It’s amazing what a new workspace can do for motivation and getting things done. In the last 3 days that I’ve been working from my new home office, I’ve gotten so much done and I even have a new startup in the works, but I’ll talk more about that later. That’s not to say that if you don’t have a nice workspace, you can’t get things done. Below is the picture of my old workspace, which was pretty much just a little niche area in the kitchen. Here’s a video of my old workspace too if you’re interested.
I was planning on shooting a video tour of the new office, but the battery on our camcorder needs to be recharged. I guess our newborn is taking up all of the camera time as of late.
So, here are some photos, along with some descriptions of what you’re looking at. It’s not completely finished, as I’d like to add some trim around the white boards on the wall, some framed pictures, curtains, and some plant life too.
Below, you’ll see my desk, which is a black glass, “L” shaped workspace. That’s my iMac in the corner, along with my tablet and pen and a notepad to jot any quick notes down as I work. The corkboard on the wall will be used for motivational pictures and quotes, like my favorite one: “The harder you work, the luckier you become.”
The red color is actually called “Library Red”, from Behr. I love it!
Here’s a closer up view of my iMac, along with my iPhone and a small cube thing that holds pictures of my family. My printer is right below the iMac, and I like to use it as a foot rest…lol.
These are the sliding doors to the closet, but what I did was use “Dry-Erase Paint” (thanks to those of you who suggested it!) on the entire door, and now I have two ceiling-height dry erase boards that I can use for brainstorming! It sort of reminds me of those whiteboards that my teachers and college professors used that slid in and out of each other.
I didn’t use the dry-erase paint on the walls because the walls have to be perfectly smooth, and I wasn’t about to spend 8 hours sanding the textured wall down. The doors were originally an off-white color, which you can still kind of see through the dry erase paint. It doesn’t effect the use of the door as a whiteboard though.
And lastly, on the wall behind my desk, I installed the white boards that I bought from Home Depot for $11.74 each. I had them cut down each board to 6′-8″ in height, which matches the height of the door opening. Again, I’ll be adding trim around the boards so it looks more congruent with the door trim.
And that’s it!
Whenever you see a new post on this blog, this is where I wrote it. Hopefully some awesome, profitable businesses will be born in this room too. I’ve got a lot of whiteboard to work with, and I can tell you that at this very moment, 3 are already full of information, ideas and outlines.
Anyways, thanks for taking the time to join me today. Have a happy, safe and healthy weekend, and I’ll see you again on Monday.
Cheers!
p.s. I was originally going to call this room the Idea Room, but someone suggested that I call it the “Pat Cave”. I dunno…LOL!
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{ 71 comments (Click Here to Leave a Comment Below) }
Looking good Pat. Tempted to get a whiteboard on the back of my door (it’s a sliding door, so it’s perfectly suited for it). May just tempt me to draw silly cartoons non-stop though.
Looks awesome Pat! Also I like how the room is painted and the colors. Congratulations for your achievements so far and can’t wait to hear about your new startup ideas
Great office, pay attention to your back. Check with an expert if you desk-chair position is fine.
The office looks awesome. I imagine having a window to look out of will be far more inspiration than having your office in a small kitchen niche (I know it sure made a big difference for me when I bumped up to having a window in my office). There is just something about natural light that stimulates the creative energies.
And no Apple Magic Mouse???
No Apple Magic Mouse, I like to use hyperscroll so I have a hypercrolling logitech instead
Nice!
Pat, love the paint! Wish I could paint my apartment walls but it’s too much hassle for the amount of time I’ll be here.
That’s a great colour or a somber green. My God, my work walls (at work) are an ugly off-white, from the 80s. Leaves your brain in a dull state.
This should be stimulating!
Dude, that “Library Red” looks like it even meshes with SPI…..like the blog is APART of your office….NICE….
….awesome to see your success and growth unfold before our very eye’s Pat!…..
….When I get the chance, I’ll have to post some pics of my new office, as well….
Actually the colors are almost exactly the same as here on the blog, minus the chartreuse greenish color.
I’d love to see your office too!
Your workspace should be inspiring – at our office we have a series of walls painted in a deep orange (company color) and the other walls are subdued. It’s all open concept, and since we have a small group, its relatively quiet and conducive to creative thought (no muzak piped in, only when the boss is in).
We have a bubble hockey table, a leather couch and a huge library of arts and creative design mags for inspiration. In the summer, we open the bay doors and have BBQ Fridays, and we keep a well stocked fridge with alcoholic treats.
Having these sort of things on hand helps to keep your mind refreshed, as you’re not constantly hunched over your desk staring into a monitor for 8 hours a day. Sure, it can get hectic and it may feel like you’re chained to your Mac some weeks, but the relaxation and creative energy stays high when you can detach yourself from your work when you’re stuck and unwind and let your subconscious take hold for a few minutes.
I guess those are the perks of working in the design field.
Pat – your new workspace looks great. And very conducive to being productive. Your old space also proves a HUGE point – you don’t have to keep things complicated to be productive.
