For a Laugh: Unicorn Cubicle

Awhile back, we read (probably in Domino?) that a bathroom is an ideal place to fully commit to a crazy theme or daring color choice because the space is relatively small, and therefore the retina-searing will be kept at a minimum. And in case you were wondering, the same holds true for office cubicles. During a business trip, we visited Kelley in her "second home." She's begun to deck out her cubicle in what can only be described as Cosmic Unicornucopia. Check out the beginning stages of her collection after the jump and feel free to offer some suggestions on how to take her office digs to a whole new awesomely bad level...

Like most cubicles, Kelley's little 100 sq ft nook was generic and boring. In an effort to lighten up the office doldrums, she began coming up with crazy decor schemes. Initially, she thought about turning the space into a fake forest with woodland creatures and plastic plants; but the minute she laid eyes on one particular lamp, her direction changed completely. We're offering her some inspiration from Kate Veatch's house in Dodgeball to show her what kind of potential her cubicle could have:

INSPIRATION: The right lighting makes all the difference...

CURRENT STATE: Kelley's stained-glass unicorn touch lamp is so bad that it pretty much left us speechless. It has three different brightness settings, and there's glitter trapped in the glass so it dutifully sparkles. As the description says, "Let the fantasy of unicorns be part of your décor..."

INSPIRATION: Unicorn figurine groupings

CURRENT STATE: Unicorn paraphernalia (and uh, an encouraging drawing) frame her whiteboard. P.S. that pink and white unicorn will supposedly grow 2' high in water.

Got any tips for Kelley on what she could add to her space to make it even more mystical? We're thinking about sending her our old box of My Little Ponies...

Comments (16)

Why not make big photographic enlargements of "Polly Pocket" images from an old 1990s christmas catalogue?

Also a unicorn theme could be coupled easily with anything related to dolphins, ponies, "white horses running on the beach in the sunset", heroic fantasy décor (see TRUE BLUES's post on the "furniture of your nightmare" post from a few days ago for links : http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/seating-sofas-armchairs/whats-your-nightmare-piece-of-furniture-055214 ), or any ceramic sculpture that my sister would have made between 1989 and 1993 (I left them in Canada on leaving for Eurpoe, so maybe they are still out there somewhere in the wild thrift world).

It grows TWO FEET in water?! Please share your source!

Glass top tables, anything with glass shelves, and that overstuffed leather or faux-leather furniture that looks like it's been covered with human skin.

I live in cubicle land, too. Last year I picked up black and chocolate brown suede-like material, plus a lovely red, cream and chocolate toile. I hung these on my cubicle walls (with straight pins), hung a couple of french pictures, and brought in a cute black IKEA lamp. I also brought in a couple of my nice teacups from home to use daily. I can still put push pins through the cloth when I need to make use of the space. It occurred to me that I spend more time at work than home, so why not make it feel like my home? My boss teases me that my cubicle is the most welcoming in the office. When I moved cubicles, he kept asking when I was going to put it all back up.

The only problem with making your cube super awesome is the constant barrage of "oooh, look at that" and "how did you ever think of that" I had a super awesome decked out cubicle, but after some Christian lady yelled at me because I had a couple of Devil Ducks, I toned it down a lot.

Well, there is only one thing that goes well with unicorns and that is the color PURPLE. Kelly- get yourself some purple accessories for that cubbie! joking aside- thanks for the inspiration of the Zen cube, oceandreamer56.... i need to get some plants/ live greenery/ better design into the "Cell Block" (my phrase for the incredibly depressing row of cubbies nowhere near a window or natural light source where I am forced to be contained 40 hours a week.)

Kelly's not looking for a promotion any time soon? Because nothing says dedicated professional like having a wacky cube, cluttered with kitsch.

Seriously, I used to work at TV cable network with a woman who had the "rubber ducky" cube. And she stayed an assistant for a long time, never figuring out why she didn't move up and onwards. And whenever department planning moved cubes around--it took her two days to shift all the junk around.

Yeah, not to be a killjoy but I have to back Palmetto up on this. I've read literature talking about how too many personal or kitschy items in an office or workspace can actually have a negative effect on how co-workers, supervisors, and clients view you and your abilities. Right or wrong, it's something to consider when deciding how over-the-top you want to be.

I would've killed for that lamp when I was a kid.

hello, kelley here.
i can see your point palmetto and j, however i think its fair to take into account where one works. i happen to work for itunes and i can safely say weirdness, casualness, flippancy, unicorns, star wars lego battleships en mass...all of it is acceptable here. i think were a person to have a cube with regal or some kind of "professional" decor people 'round here would be suspicious. if your industry embraces fun and creativity go for it and whack some unicorns on your cube walls. if not, fair enough..buy a streamline stapler and matching pen holder and wait for your promotion to come. i'll race you to the corner office.

I recently added a Matte Stephens http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5063179 print to my cubicle (I USED to have an office - sob). I am considering adding a few mid century pieces - perhaps an atomic clock - but keeping it subtle.

The funny thing about this is that at my apartment we sort of fell into having a unicorn collection. I think it started with these really amazing kitschy unicorn pictures we found and rescued from our basement and it grew from there. We have the My Little Pony from when I was young, as well as a few new ones. And ours has a special section that is Pegasus vs. Unicorn. Now people give us unicorns when they find them for the collection.

@kelley But regal isn't the opposite of wacky. There's a place in between, and personally, I'm really glad I work at home.