Monday, March 12, 2012

Office Obsession

Just over a year ago, we turned our office into a bedroom for our 7-year old. She had been sharing a room with her older sister, but they both needed their own space.  Since then, my husband has moved his desk into our bedroom and my stuff is scattered all over the house.

The busier I get, the more I realize I need a dedicated space for my stuff: computer, files, supplies, etc.  Right now, I move my laptop around and have my files in plastic storage bins.  I've also been known to leave important files on the kitchen counter, the kids' craft table, my dresser, or just about anywhere.  It's only a matter of time before something gets lost or ruined.

Here's my dream office:



However, since we don't have an extra room for an office, I've been obsessing over "cloffices," closets turned into offices.  Here are a few that I really like:


This one from Ange at The Blooming Hydrangea has everything I need: a desk, a filing cabinet, and some shelves with boxes to hide other supplies.



If only I had a little closet in my bedroom.



How pretty and functional is this space from Country Living?

Cassie at Primitive and Proper also made a fun craft closet:

Guess what?  Much to my dismay, I realized that I don't have a closet that can be spared to make a cloffice.  How about a hallway instead?

This hallway is really just a useless, wasted space in our home.  I brought in a table to see how it would fit.
I would need to be the size of a toothpick to fit in here!
The hallway is narrow, so I need something small.  I brought in this little table from the garage to see how it would feel.  This table is only 18 inches wide.  I don't think I could use anything much wider.

This size is much better.  I'm still trying to decide if I could work here, or if it might be too claustrophobic.


If I decide to make my "hloffice," I'm hoping to DIY a desk out of two file cabinets and a board.  I also want to mount two or three shelves on the wall above.  First up, finding the file cabinets. 

Stay tuned.  Hopefully this idea will be taking shape soon.  Unfortunately, "hloffice" doesn't have the nice ring of "cloffice."


Here's a sneak peak of something else I worked on this weekend:


In other news, Sarah at Pewter+Sage is hosting another edition of Mood Board Monday today.  The challenge this time was to design a room around one of three choices of art from Etsy.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to design a mood board this time, but I'm definitely stopping by to see what everyone else created.

10 comments:

Cassie Bustamante said...

it will be nice to have a designated space, no matter where! and thanks for the shout out!
love the sneak peek! :)

Unknown said...

A space to call you own, no matter what or where is always nice! Can't wait to see how this shapes up!

Me, Ed and Pea said...

I loooove your dream office. So pretty. We don't have kids right now but I'm sure as soon as we do, I'll need to creat a hloffice of my own. Great idea!

Lisa @ Shine Your Light said...

Suzy!! The sneak peak looks fabulous! Apparently you worked around those issues??? And I totally think you could make that hallway work for you, with another pretty fabric and nailhead bulletin board and organization on the wall? Can't wait to see where you go with your "hloffice"!!

Ange said...

Thanks for the feature and I LOVE the first image too. Just gorgeous! I think the hall can work for you and can't wait to see how it comes together. Also love the sneak peek, is that navy or black? I spilled some water on our laptop so using an old computer with not the best monitor.

Tiffany @ {Living Savvy} said...

It is hard to find a place to carve out for an office! This is a good challenge and I can't wait to see what you come up with! I am loving that stencil!

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

I've always wanted to do a stencil project! Yours looks very promising...
www.chattafabulous.com

A room with a view said...

I love the idea of using the hallway. Perhap you could have a large mirror or mirrors on on of the walls to reflect light and allow for no claustrophobia. I had my dates mixed up for the Mood Board party and so did it all last night (very late!). Great inspiration pics here, Suzy. by the way, the stencil looks amazing. Are you happy with it? Have to finish mine this week - received second stencil on Sat.

Holly Gruszka said...

That first image is so pretty. I've also been thinking about the same. I'm a nomad with laptop too and it drives me crazy. I'm thinking of turning that nook in our dining room into a doffice. I just need to find the right table.

Tiffany said...

That hall looks way too small to put a table and chair in it. How would anyone get past it? I know what you mean about wanting a little space for an office. And, I think your dream office is now my dream office...gorgeous!