Since starting my journey as a full-time creative entrepreneur three years ago, my office setting has taken on MANY shapes. In 2018, I had a studio in downtown Memphis that was a DREAM. But, when rent almost tripled, coupled with the angst of just starting out on my own in business, I decided to let that space go and move my studio/office to the spare bedroom in my house.

Two years later, I returned to my practice Interior Design after a loooong post-graduate hiatus and needed a space for that now, as well. Not to mention, a few months later, the pandemic hit which left me with the need for a space to exercise AND teach my virtual Zumba classes.

Although for a time it did work, imagine making jewelry, laying out design plans, lifting weights, AND setting up a virtual recording studio in a room that’s roughly 117sq/ft. I had no boundaries in my creative businesses, and after a while, the spatial and organizational chaos seemed to slowly spiral out of control!

Before

Although the last photo shows the office - gym - studio space in not such bad shape, there was still a need to establish better function while keeping in mind the look and feel of the room. Now that I’ve built a full gym with a dedicated workout and teaching space, and with the tremendous increase in my interior design business, I decided that the time had finally come to design a space that inspired me to thrive in my very own creativity while operating as a full-time creative entrepreneur.

And thankfully, I had some amazing partners who helped me turn my dream office into a reality!

After

Now, not only does the office fulfill the function of both a jewelry production and interior design studio, but it looks absolutely gorgeous, if I do say so myself! In here, I’m completely inspired to create!

I am forever grateful to Living Spaces, who sponsored all of my office furniture, all the way down to the beautiful cream and brass mid-century modern lamp! The pieces I selected are from their Hollis collection and are the epitome of furniture designed for form and function. From design plans to packaging materials for my jewelry, I now have more than enough storage for everything I need while being tucked away behind beautiful warm wood cabinets.

I’d also like to take this time to thank my amazing parents for stepping in to assemble the furniture while I was away working on a larger commercial project. If not for them, I think I’d still be working on putting everything together. One of the 1,000,000,000 reasons why I love them!

If you’ve known me on my online platforms for a while, you’ll know that my personal design style is Global Eclectic, always with a base of Mid-Century Modern (my favorite interior and architectural style). So when designing this space, I wanted the same style to flow from the rest of my home into this space . . . but, with a little extra “oomph” to it! One way I did so was by applying my go-to method of color, texture, and pattern play in all of my finishes.

The Indigo Mudcloth wallpaper was gifted by one of my favorite wallpaper companies and partners, Chasing Paper. I went back and forth on whether or not I should cover all of the walls with the wallpaper, or simply do an accent wall. The accented wall would have been where my computer and interior design workstation is now. But, I know myself, and I wouldn’t have been satisfied with just this small area done. As yet another colorful and textural reference to my African heritage, I went with my gut and designed the office with wall-to-wall mudcloth paper . . . and I couldn’t be happier that I did! Y’all know a little pattern doesn’t scare me!

Jewelry production workspace | Photography: Anthony Hardge

And what would a designed space be in my home if I didn’t add in my signature yellow?! Other than being one of my favorite colors, yellow - and specifically more of a sunflower yellow - is a color that I use to inject a sense of happy into any space I curate. Like, it’s close to impossible to feel anything less than positive vibes when walking into a space featuring any element of yellow!

Another layer of texture and pattern play was introduced by the handwoven Hrissoula rug, gifted by my wonderful partners at Revival. I was originally torn between this rug and their Presse rug. I absolutely LOVED the colors in that rug. But, since I’ll be cutting metals on the jewelry side of the office, I wanted to avoid running the risk of metal shards hiding in the pile of the shag rug. For that reason, I chose the Hrissoula rug which is easy to vacuum and maintain, while still adding the right amount of texture to complement the pattern in the wallpaper; both elements beautifully tying together the global eclectic vibe I was going for!

P.S. if you’re in the market for sustainable, handcrafted rugs, be sure to visit Revival’s site and use my code, 10OFF-DAVIDQUARLESIV.

Y’all, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to now have a workspace where I instantly feel happily invigorated upon walking in! Here, I WANT to come in and work. In fact, I can’t wait to “clock in” each morning to get my day-in-design started! Too, now that my interior design team has grown - more on that to come - there is now ample space for Concept 417 AND IV to not only operate, but to THRIVE! It truly feels great to be here, and I couldn’t be happier to now have another space in my home that is a true reflection of me!

Not to mention, for those virtual calls I do have, my office now makes for a lovely background!

Hopefully, this all inspires you to breathe even more fun life into your office space, or home in general! Happy curating!

P.S. additional sources are linked below.