Very Cool, I bet you feel like a King in your new space. Cant wait to see what inspiration is created from the new environment.
Happy housewarming =)
I like the name PAT CAVE as well lol. It has a ring to it. Like the batman theme song.
Looks great! I really like your desk and your kid is gonna be all over those massive dry-erase boards within a couple years.
Best of luck to you!
Great space – the wall color should jump start your creative juices. I love the desk, too, very modern.
Do you transcribe your white board stuff to another medium when you’re ready to start executing your ideas – or do you go straight to execution off the white board?
I do, Ami. Great question. When I finally have something good or “finalized” on the white boards for brainstorming, I put it into my mind mapping software, and when doing so I seem to some up with even more ideas, which is great. I think the beginning processes of brainstorming work better for me with a pen in hand and a huge wall to write on.
I also have a number of lists on the board that I keep up and just add to for now.
Hey Pat,
Just HAD to show you this man….
http://i50.tinypic.com/vo53cz.jpg
Yeah man, that’s awesome. Great timing!
Looking good Pat – the red definitely gives it a nice touch! Something I’m aspiring to have shortly as well…..(home office)
Looks Great Pat! Nice Job!
Hey Pat,
Finally your brand new home and Office! I like the color and the space available for you to work. It really take all the distraction away. Your doors act like a white board (I like it cos as and when you have ideas just ink it there)
Full length white board is cool as you can put the entire blueprint there and still lots of room for additional info. Thanks for sharing Pat.
Cheers
Congrats, Pat. I love the Library Red! Now the question is: will your workspace be that neat and organized a few months from now? Knowing you, I bet it will be
Thanks for sharing your entrepreneur’s journey with us.
Heh, we’ll see Steve. I hope to keep it this neat, but who knows how it will look then!
Love The New Office Pat! I’m going to have to try the whiteboard paint idea…SWEET!
Josh “The Hypnotist” Houghton
Very cool Pat!
Very awesomeous! I have one spare room that is slated to be re-painted to use as my “art studio”; I was thinking one of the walls to be various shades of orange that fades lighter as you go down the wall. Anything but white walls.
By the way, do you have a system to keep the ideas on the white board from getting overcrowed? I think I would fill it up in two days and have to develop a way to either implement them so I can erase them, or take a digital photo for records.
Yeah digital photo is probably the best way to go, or putting them into the computer somehow. I do a lot of mindmaps, so those get transferred over to mindmeister when I have something going on the boards.
How do you paint a faded color? That would look awesome. It would make the room look a lot bigger than it actually is I would think.
Love the white boards/doors, etc. I can never have enough whiteboards…hmm…Dry-erase paint… Oh no, I can see my girlfriend getting mad at me already.
The “Pat Cave” and little Keoni can be “robin”….
Your new office looks awesome and you got a great deal on those erase boards..cool! The black glass is totally sweet and the red should definitely keep you alert..LOL
Keoni can be “robin” lol I LOVE IT!
LOL awesome Pat Cave rocks! I love that red color. I painted my Family Room that color and it’s wonderful. Such a change going from your old desk to the new and improved elegant room. WOW! You should really create some wonderful things here. Nice upgrade!
nice work space. I like the minimalist approach. I seriously miss my iMac on the road
awesome, awesome, awesome! Congrats and I love that color also! Was looking for something in that shade myself so library red from Behr sounds good.
Looks awesome! How is the quality of the dry erase paint? Also how is the quality of the dry erase boards from home depot? Reason that I am asking is because I bought a dry erase board from walmart once for like $20 dollars but it didn’t work well. After 2 days of writing being on the board it would be hell trying to get it off. I guess not all dry erase boards are created equal.
So far, so good, although I do have to use that alcohol spray stuff sometimes to get EVERYTHING off, but just a dry rag seems to work ok so far.
That is awesome! I know your thoughts will flow freely and that room will see the birth of some great ideas!
I agree that having a new and better workspace normally contributes to productivity. Thanks for providing descriptions to the images of your office. I’m sure those who can’t see the images would truly appreciate it.
Bling Bling! That’s sweet. Now all you need is another monitor and then to get to work to pay off your “investment” in a new office!
Congrats pat! Your place looks really nice.Love your red colour, I have it in my living room.It’s great,you never get bored with it.I also need a pen to write my first thoughts,though your boards look better than my notebook…I’ll send you a photo of “my office” sometime.Regards to your family and as usual thanks for sharing
SWEET SETUP!
Call me a copycat, but I think I’m gonna head out tomorrow and buy me some kind of whiteboard. They seem to work wonders for brainstorming and mind-mapping!
Hey Pat, Love the new office and like everyone else loving the colour.
The whiteboards are gona be so much fun when that little man of yours is old enough to get a hold of a pen lol. Glad your all moved in and have your space set up, great work, cant wait to see what comes out of that Pat Cave too lol
Cheers
Tammy
Sick office Pat! I really hope it boosts your productivity tenfold. I bought myself a whiteboard a few weeks ago and the power of it is amazing. I get more done because I write my daily tasks down and I have more ideas because every time I get one I write it down and then there is room for a new idea to grow in my mind
Have a great weekend Sir!
hey PAT, it’s very cool.
now you are one step ahead as a real entrepreneur!!
