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Home Decorating

Office challenge, need layout help

16 years ago

What I have: smallish office, with entry on diagonal. Large 6' x 6' window 18" off the ground on front wall (opposite entry), bathroom entrance on back wall. Ceiling 12'. The wall lengths are:

front - 10'4" with 24 inches on left side of window and 28" on the right side.

back - bathroom door, then 63", then diagonal entry

left - 10'4"

right - 90" from diagonal entry to front wall

What I need: desk space for two people, closed storage including file cabinet

What I want: not to have my back to the window, not to be sitting and facing a wall when at my desk. I'm fine with the 2nd desk facing the wall.

What dh says: "You can't sit the desk in the middle of the room, it is too small and will never have a good flow"

I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to use the ikea planning software to move things around but it was very slow going. Any ideas on better space planning software?

I'm thinking: Desk 1 at diagonal, it might have to be smallish, I'd have my back to the corner opposite the entry. Desk two is in front right corner with storage all around and above.

Any good places to look at office layouts? I'd love to see any of yours!

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Comments (7)

holly_bc
16 years ago
Give this one a try kksmama. I've found it fairly easy to use. You have to create a use name/password but that's no biggie.

Pictures would likely get you more suggestions and ideas if you can do that.
HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Arrange A Room
nhb22
16 years ago
Your study sounds similar to mine, although we don't have a bathroom coming off of it. We were lucky that the builder put the bathroom off of the living room (being facetious here. LOL)

Here is a portion of my house plan. Is your study shaped like mine?

I have two love seats and a small desk, so I am sure you could make room for two desk. Like you, I didn't want my back to the window. I wanted to see the view, and also wanted to be able to see the T.V. and the entrance door (through to the dining room windows.)

