Home Office Organization

As writers, editors, social media mavens, bloggers and academics (or the unemployed who are making job searching a full time pursuit) we have become more than familiar with our home offices. In University we went to the library to get our work done but when you graduate into the real world there is no big, beautiful cone of silence lined in books that you can go to accomplish your work (or nap, or watch Downton Abbey online, or pin to your imaginary wedding board…. ). And worse still, there’s no “leaving” your home office. You can’t pack up your books at the end of the night and head home to the comfort of your bed and the delight of your roommates that you’ve finally emerged and finished whatever you were tirelessly working on. No, at your home office you walk out of your office and you’re still home, the mess you made doesn’t get packed up and your dog is still whining because he lost his favourite squeaker under the couch, an hour ago! Bad mom! You get the picture. It’s an adjustment. But is your home office serving you the way it should? In my opinion, if you’re going to be spending significant amounts of time in there you want it to be fresh, functional and yes, a little fabulous.

So you've gone from something like this.... 

Cambridge

 

The University of Graz

To this....

Peter Michaud

Dorm Room

But what if we could make it a little bit more like this? 

Articature

Decorology

The first thing you need to do is designate an area that you will call your home office. If you don’t have the luxury of having a room with a door that you can call your office, pick a spot in your apartment or house that is quiet and in the least distracting location possible. For example, if you live with your S.O. or a roommate don’t put your desk near the T.V. as they’re more than likely going to want to watch an episode of something while you’re working. Even if you don’t work when they’re home there will be the day that they’re home sick and you have a huge, looming deadline.  Once you've chosen a location, you need to purchase the essentials. Even in today's digital world you will t actually use all of this stuff and you’ll be way more productive when you have it at hand instead of having to run to your kitchen and rummage through your junk drawer for a pair of scissors a a roll of tape. You will need: 

Ally's Office Supplies

•   Wastepaper basket
• Recycling bin (I like the tall ones as they take up less space)
• Tape dispenser
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Three hole punch
• Post-it notes of all shapes and sizes
• Notepads for scribbling
• Pens, pencils, sharpies, markers, highlighters
• Paper clips, binder clips, extra staples, erasers
• Paper – the amount and kind is dependant on your type of work 
• Printer – suck it up and buy one at some point you will need it and you will be in a huge rush

I’ll start by telling you about my home office. It’s been my “work-in-progress” for quite some time now. Every time I get new content order I wish I had my office fully functioning. It improves your productivity especially when working from home is a “new” thing.  In University I had a tiny room that literally only fit my single bed, dresser, a bookshelf and my desk. It was a squeeze! Now that I have a room in my home for my office I plan to take full advantage of the space. To get started I bought a really cool refurbished and painted white antique dining room table off an online classified to use as my desk. Its not huge as it has two leaves which I have taken out to make it a more reasonable size. I like the square shape as it gives me tons of space to spread out my work and as you’ve probably realized I’m a sucker for anything antique. I up-cycled what used to be the bottom half of a (real wood) TV unit by painting it white as well and changed out the ugly knobs for a beautiful pair of glass ones I found while shopping in a cottagey town this past summer. On the bottom shelf of the unit I put my binders, notebooks and my English-y writing and theory books, dictionaries and thesauruses that come in extremely handy when I’m working away. On the middle shelf I have my paper stash – lined, white, recycled, coloured, you name it I’ve got it. I also have my cue cards, post its and a huge stack of assorted notebooks and pads. On the top shelf I bought small pink plastic baskets from the dollar store to separate my pens, pencils, paperclips, binder clips and other odds and ends into easily accessible containers.  I love having my “supplies” separate from my desk. The desk is reserved for a small basket of things I need on hand at the moment – one post it notepad, a few of my favourite blue pens, a handful of paperclips and of course the essentials like my stapler and you guessed it, my pink tape dispenser.

I’ve scoured the Internet for the most functional, visually appealing and affordable home offices. You don’t need to break the bank when putting your office together. Remember: always accept donations of furniture from family members - it can be painted!  & Good luck!

1.) The Fun Wallpaper and Antique Furniture Office
Best for: a small space ex: a hallway

Real Simple

A big, old desk set against funky wallpaper? I'm in home office heaven! If you have space restrictions Real Simple recommends “a desk and slim seat (like a stool) against a punchy printed floral wallpaper”. Personally, I think ergonomics experts would cringe at the idea of a workspace that include a stool for seating (how long can you really sit at this desk comfortably?) so I’d go with different seating, but that’s just me! I suppose if all you do at your desk is pay the bills you might not need to think so practically about your chair. This desk works well in a small space as it has two drawers for storage plus a storage unit set beside it. They have placed two nice looking binders and a lamp on the desk without cluttering the space. Oh, the the wide plank, white washed floors make me die of happiness (and jealousy). 

2.) The Cap Code Style Office
Best for: a small space ex: the corner of a room

HGTV

HGTV explains the space: “all the surfaces are painted white and distressed to carry the Cape Cod theme. The windowsills are used as extra seating and storage areas”. HGTV calls this a "cottage" office but I think the way they use the corner of the room is an excellent use of space for any apartment. The desk is small but with the built-ins in the corner you have ample storage space. And hey, if you have to read something long you can jump into your window seating for comfort. The room is well lit and I'd love to work away beside a big crackling fire!

