Please help me decorate/organize/layout my very small office!
Andie
4 years ago
I am itching to do something with my office. My husband and I finally were able to get our hands on some base cabinets to build a new desk.... unfortunately, they are 24ish" deep so that means they jutted out far more than I had originally planned, so no L shaped desk was possible, without going in front of the window... which was completely shut down by my husband. So it looks like we are going to have a large straight desk across the wall. We also have a large safe in the corner along with a cabinet that has our printer on top of it and paper, etc. in the storage of the cabinet. On the right is a 3 cube storage system that has bins with craft supplies, etc. in it. I am thinking we definitely need a new rug in this space to lighten it up and I almost feel like something else is needed in order for the space to be better organized, less cluttered, and tidy. Also, does anyone have any suggestions for decorating, etc? The desk will be hopefully completed this weekend, with a dark wood top and white drawers with silver pulls. Thanks!
PS the space is approximately 8'x11'- very small. :)
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Comments (16)
calidesign
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Please help me with a layout for a small master bathroom.
Comments (4)4'x7' is a waste of space when it comes to a closet. It's not big enough for hanging except on one wall and a bit of the small wall. You'll get better storage in less space with a simple reach in closet with organizers. The bath itself also needs to increase in size if you want a soaker tub and a shower. A soaker tub isn't designed to work with a shower. You need a shallower tub with an integral tile flange to work with a tub/shower situation. A deep soaker tub will be a PIA to step into to use as a shower, and you'll have water infiltration issues if you try to use it as a shower as well. Also, most 4 bedroom houses would want to have 3 bathrooms. You may want to rethink your wants and needs and the small size of the space you are working with. One needs to reduce, or the other needs to enlarge. Since you say the budget is small, and this will be an expensive project, I'd suggest reducing some of your wants, and eliminating one of the bedrooms to better utilize the existing space split between the others. A 3/2 is a common configuration, and would give you more space to work with for the design. Remodels like this are costly because of working within the constraints of the old footprint and accessing the major systems. Also, integrating the old and new isn't always successful. It's just easier to do plumbing and electrical and HVAC (all of the expensive stuff) when the walls are completely open and you don't have to fight the old stuff into submission. It's one of the reasons teardowns of older homes in older neighborhoods became popular. It's less money, and you end up with more house that has more modern proportions and amenities....See MorePlease help me organize my kitchen!
Comments (9)Every single time I've moved, I've unpacked the kitchen and put stuff in what seemed like a logical place. And every single time, about a month later, I have to completely reorganize the kitchen. So don't feel badly that you are struggling with this. I think we tend to follow the organization we had in our last kitchen, but that doesn't work for the new kitchen unless it is identical. First, for the odd, tall cabinet. Can you take out the spice rack and use it as a broom closet? Or install other shelves to make it more usable? Second, try organizing by "centers." A meal prep center. A baking center. A clean-up center. An eating center (if you have an eat-in kitchen). The prep center would have access to the sink for washing veggies, a place to chop and dice and mince, a place to cook the food. The baking center would have access to baking ingredients, the mixer, baking pans, etc. It helps to think outside the box sometimes. I had a kitchen with a small cabinet on one side of the stove and nothing but wall on the other. Like you, I tried to keep the pots and pans in the cabinet and it was a nightmare every time I tried to get something out or put something back. I finally used the small cabinet to hold cookie sheets and other baking pans on the vertical, and put a small stainless shelving unit on the other side of the stove for the pots and pans I used every day. There was plenty of cabinet space in that kitchen, but very little of it was near the stove. The stove was near the sink, so by putting the shelves where I did, I could easily grab a pan and fill it with water and put it on the stove with just a few steps. Consider putting the pots and pans in some of the drawers, if any are deep enough. It might actually be easier to deal with them in a drawer--they won't be stacked on top of each other, they will be easier to see, as some of them won't be hiding behind the others. Or put just the few pots and pans you use daily in the oven-side cabinets and store the others elsewhere in the kitchen. There's no rule that they all have to be in the same place....See MorePlease help me organize my drawers!
Comments (13)Good idea having the charity box going. for example, even one funnel is enough instead of having different sizes etc. so you might keep one and get rid of the rest. I also noticed you have two sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups so maybe keep one set of each and get rid of the spare set? This is what I've done and it has made life so much easier in the kitchen. If you're unsure, put the things you think you dont need in the goodwill box and keep adding to it, dont look in there and if after a couple of months you find you dont need to retrieve anything, you dont need it. I have my keyholder just on the side of an overhead cupboard near the kitchen entrance, because I find that when I go out or come back home I always end up in the kitchen anyway and if you come in with bags of shopping it's too much hassle to try and hang the keys until I put the shopping bags etc down which is in the kitchen. Also think about if you need the keys to lock deadlocks before you leave home, it might be a pain to have to get the keys from the mudroom first to lock up. my keyholder is jsut an mdf one which didnt cost much from a craft store, then i got some brass hooks from the hardware, painted it and put the hooks in before screwing to the side of a cupboard. It doesnt take up any space at all but I dont waste time looking around for my keys now which is such a time saver :) spare keys, we have lots of duplicates and I keep them in a container locked away so that if we get broken into the thieves wont find a set of keys lying around, which would mean getting all the locks changed and they could get hold of spare car keys so I dont keep those in the kitchen, they're too easy to find. I think the pot holders might get a bit greasy above the stove/in the range hood but if you have anywhere in the kitchen to fit a hook to the side of a cupboard or a wall they dont take up much space there and should be fine. you only use them once a day normally when making dinner. If you dont use the tile ones anymore then could you get rid of them? or you could put rings back on them (Im sure you could find something suitable at a hardware store) and then you could hang them on the walls for decoration or occasional use?...See MoreHelp me decorate my living room...please!!!!
Comments (2)Can you post a sketch of the floor plan with dimensions? That would be helpful. What is the opening over the sofa? Is that to the kitchen? Am I to understand correctly that you want a dining space as well as living space in this room? I think it's a grand space and can yield a fabulous room. I think those sofa's can stay and I love the rug....See More
PROJodie White Designs
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoArt work on larger wall and black and white bamboo shade, and hide rug for aesthetic look
Andie thanked Jodie White DesignsAndie
4 years agoAndie
4 years ago
PRORL Relocation LLC
4 years agohoussaon
4 years agoAndie
4 years ago
PROAngelica Angeli ❤ Interior Design Journalist
4 years agoazmom
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoAndie
4 years agoUpdate: finished the desk project and organized, etc. going to get a new, lighter rug at some point (at the request of my husband)
- PRO
RL Relocation LLC
4 years ago James Smith
4 years agosableincal
4 years agoJames Smith
4 years ago
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