The idea of an office makes me cringe. As somebody creative (I’d like to think I am), gray cubicles, fluorescent lighting, dusty swiveling office chairs, steel filing cabinets, and stacks of papers are the stuff of my nightmares.

So when I entered interior designer Cheska Nolasco’s office—pleasant, bright, complete with conversation pieces—I found the ultimate workspace peg. Having moved in just last October, the L-shaped contemporary minimalist office that overlooks Wack Wack Golf and Country Club is occupied with furniture that the Philippine School of Interior Design graduate designed herself.

“I asked my contractors to build everything already so that we could just deliver and hang it up after a week,” she explains. Her cubbyholes, shelves, breakfast counter, conference table, and wooden stools were originally prototypes for a client, which she eventually decided to incorporate into her own space. “I finished everything in two weeks!” she declares.

When it comes to designing an office space, functionality is important above all. “It’s about having all the things you need within reach. It’s important to have the essentials first before decorating.” Having also taken up showroom and lighting design at The New School in New York City, Cheska quickly adds that good lighting is key to creating a work-conducive environment.

Inside, you’ll spot artwork, DIY file racks and kitchen cabinets, and an assortment of colorful office supplies populating her desk. The entire wall facing the windows serve as a floor-to-ceiling corkboard where her blueprints, among many things, are posted. And despite bearing traces of her work in every little nook and cranny, the overall atmosphere is far-fetched from the cold, boring, and impersonal mental image that comes to mind when one utters the word “office.”

Flip through the slideshow for Cheska’s tips on how to make your workspace work!

Photos by Patrick Segovia