This looks great, Pat! I love the huge whiteboards! I want something like that eventually. I just finished painting my office red and I love it. Now to work on getting some of the clutter out of it.
Anyway, congrats on the new house and on your increased productivity.
-Travis
The old office looks so much similar as my workspace now—very cramped!
Having a new office is so much cooler. I’m thinking of grey walls, black tables, parquet flooring (carpet would be better) and lantern styled lights. and a glass type “whiteboard”. The table should be facing the door (I’m not the type who’s used to having the feeling of someone looking over my shoulder).
Love how you made the red to work well as the primary room color. Very bold.
LOVE the whiteboard paint idea!
Hey Pat the room looks great. I know it is a great feeling to have a brand new shiny space to work in. There is definitely something about a new environment. The white boards are so awesome. You will have to show us some pictures of all of the ideas that you write on them.
A great customization of your new office Pat. It has been a dream to have such environment of work especially working by your own pace. I has been mine too…although I knew that it would be a long journey ahead…
Thank you Pat for showing what is possible…it beats everything if you be able to ‘master’ your own life… It is being an honor to be here for the first time…
I have to admit that i am totally jealous of your new work area. Right now my work area is a small little armoire in the corner of my dining room. When I start making hundreds of thousands of dollars I’m going to buy a bigger house just so I can have my own work area like yours. LOL
Great looking office man
Nice set up Pat. You need a second monitor though.
Two monitors is a major productivity enhancer.
Wow, Pat – your office looks great! I was just thinking how much I liked the color and then I read the name of it – and I like it even more! That’s great that you have your own space now from which to help us all get smarter! I love it!
Only thing is, when the baby starts crawling and then toddling ….make sure that door is kept shut! Or all of your whiteboard brainstorming will get totally smudged up at the bottom! LOL
I’m just about to move ‘out’ of my space. I’m going to take over a corner in the living room and give my 16yr old this room (dining room) so that he and his 15yr old brother can have their own space for the last few years at home. It’s gonna be tricky to figure out where to put all my stuff – but, totally worth it to give the boys their space!
I feel like my workspace is missing a white board, gahhhh…I need to get around it one of these days! =)
Nice looking office! I particularly like the whiteboards. That’s a great idea. I currently have mirrors in the closet sliding doors and whiteboards would be so much better
Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I cant believe the office that you went from, and now what you are working in! What a true blessing and sounds like it is well deserved. I am so thrilled that I have found you and have the opportunity to follow your success and hopefully make it mine as well. Keep it up!
Hey Pat – your new office looks much more inspiring to work in than the old one!
I think it’s a great idea you are include plants in your work space … they will definitely help soften and give good energy to the space. You might want to consider a large piece of crystal rock to help balance the energy all of the electrical and metal objects.
All the best!
Lisa
You have a really great new office. It’s a far cry from the old workspace. Congratulations on your success! More Power!!
Looks great and very zen-like! Here are some plant suggestions from Lifehacker: http://lifehacker.com/5149643/three-plants-that-give-you-better-indoor-air
Awesome, thanks Rudy!
That’s a spiffy office you got there. How does it feel? I am glad for you brother.
I’m loving the upgrades Pat, I’m definitely feeling a little bit jealous. All that whiteboard space is something I could definitely use. Congrats on getting some reward for the work you’ve done. cheers!
wow thats a huge whiteboard. thanks, your room pretty much gave me an idea on my own redesign.
Pat, that is one hell of an awesome workspace you got there!
Definitely a little bit jealous. But in a good way. I’ll be checking out these pics again when time comes to redesign my own office.
The story of a dry-erase paint start-up. I started reading this and thought of your new office.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/05/smallbusiness/ideapaint/index.htm
I am grateful for the write-up.
Have you considered getting more monitors? The amount of stuff you can get done while working with double the display space is unspeakable. Third display makes you a god of productivity.
Library Red. Awesome. I have made a mental note. lol
Hi Pat
Wow, I love the colour scheme, I’ve always gone for light pastel colours but the red really works.
Your work desk looks great to and being able to be right next to a window with the all that natural San Diego daylight flooding in must be awsome,
I’ve also made a mental note of the dry-erase paint, assuming that it is availabe here in the UK.
Thanks Pat
Pat,
I love your new office…I just hate my back being towards the door or the window. I miss lovely San Diego! And you’re awesome. Thank you for the wealth of information you give!
New office looks good. I have trouble believing you bought those huge white boards for <$12 each from a major chain like office depot.
Pat, how did you put up the whiteboards on the wall? Nails? I’ve seen some methods on the web that look a bit tedious, that involves super-gluing a particle board to the back of the white board etc.
Pat, I got some inspiration from your office, thanks for sharing! I detailed how I turned an entire wall of my office into a whiteboard here: http://bit.ly/wbrdc
Hope this can help some of the people here at SPI!
Take care,
Dan