As soon as Kimberly DeSimone, a lecturer in the Jandoli School of Communications, moved from the School of Business to the John J. Murphy Professional Building, she was told she could have her office freshly painted.
1) “Since they were painting anyway, I asked if I could choose the color,” DeSimone said. “They agreed, and, because orange is my favorite color (it’s the happiest color), I had it painted orange.”
She added that it makes her feel warm and sunny, even when it’s cold and gloomy.
After that, she said it felt right to start folding in some of her favorite things. She asked Heather Harris, assistant professor of communication, and Hannah Gordon, a graduate assistant in the Jandoli School, who she considers very creative, for help because she wanted to make it less of an office and more of a lounge.
2) “I especially wanted to cover the ceiling,” she said about the yellow fabric hanging on her ceiling. “We went fabric shopping, and that was the beginning – that gauzy ceiling.”
In terms of the yellow combined with orange covering her office, DeSimone described the colors as energetic.
“Why look at an old, greying ceiling when you can have a more sunshine effect?” she said. “It softens everything. A comfy chair, a gauzy ceiling, some good music and it becomes an inviting space to spend time.”
3) Sitting on her desk, DeSimone has a Calavera sugar skull and a skull on her book cover that she said are part of the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions, which are meant to represent a departed soul.
“They are so interesting, festive and beautiful,” DeSimone said. “I just love them. I also have an Alex & Ani sugar skull bracelet. It’s interesting to see something that is typically seen as scary or macabre as beautiful and festive.”
4) Hanging above her desk are three canvases of her two sons, Anthony, 10, and Julian, 8, which she ordered for her office.
“They make me happy and help me stay grounded,” she said. “Knowing what is important helps you to not get too stressed!”
5) On the cabinet to the left of her desk is a maroon flag with the Gryffindor crest.
“I’m totally a Gryffindor,” she said. “I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. My 10-year-old son and I read the books together this past year, and it has really rejuvenated my love for the books.”
6) DeSimone also has a collection of figures sitting on the shelves of the opposite side of her wall. Some of them, like the little Olympic figures, are from what she considers her “toy days,” referencing her career in marketing at Fisher-Price.
Then she has some Wonder Women figurines and two Harry Potter Pops, one of both Harry Potter’s Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.
“All professors secretly want to be Dumbledore. Ask them!” DeSimone said. “I got them all as gifts; people know what I love!”
7) In addition to the canvases of her children, DeSimone has an array of photo frames scattered throughout her office, whether on her desk, cabinet, shelves or in frames near the floor.
She loves having the photos of her family and friends because surrounding herself with pictures of family and friends creates a constant feeling of gratitude, DeSimone explained.
“How blessed I am to have all those beautiful, loving, supportive people in my life,” she said.
8) Frames of quotes also reside on the shelves in her office, which she considers to be some of her favorites. For DeSimone, quotes hold significant value to her, and she is quick to list off inspiring quotes that she deems encouraging and motivational.
“The Steve Job quotes are more a mindset that I love, one of taking risks, thinking differently, standing out. Being a bit of a rebel, not being ignored,” she said. “Changing things, especially the status quo. That resonates with me. I love quotes, though – inspiring and empowering ones especially.”
Photo: Kiley O’Donnell / The Bona Venture
