Decorate Your Workspace with a Touch of History

Nine hours a day. Five days a week. Four weeks a month. This is the amount of time you probably spend in your office. Perhaps you’re used to seeing a room furnished with a black or gray computer chair, a plywood desk holding your computer, a metal pen holder, a trash bin, and dull fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. This style is okay since you are focusing on the quality of your job and not on the aesthetics of your desk. But if you’re someone who always craves something extraordinary and you’re willing to take the risk, then you might be more productive once your desk receives an “ultimate throwback” transformation.

Escape from modernity for a while and travel back in time with styling ideas inspired by five of the most remarkable ages and eras in history.

The Stone Age (6000 BCE)

Stand out from the rest by giving your workspace a touch of an era dated three million years ago. The Stone Age is a rich prehistoric period in which early men shaped stones in order to create implements they could use for survival.

To achieve your stone age-inspired look, colors should focus on gray, brown, and beige. Then look for pieces that are made of granite, sandstone, limestone, or marble for your table or desk. You can also ask a clever and creative furniture designer to make a custom-built desk. For the chair, you don’t have to sacrifice your comfort to promote the beauty of the stone design. There are custom-built chairs and pillows that look like hard rocks but are actually soft and comfortable.

After you finally established your desk, it’s time to add stationeries and office supplies. The good thing is you don’t have to buy them. When you go on a beach escapade for the holidays, try to walk on the shore and look for pebbles of different sizes. When you spot a large one, create a small hole in the middle that is enough for one to two pens. You can also give new life to an old ceramic mug by sticking pebbles on them using a strong glue gel. Use this basic DIY knowledge to make other supplies like old file organizers, trash bins, phone and card holders, and tumblers adapted to the Stone Age.

Middle Ages or Medieval Period (5th century to 15th century)

Swords, capes, castles, warriors, priests, kings, and queens—these are the things you envision when you think of the Medieval Period, a broad era that inspired a lot of epic films you know like Braveheart, Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Deep reds, greens, golds, silvers, and neutral tones are the colors that you’ll be interested in playing with. When it comes to your desk, you can use a long, rustic, trestle oak table, then pair it with a wooden, medieval throne chair fit for a king.

They say that pens are mightier than sword, but wouldn’t it be interesting if your pen looks like a sword? Put it in a pen holder made of steel, like the armor of medieval warriors. For your other accessories, you can use materials like a candelabra of a medieval chandelier with chains, sculpted ceramic vases, metallic pillows, and curtains with tassels, thick and old books, and a silver goblet for your tumbler.

Italian Renaissance (14th to 16th century)

The rise of humanism, classical art, science, music, religion, and self-awareness takes place in the Renaissance. No wonder this period is the favorite of most artists and writers today. Red, beige, and gold are the colors present in this period. The furniture was mainly made out of wood, often willow or walnut with lavish inlays of gold, marble, ivory, and other precious stones. A wooden table with drawers paired with a Dantesca chair or “X-chair” with leather seat and back support would make your desk look ravishing,

During the Italian Renaissance, wealthy people were fond of using a marriage chest or “cassone,” a dark, wooden chest that distinguishes their grandeur. You can have a replica of these chests and use it as your storage box for important files. To complete your workstation’s artistic appeal, you can put a frame of classical painting on your wall (like the da Vinci’s Mona Lisa), a nude sculpture, a sculpted single candelabra or a splendor tapestry. You can use a classical fountain pen or a quill pen and ink as vintage writing materials.

Victorian Era (1837 to 1901)

The style of the Victorian Era can be an interesting addition to your working environment, especially if you’re a person who loves dark pieces of art. In terms of designing your workspace, the colors should be dark and twisted with bold colors like burgundy, ruby red, emerald green, and dark, ocean blue. For the desk, you can use a dark, mahogany presidential desk with carvings of Victorian stencils and drawers with brass handles. Pair the desk with a luxurious cushioned armchair with a velvet finish. You can also put a gothic chandelier in the ceiling for a more elegant vibe.

For your table accessories and office supplies, put figurines, picture frames with brass carving, candelabra, and other items that look antique. For your pen holder, use a brass pen rack filled with vintage fountain pens. Instead of using your stainless steel water tumbler, feel a sense of royalty by drinking from a glass goblet.

Edwardian Era (1901-1910)

If the Victorian Era had a dark and cluttered look, the succeeding era after that had a simple, light, and airy vibe. The Edwardian Era witnesses the beginning of the new century with a new king and a new style that is opposite from the past era. The colors consist of off white, gray, gold, and pastel colors like lilacs, greens, blues, and yellows. For your desk, use an oak or mahogany pedestal desk with a glass on top of it, a kneehole, and a couple of drawers with brass handles. Pair your table with a soft and comfortable wing chair that is very popular during those times or an office desk mahogany chair with wheels.

For your office supplies, use fountain pens on a brass pen rack or a wooden card and pen holder. You can also include an antique globe, a vintage anglepoise lamp, a baroque picture frame, and a candlestick telephone, a rusty typewriter, or any material that can bring out a 1900s-inspired look. For the storage of tiny office supplies, purchase a wooden chest box and put your staplers, post-it notes, paper clips, and other stationeries inside.

Author: As an idealistic writer stuck in the office most of the day, Carmina Natividad always seeks creative ways to maximize her time. She turns creative concepts about office furniture and interior design into words by writing for Ideal Furniture, a one-stop-shop in Sydney, Australia that specializes in both commercial and home office furniture solutions.

Photo Sources:

1. Stone Age: “DIY Memory Stone Pen Holder” by Aiming4Simple from Roots of Simplicity http://roots-of-simplicity.blogspot.com/2013/05/diy-memory-stone-pen-holder-for-fathers.html
2. Medieval Period: “Medieval Gothic Interiors” from JBDesign http://www.jbdesign.it/idesignpro/medieval%20furniture.html
3. Italian Renaissance: “Casone” from Arts Connected http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/2613/cassone-chest
4. Victorian Era: “39 Ideas for Victorian Home Office Design” from Home Workspace Ideas http://www.homeworkspaceideas.com/39-ideas-for-victorian-home-office-design/
5. Edwardian Era: “Antique Edwardian Desk” from The Desk Centre http://www.thedeskcentre.co.uk/