I have my desk on the foyer/front porch wall, and I sit right next to the window. Great for looking outside and through to the dining room. I just have to turn my head a little to see the T.V.. See photos below (follow the photos around the room from left to right.) I can take a better photo of the desk/window area if you would like. I already had these.
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I would go with something similar to the third inspiration picture you showed. Start it just to the left of the big window and wrap it around to where the bookshelf on the left side of your desk is in the first picture. To do this, you'd need several (3 or 4) 2-drawer file cabinets and 2 bookcases to to put on top, along with whatever counter surface you choose...and I think that stock doors would work well for this. Install in a similar arrangement to the inspiration picture, but choose a color you love instead of the glossy white. I would be tempted to paint the file cabinets and bookshelves white or gray with black countertops. You could also stain/poly the counters to bring the wood feel back into the room. On the wall next to the window, I'd put some kind of bookcase, or a group of open cubes, for storage of craft supplies in bins. If you're keeping the piece with the drawers (gorgeous, btw), that would be perfect just where it is! On the wall above that bookcase, I'd put something like a coiled lassoo or western theme pictures. I'm not in love with your couch in this area, but you could definitely create a sitting area there for watching tv. If you do that, though, you'll need some kind of divider between the couch area and the desk area. If you never entertain customers there, you could use a curtain or room divider to separate the office space from the rest of the room, turning the couch with it's back to the desk. Treat the sitting area to more western decor touches than the desk area...perhaps a western coffee table. Personally, I like the chair in the corner and think that two chairs similar to that would be a better option for the sitting area of the room. That couch is really, imo, too big for the space. It will seem twice as huge once you put in a less substantial desk. If you put in the two chairs, you could create a cozy seating area and the chairs would pull double duty as seats for customers, if you entertain customers at home for any reason. I like the cow rug on the floor, and think it would be a comfy spot to sit for kids, especially if they were doing crafts on a small round table. I'll look back in later and see if any of this appeals to you.
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Wow, it was so nice at the end of my work day to see so many responses. Thanks everybody for your creativity. @robotropolis: Thank you very much for taking the time to both draw up my plan on graph paper and to find a creative solution for the layout. I like where you placed the fridge and stove, and the banquet area under the new generous window is lovely. Unfortunately, we are unable to move the two doorways as they are also in load bearing walls. The areas marked dining room and great room are part of an addition we did many years ago. Also, the old nub wall measuring 2 feet 9 inch also must stay. @debark and others: Sadly, I am not in a position to consider taking down any of those inconvenient load bearing walls. My DH is firmly against even getting a quote on it as he doesn't feel the kitchen should need that much renovating as it is good enough space for him (can you guess who makes most of the meals in our home?), @Peke: Yes sadly all the walls you circled in pink as well as the walls in the south side between kitchen areas and great room/dining room have to stay as is. My current small kitchen is on the right hand area marked kitchen space (west side). The east side marked also kitchen space is currently used for a desk and a bit of seating viewed through opening cut-out (sort of like a ticket booth LOL). This east side area marked kitchen space used to be a dining room prior to building our addition 20+ years ago. Lisa_a I love what you have drawn up too. Sadly, it will need changes to accommodate those load bearing walls. I particularly like that shallow pantry idea. Do you think we could just have the seating on the either side of the window cut-out. Those seated can be seen from the cut-out (not as nice as what you have drawn, but still a thought. Good point about the molding around those two south door ways. I will be sure to account for those lost inches as the door ways have French doors on the that swing into the kitchen. Everyone, Anymore ideas that work with keeping those unfortunately load bearing walls as DH is not budging on that position? I appreciate everyone's help. Julie
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This could work. Push back the sink run 6" and make it 24" deep. Then I could make the run by the inset 30" deep. It shouldn't impede on the sunroom too much. I'd use the 12" drawer for wraps and such, the 18" for cooking utensils, and the corner pullout for large stuff. I'm really liking this and love love love all the storage. DH cringed when I mentioned taking out the storage unit. If the town notices it he'll either have to try and go through the permit thing or take it down anyway. He did say it's something he'd be willing to do later after we get into the house. There is one small window there. We're going to spend the day/night at the house tomorrow and I can measure out where the window fits into all this. It' may just work out. I'm going to have him transport the bakers table down there so I can have a project to work on while he works on my end grain cutting board. (my request for a B-day present)
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Update: we worked with houzz://user/callmaeday. She was fabulous. We realized in talking with her that we really needed a different couch. Luckily we were able to return the one we originally purchased and get one that fits out needs better. The layout with the couch in the middle of the room is actually what works best. Now I just need to find the time to get end tables and a console and pictures and all the other stuff to complete the room and make it feel like home. I’ll post pictures when I have the final. You all were very helpful. Thank you! I would have never ended up with this layout without all your suggestions
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kksmama
Original Author
16 years ago
Ah yes - that is it! An entrace to the masterbath is in the back right corner where you have a lovely built-in. Thanks newhomebuilder! I'll try to take pictures of mine, but there isn't much to see as the floors aren't in. The important thing at this point is the layout, and I think I've realized that the desk placement you have is exactly right. I'd love to see more of that.

I'm thinking of a desk in that position with a right hand return which would section off the room a bit. I only have 28" on the right side of the window, and 24" on the other side - it looks like your space is bigger? But desks are only 29" or so deep, so I think that would be okay (?). I could put the second desk where your love seat is under the picture, and a bookshelf (or other storage) where your chair is.

Holly, thanks for that site. I realized I just needed to use some grid paper and cut out some shapes so I didn't get very far on bhg, but may work with it more later.

Finding the right furniture is going to be difficult, I really want lots of closed storage. I probably need built in cabinets more than I need a desk hutch. Does anyone use the kind of desk often built into kitchens (matching with kitchen cabinets, surface, and drawers) in an office? I guess Lowe's or Home Depot would do those? Would that be weird?
nhb22
16 years ago
From wall corner to window frame is just shy of 30" on the desk side. The other side of the window is 40".

Here are more pictures taken this afternoon and tonight. Excuse the computer mess, however that's the nice thing about the desk ...I can close it up. :)

And, the view I get to see from the rear and front windows.
threedgrad
16 years ago
newhomebuilder, what state are you in? Kinda looks like WI.
nhb22
16 years ago
Tennessee
kksmama
Original Author
16 years ago
Gorgeous, inside and out! Thanks for posting the extra pictures. I need to have everything closed up like that. Now I'm thinking I need two desks and closed shelving on the same wall, and then I could have a nice love seat on the opposite wall, too!

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