How to Style a Memo Board

Every time I show a glimpse of my “desk setup” in my apartment, I get so many questions about the memo board above my desktop computer! I would say “home office,” but my desk is literally right smack dab in the middle of my living area in between my living room and my kitchen. Someday I’ll have a real office with walls, ha! I would say that having my desk out in the open forces me to be organized, but that would be a total lie. Instead, it just makes my entire apartment look like a tornado most of the time. 🙃 Le sigh. But back to the memo board!

I totally get it with the memo board questions… it’s one of my favorite things in my entire apartment. It’s been such a fun project to work on, and it’s most certainly always a work in progress. I’ve collected cards, mini polaroids, ticket stubs, pins, and random paper goods from all over the world. I love how all of the color blends right in with my living room!

First and foremost, it’s about the memories. BUT I’ve always got my eyes peeled for cute paper goods that match the colorful vibe I’ve got goin’ on. Business cards, Do Not Disturb signs at hotels, stickers, inserts from online orders, magazine tear-outs, fortunes from Chinese takeout, music festival wristbands, name tags from important gifts or packages, photobooth strips, paint color samples, movie tickets, museum exhibit pamphlets… Nothing is off limits!

From there, it’s honestly just a little game of tetris! I don’t like to mess with it too much at this point, so it’s mainly adding small things here and there. You can see I’ve started layering by adding things on top of each other, which is why I think it’s maybe time to add a second board. (See the very last photo in this post for a picture of what it looks like today! It’s a lot more full.)

Here are a few more memo boards to love…

Get the Look…

PB Teen (Emily & Merritt) Scalloped Gold Pin Board
Bungalow 5 White Lacquer Desk
Society Social Bow-Back Chair
Target Brass & Marble Desk Lamp
Gold Middle Finger
Anthropologie Initial Mug for Pens
Kate Spade Acrylic Stapler
Acrylic Tape Dispenser
Washi Tape
Diptyque 34 Candle
Lucite Chair
Palm Leaf Pillow
Gold Shopping Bag Trash Can
Ikea Shelves

PS: You can check out my full living room tour here!

And here are a few more versions… You can see that it took me lots of time to fill it up! This next photo was snapped on my (shitty) iPhone in February of 2017, which was about a year after I got the board… It was pretty blank in the beginning!

And this is my board as of today, April 2018! It makes me so happy… So, so many memories. I’m actually considering getting a second board and scooting this one over, to have two centered vertically over my desk. I’ve definitely got the wall space. Thoughts?!