Home Office - My New Happy Place

I have started a contract working one day a week from home (so far) and I love it.  It is so much fun to work with some old friends a project I feel so comfortable with.  I feel like I am dipping my toes in the water of working part time from home and so far I am all over it.  Unfortunately I didn't really have a space to work.  We had visions of moving the boys in to the same room and turning Cam's room into an office, but it doesn't look like that would be a great idea at the moment.  We did have this little nook in the basement where we had stuck an old home-made table (we got the plywood in an alley and added some Ikea legs).  We had put our old not-really-working-anymore sounds-like-it-might-explode computer there and it is where I have been doing my sewing.  But mostly it was just a place to dump things we had no other place for.
The bookcase was just loaded with books and photos and pictures and jars full of sewing stuff.  I had velcroed some fabric on to the table to try to cover the disaster of cables and the two plastic rolling drawers crammed full of MESS, but it made sitting there and doing anything a little awkward!

So a couple of weeks ago I tackled it with gusto.  I threw out a tonne of stuff we hadn't looked at in years, weeded through the books, and boxed up our poor old computer.  Then I hit Ikea and Staples.
I ended up just getting a couple of Ikea drawer towers to hold the same piece of plywood, since it fit so well.  I may eventually paint it white, who knows.  I was going to put a shelf under the window, but decided cork boards would be more useful.  While the results are not too exciting visually, organizationally this new space is rocking my world.  It is clean, streamlined, organized, and mess-free.  I am in OCD heaven.  Sadly (lighting-wise) it in the basement - here I am doing this photo course and posting terrible photos.  However, it is actually nice and quiet to work down there; this little nook is so cozy and tucked out of the way.  Plus we have a heated floor in the basement - enough said.
The bookcase now holds my sewing and craft supplies, a couple of magazine racks, and a file folder, along with an inspiring assortment of books (can you spot the Encyclopedia of Beer?).  On the wall, I finally hung the three prints my dad and I got at an auction and Avril Loreti's awesome tea towel.
The other side still has the studio shot of my grandmother and dad, I think I may add some more old family photos here.  You can see a double frame on the windowsill that has photos my grandmother and grandfather when they were kids. (They grew up in the same town, which is also where I grew up.)  And of course no office would be complete without some kid art - a valentines drawing to be exact.  :)

The drawers are so deep and hold so much more than those stupid rolling things.  (I put one of them in my closet to hold belts, scarves, and tights;  I was on a bit of an organizational tear.) Add a clear drawer tray from Staples, and Bob's your uncle.
And while I didn't find a chair to suit my needs yet, I did at least re-cover the one that was there which was looking pretty worn and sad (and filthy).

So there you have it: my new happy-place.  How many times did I say organized in this post? I love organized.

14 comments:

  1. Looks great! I will have to check out the towers from Ikea!

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  2. You know what I love? Organized cables! Your after makes me breathe easier without all those cables in the way ;) Such a cute & functional nook, Lisa. And congrats on the contract!

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  3. Dharma@WannabeMermaidFebruary 22, 2012 at 11:14 AM

    collective aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, lovely!! and baby, you had me at "heated floors in my basement" :)

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  4. Thanks Sarah!  The towers make me VERY happy. :)

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  5. Thanks Jen!  Yes, cables are my nemesis.  I was so happy to jam them all behind the drawers, and used that office clip trick on the back to keep access to the ones I need!

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  6. HAHA, yes I do love being down there, hibernating in my heated-floor hole-in-the-ground... :)

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  7. Wow! It's the perfect little nook!
    Great job pulling it together! Looks good!

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  8. well done! I think it is because of spring, I am also going through every cupboard in our house purging, organizing, cleaning...well, I am on mat leave and have some time on my hands...your desk gives me ideas for our basement desk...Thanks!

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  9. That's great!  You'll have to a before and after. :)  There is something really addictive about organizing and purging.  I just went through my necklaces (I think for the first time ever) and got rid of more than half!  Feels amazing.

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  10. Looks great, nice work Lisa.  SO much easier working in an organized space....not that I would have any clue what that actually feels like.

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  11. Grace @ sense and simplicityFebruary 27, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    That is an amazing space to work in  - lots of room to organize and enough pretties that it isn't depressing.  I love the symmetry of the white IKEA towers under the board.  They are perfect so you can organize your stationary bits as well.  

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  12. Thanks Grace!  It is a great space, and facing the wall is great for keeping me concentrated and on task. :) (I often have issues with distractions!)

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Thank you so much for your comment - they always make my day!