros. Pictures via Houzz

The floor plan above shows what my office layout will look like and how it will be all about The Desk! What I have altered from my current layout is the editing out of many storage boxes filled with clutter, along with a large double wide children’s dresser that is currently on the largest wall. We bought the dresser for my boys when they were little, and years later it is not in the best shape anymore. Drawers are off the tracks, the paint is chipped, there are stickers on it. It kind of just ended up in this room, and I do not love it anymore.

After reading “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” to get motivated for this One Room Challenge, I have learned that to live well we must let go of what no longer serves us or provides joy. Every time I enter the room and look at the dresser – which is now piled high with papers and objects that need to be sorted – I feel completely overwhelmed. I want the clutter to be gone and the wall to be clear of furniture so that I can use it as a pinboard-type area for inspirational images. 

Back in 2011, when I was trying to get my creative career back on track after staying home with my kids, I started an online design magazine, New England Finery. Back then, this wall was where I sorted out my stories. The space was energizing! I had a vision and could see it come to life right in front of my eyes. 

New England Finery photo by Elizabeth Wertz

my designed space to promote New England Finery 

at the Boston Antique Design Show // October 2011

I really enjoyed that creative period in my life despite the fact that I was struggling with the ups and downs of raising a family at the time. Designing the magazine while curating editorial content was completely engaging, and I met a lot of creative people along the way. It combined my graphic design training, my passion for interior design, and my love of technological innovation all in one place. I could hardly call it work.

Unfortunately, this self-created position didn’t exactly pay the bills, so I ended up shelving the magazine for a full-time job at a local luxury showroom that needed a marketing director. Since then I have taken on other full-time jobs (furniture sales, large format printing sales) always searching for the perfect combination of creative challenges and work-life balance. I finally decided that being a freelance creative director (define as you wish!) with multiple sources of income and opportunity is where I want to be. My plan is for my new office to support me in following this path.

A few items that may end up in my home office makeover

(images via Design Vignettes on Polyvore)

A friend and teammate from my new position as brand ambassador for the skincare company Rodan + Fields, posted the image below on my Facebook page recently. Seeing it in my photo stream made me realize that my home office was not looking as fabulous as a successful entrepreneurs place of business could look today. Seeing that photo motivated me to take on this One Room Challenge. Stay tuned for next weeks post that will detail my selected colors, fabrics, and lighting. Check out this weeks updates from the other Calling it Home ORC participants here. Hopefully I will be Instagramming my decluttering progress shots soon! #justdoit 

image via bossbabe instagram feed

Putting on the Ritz

If I started my day at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston,
my coffee would look like this.

I would be greeted with this unique arrangement of
succulents, sand and stone as I exited the elevator.

And would then be wowed by this towering display
of spring branches, moss and hyacinths.

Now that is art in bloom!


I really wish I had taken more pictures of Boston last night after seeing The Lion King on stage at the The Boston Opera House (so amazing!) I guess I was too busy enjoying the views and the company of my friends : ) I did remember to take a few snapshots later in the evening as we relaxed first in the lobby of the Ritz and then in the Je-Ne Restaurant and Bar (our cappuccinos were decaf, but we stayed out till midnight, not bad for a school night!)



I will say, while watching the show, my friends and I were completely mesmerized by the creativity of the set design. The fabrics, the colors, the textures, the grand scale of it all! The visual interpretation of this animated movie that I last enjoyed when my kids were “little-like-Simba” left me thinking “how can I incorporate dramatic presence in my own designs?”




I am happy to say that I will have a chance to do just that in mid-May when I participate in the North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces at the Wenham Museum. I am so happy to be included again in this great event. Creating a space for a design show is almost like an exercise in set decorating, just on a much more manageable scale. Can you imagine how many people it takes to set the stage for an elaborate production like The Lion King?




What I love about any production, whether on Broadway or at a local design event, is knowing that the people behind the scenes are combining their talents to put on a show for the public to enjoy ...
forget your troubles for awhile, step into a visual story, and let the beauty of artistic interpretation transport you to a world of imagination. And what artist – whether dancer, singer or designer – doesn’t enjoy a round of applause every now and then?

Thanks Skirted Roundtable!

A couple of weeks ago I was surprised to discover that I was one of three lucky winners (chosen at random) who would receive a holiday giveaway item courtesy of the women at The Skirted Roundtable, a must-read-and-listen-to blog that features podcast discussions between the three design bloggers (Linda Merrill of Surroundings, Megan Arquette of Beach Bungalow 8, and Joni Webb of Cote de Texas) with invited guests from the design industry.

Previous podcasts have included Margaret Russell of Elle Decor, Eddie Ross from Martha Stewart and Top Design fame, and most recently Stephen Drucker, editor-in-chief of House Beautiful magazine. Just to have my name and blog posted on a site that features so many industry greats was honor enough!

But on to my present ...



Here is the gift box with pretty tissue
and this sweet card from Linda ...




And here is my giveaway gift ...


I love it! Bowls and shiny objects
are two of my favorite things : )

I celebrated with a little photo shoot.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Now for you, my dear readers,
I have a fun assignment!


From the beautifully decorated set of It’s Complicated
– written and directed by Nancy Meyers –

Go out and see the move “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and scene-stealer John Krasinski from The Office. With so many recent posts on making good choices and keeping resolutions, I think we could all use a few laughs!



Images from It’s Complicated website

I have to say, this was the best movie I have seen in a long time. The sets are fantasy eye-candy and the script was hysterical, yet thought-provoking. If you would like to read up a little about what some of our friends at Skirted are saying about the film, go to Silver Screen Surroundings, or Cote de Texas, and then check in with them at the Roundtable next week as they chat it up with Beth Rubino, the actual set decorator for the film. I wish I could be there (in person or virtually) to pick Rubino’s brain! I have always imagined that set decorating would be a great career choice for an artist/decorator. What a huge canvas!


I am loving this cook’s garden ... its “a good thing!”

For those of us who can’t be at the Roundtable in person, you may download SRT podcasts via ITunes (it’s not complicated) and listen while you do other things (like paint a couple of walls like I did this week!)


Room designed by Ginger Barber and
photographed by Victoria Pearson.
This bedroom from House Beautiful
is the cozy/casual look I am going for
in my new master bedroom.
(more on that next week)

And be sure to schedule time to listen to SRT and Stephen Drucker from House Beautiful discuss the relationship between the magazine industry and the world of design bloggerism (yes, it is an actual word!). Drucker shares insight from his industry experience (he used to work for Martha Stewart Living – I thought I recognized him!) and explains what goes on behind the glossy pages of shelter magazines ...


– How to get your own copy –

Like how they discover talent, how design work is presented, the time line from scouting a location to when our much looked forward to magazines arrive in the mailbox (or at the news stands.) With the recent demise of so many great design magazines, I have seemed to transfer my addiction from mailbox to inbox, surfing online daily for that “I wish I lived there” fix. I think that is part of why I love writing/photo-styling for my blog. It motivates me to create and publish designs in the present moment. Blogging can be very zen, don’t you think?

Have a great weekend,
xo Yvonne