What’s on your desk, Sarah Smithers?

As Senior Editorial Coordinator, Sarah Smithers wears many hats here Edge. “The simplest way to put it is that I handle our operations and administrative tasks,” she says. “Every day is a little different. I hire new employees, send out contracts to freelancers (and make sure they get paid), approve expenses, book travel for my coworkers, handle most of our business purchases, and help track our budget.”

“Aside from work, I like to try lots of different crafts and hobbies.” She’s also a big trivia fan. “I would definitely love to be on Jeopardy one day, although landing in the Daily Double is too much pressure and therefore a nightmare for me,” she admits.

We asked Sarah how she creates her workspace at home.

This is a really beautiful room. Where is it located?

Thank you! I live in Jersey City with my husband, Alex, and our dogs, Ned and Olive. We purchased our home in late 2018. My office is located on the second floor. It’s supposed to be the third bedroom, but it’s very small – about 8 x 9 feet. Before the pandemic, this was just a spare room that we called the “reading room” or “little purple room” because it had a bookshelf, a chair, and some plants. We also used it for storage.

Alex and I mainly work remotely now, so we converted our second (much larger) bedroom into a hybrid guest bedroom/office for him, and I converted that area into my workspace. Obviously I still have a lot of stuff stored in here.

Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us about your desk and chair?

My husband and I built my office together. It was about 95 percent him, but he handed over the nail gun at the end and showed me where to point and shoot.

We chose a custom design primarily because space was an issue. We mounted the bookshelf to the wall when we first moved in – I even painted around it, so there was just a sad white wall behind it. So instead of moving the shelf, we designed my desk around it. This was logically the only place to put a desk, so we (actually, he) built this desk so that I would have as much surface area as possible, while still being able to open the door. It’s small but I love it because it’s unique, even if the design was inspired by the coffee table in the living room.

I chose form over function when it comes to my chair. I knew I wanted green with gold accents. I found this one in the world market. It’s not the most comfortable chair in the world, but it looks really nice! However, my aging back will require a new, more supportive office chair soon.

Tell us about the different tech devices you use.

Honestly, I’m probably the least technical person out there Edge. I have a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2020, thanks to our parent company Vox Media. Sometimes I wish I had a second monitor, but I have to move a lot of things to make room for it. I’m also used to working with just a laptop at this point. I don’t always want to sit at my desk, and I like to be able to move around all day. Sometimes I want to work from my dining room table or Vox Media’s office in New York, and I can just unplug and go.

I’m definitely an Apple gal. I currently use an iPhone 15 and have an Apple Watch Series 10 that forces me to get up, get out and walk around. I also have an iPad Air (3rd generation). It was a gift and I mostly treat it like a Kindle. Sometimes I prop him up on a chair so I can watch Netflix in the bathtub.

I fell out of the Apple ecosystem because of my headphones. I bought a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds2 after reading the review Edge. I’m not picky. I like the feel of the rubber eartips in my ears, and they were very affordable. It’s also purple, which is obviously a color I’m a fan of.

I deal with most EdgePurchases, which means I also fill out a lot of credit card authorization forms. I ended up buying it Aurora AS420C paper shredder So I can destroy those models after I’m done. It was a completely unnecessary purchase, but sticking things into the slicer is fun!

You end up doing a lot of math when you work with budgets. I have a degree in English, so I need a calculator. Of course I can access the calculator with my laptop, phone, or watch, but I still want it Old school one On my desk.

There are so many beautiful and interesting pictures here I don’t know where to start. Let’s start with the pictures on your desk and around the room.

Most of my photos are of people and things I love, but a couple of them are of complete strangers.

I bought a gold frame at a thrift store about 13 years ago, and when I opened it to put my picture in it, I found this picture of an elderly woman sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard. It makes me sad to think about the way she dressed and did her hair and makeup to pose for this photo and then ended up in a thrift store. So, I kept her in the frame and named her Gladys. She’s been a fixture in this room since I moved in, but I added “Employee of the Month.” Banner Once this was turned into my permanent workspace.

Other strangers in the round gold frame: They are a couple on their wedding day. It’s basically the same story as Gladys. I found it while looking through frames at an antique store and thought it deserved to be proudly displayed at home.

Then there are all those shelves full of plants.

Oh, I’m definitely a plant lady. I’m also a fan of pottery. I started taking classes in wheel-thrown pottery about two years ago, and started hand-building about a year ago. It was a real challenge for me, but I was determined to improve, which meant I had to practice a lot. My original plan was to replace my existing plant pots with handmade ones, but then the handmade ones started outnumbering the plants, so I had to get more plants, and now I have sixty-two plants in this house. Eleven of them live in this office.

There is only one north-facing window in this room, which is not ideal for keeping succulents. They love lots of light! I bought a Grow light For them a few months ago, that was a big help. Only one plant has died in the last four months!

This is a really beautiful lamp on your desk.

Thank you! Before moving in with Alex, I lived with one of my best friends, Liz. She has a background in interior design, and had a Tiffany-style lamp in her bedroom that she always admired. Plus, I was raised Catholic so I’m naturally drawn to stained glass. I wish I could say I found this at an estate sale or while thrift shopping, but the truth is I just bought it Checkout from Amazon Because she is beautiful.

Looks like you have a spoon set.

I do! My parents started buying me a spoon as a souvenir whenever we went on vacation, and I’ve continued that over the years. I had to expand and get a second rack a while ago, so now I keep the spoons from the trips Alex and I took together on that trip.

I’m really grateful that my parents started this group for me. Every spoon has a memory attached to it, even my oldest spoon from a trip to Universal Studios when I was 2 years old. Obviously I don’t remember the actual vacation, but I do remember my grandmother letting me take that spoon off the display rack and secretly eat cereal with her when she was babysitting me.

Tell us about the flying eyeball?

His name is Icarus. And I met the artist who created it, Sammy Janeat a craft fair a few years ago. She practices ethical taxidermy and creates these fantastical creatures called Optopods. They are so cute and a little scary and I love them so much. I have three more hidden around my house, and I gave two more away to friends. Icarus loves to watch me work, and my dogs love to come up and give him a gentle sniff.

Finally, introduce us to your dogs.

My white dog is called Ned Flanders, and I think he is about ten years old. Alex found him on Petfinder right after we moved in together in 2017. He’s actually a former street dog from Cairo who went through some abuse. The original rescue agency that picked him up was overwhelmed, so she teamed up with one in New York and flew him in with about a dozen other dogs. After reading his debilitating story, I insisted that we adopt him immediately.

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember anything about his old life, because he’s now the most spoiled dog in America. He’s also the sweetest, kindest, toughest dog alive. I happen to be his favorite human, which means I’m constantly tripping over him and I’m constantly covered in dog hair.

My black dog is called Olive Love, she is eight years old. I always had dogs growing up, but Ned was my husband’s first pet ever. About eight months after we adopted him, Alex said, “Okay, but I never had a puppy, and Christmas is coming up…”

Olives are definitely my favorite Christmas gift ever. She is allegedly a husky/boxer/spaniel/pitbull/pug mix and she understands too much English for her own good. I have to be careful not to say “walk” during meetings, or she’ll lose her mind. It definitely helps make sure I get at least 10k steps a day.

Photography by Sarah Smithers/The Verge