I have a love-hate relationship with my office: I love having one, but I hate working in it… Sound familiar?

     Luckily, I am easily coaxed with pretty things. Personally, I think all offices should be beautiful. I mean, if I’m gonna be chained to a desk all day, it damn well better be gorgeous! An office should be a sanctuary of inspiration. It should not be an 8x8, life-sucking, belly-lint-colored cube. (Do you hear me cubicle people!? What sadist decided on suicide grey?!! Would it kill you to make them slightly more cheery?!? I WANT PINK!!!)

   (Ahem...) Even if you are lucky enough to have walls, finding ways to decorate them that are both useful and attractive can be difficult, especially if you don’t own the space. I wanted to introduce a little more color in my beige-haven of an office, but as I am renting, painting really wasn’t an option. Then I came across these spiffy cork tiles…

     A few quick coats of paint and some careful placement, and I had exactly what I was looking for: A cheery, three-dimensional collage of appointments, greeting cards and pretty, shiny things I have scavenged from around the house… 

     The splash of color really brightens the room, and the cork board base is great for pinning down business cards and other small treasures that would otherwise slip into that parallel universe which is apparently accessible from a secret portal within my desk draw.  (Do not doubt the existence of the parallel world...Important notes, the phone number of that hottie you met at the gym, the birthday card you "sent" your Mother…They’re all  there my friend, kicking back and chillin’ with your missing socks.)

Get the Look:

• Cork tiles are available at most craft or office supply stores. I bought mine in the office section of Wal-Mart for around $5 per pack of four. They come in multiple sizes, but I recommend something fairly large, like a set of 12X12s.

• You will need to slap at least two coats of paint on each tile because the cork is very porous and will suck most of the first coat up. Spray paint works well, but the material should absorb just about anything.

• Do not (I repeat, DO NOT) attempt to use the sticky double-sided tabs that come with the cork tiles. They will stick to the cork board about as well as Britney Spears sticks to rehab, which is exactly where you’ll be headed after spending a whole day scraping them off your wall with a butter knife. Tacking small finishing nails into each of the four corners of every square will save you a lot of headaches, and the small holes that result are easy to fill in later.

• Dress your board with a few whimsical accessories. As you can see above, I have added some mounted wooden signs, but light-weight picture frames work well also. I also have a collection on key chains which I loop over pin heads, which add another dimension to the design. When decorating, be sure to leave plenty of room for practical purposes, (it is a cork board after all) but a few well-loved trinkets will add depth and character, and generally make your office a far more tolerable place to spend the day.

     Enjoy!