I see the free white space at the left size of search field.
I think will be useful to add here quick links to popular user objects, and give the user customize this list.
For example, I glad to see here links to 2-3 favorite projects, 2 milestones and some files (at most - templates of firm documents).
For don't waste the space, we can do this links like a graphic buttons 24x24 pixels with description in img title .