3.) The Polished Office
Best for: a medium space ex: part of or a whole room

Confetti Style Wordpress

I found this office on Pinterest however its originally from the blog Confetti Style's list of 10 Office Spaces to Love who sourced it from Like a Lady. This is the office I picture all home decor/lifestyle bloggers having. They hit every mark: striped wall, grey tones, chandelier, light, fresh colours, patterned rug, fabric chair, throw pillow and the pretty assortment of knick-knacks on the built-ins (although, come on, where are the BOOKS!?). If you can produce something this beautiful in your home I commend you! This is a space I'd truly enjoy being in; its fresh, airy and clean. One thing I know I'd need right away though is more storage.

4.) The Great Storage Office

Best for: a medium space ex: part of or a whole room

IKEA Shelving and Bookcase

If you style is a little less "girly" than #3 and a little more industrial you're going to love this office. I like the contrast of the flock chair with the substantial rustic desk. I also appreciate the fact that this office actually has BOOKS. They have nailed the concept of practical storage with baskets, binds, accent pieces and shelving. My only complaint is that I find the flooring in this room completely repulsive. You can get all of this shelving at IKEA where I am going to assume? this photo is originally from as Pinterest had no source for it.

5.) The Big Statement Office
Best for: a big space ex: the extra bedroom in your home

This office makes me say WOW. They nailed their use of complimentary yet contrasting colours. The cool and warm colours make the space homey and inviting. The desk is beautiful and BIG (L-shapes are great!) and the matching hutch mounted on the wall provides practical storage space and visual appeal. This is a "real" workspace - there are even post-its on the Mac's screen (I know they're staged but come on, I believe I could work in here!). The wallpaper is fabulous and makes me a little jealous inside. The only thing I will complain about, again, is the floor. It almost takes the colour coordination too far. Who really has pink carpeting in their home in this day and age? I'd love to see a rustic hardwood in this space but other than that I love it!

6.) The Make-it-Work Office
Best for: a small space ex: a wall in your kitchen

Decoist Architecture and Interior Design

This is a practical, make-it-work home office. They have utilized an extra stretch of counter space on the edge of their kitchen and added a funky chair that matches the wall colour. Growing up a lot of my friends had their computer's in their kitchen because it was  "public space" for the "shared computer", remember those days? My favourite part about this office is the chalk board wall - so awesome! They also have lots of cupboard space to stash away extra paper.
 
7.) The Corner Office
Best For: a medium space ex: a corner of the finished basement

This office, to me, looks like its in the corner of someones suburban finished basement. Something about the carpeting and lighting screams basement to me. Nevertheless, they've made a cozy office space simply by utilizing an IKEA L-shaped desk that comes with tons of extra storage space. I like the way they use  baskets and have push-pin boards up for idea boards. The nice thing about this office space is its totally transitional - you could move this desk anywhere in the house and voila your office is transported totally intact to a new location, no fuss, no muss.

8.) The Realistic and Affordable Office
Best for: small-medium space ex: along a wall in your bedroom

This office is the one that I believe the most. The desk is small but practical and even better, homemade! This office isn't staged, you can tell someone snapped a picture of their desk. Unfortunately, again, no click-through link. To make your own desk like this one put a piece of particle board on top of a filing cabinet and there's your desk. Another interesting spin on this idea is finding an old rustic door to put across two cabinets. I like the twinkly lights, modern chair and collage of pictures that make the space unique. This person also has an ipod dock, printer and other realistic items! Love it.

9.) The Tiny Office
Best for: a small space ex:  any nook in your home or apartment

ImgFave

 If you have a small apartment and want to feel inspired check out this little tiny office. They have a practical shelf for books, a whiteboard calendar, filing cabinet drawers and room to work! It's a super cute space that could be pulled together really easily in a nook of your home.  I like that they still include touches like small plants and a few knick-knacks for personality.

10.) The Closet Office
Best for: a small space ex: a closet

Now this is an example of making the most of your space! Putting your office inside an extra closet in your home is an amazing idea! You can pull a chair from a nearby kitchen table whenever you're working and put it back when you're done. I love the fact that you can close the doors and completely hide your office from the world. If you're a messy person this might be the perfect solution for you.

...and the piece de resistance!

HGTV

This is my favourite office I found in my travels around the Internet. I love the desk in the middle of the room, the two patterned, fabric chairs for guests, the storage, the lights, the wainscoting ... everything is great about it. According to HGTV this office is in the dining room of the house. If you need any final motivation check out these before and afters from the creation of this space:

HGTV

HGTV

 See? I told you not to turn down free furniture!

Now go forth and organize your home office. Let us know how it goes on twitter, pinterest @jemcolborne or instagram @writersthriftersanddrifters!

How to be thrifty this holiday season

So, I’m using the politically correct terminology here and calling it the “holiday season”. I want this information to be applicable to anyone, anywhere because being thrifty can be applied to any aspect of your life! I’m going to be frank with you readers, I celebrate Christmas. To be even more frank with you, I am not religious. My enjoyment of the holiday season has little to do with any theological belief. I enjoy the spirit of December; the decorating, the baking, and the celebrating so take what you will from this post and add it to your already expert knowledge of thrifting!

Shop Your Local Craft Sales

 

This past weekend I went to a huge craft sale in my area. Thanks to Etsy, a lot of what used to remind of us our grandmothers is right back in (think: knitting & crocheting).  There were chunky, knitted infinity scarves that you would pay $70 for online for $25. There were mountains of beautiful homemade afghans, rugs, mittens and socks. Knitted dishcloths were 3 for $1! I wanted it all and I didn’t have to factor shipping into the overall cost! My haul included two beautiful, handmade pottery dishes (perfect size for rings and jewelry on the bedside table) for $1/each. A sizeable beeswax candle in a mason jar for $5 (a total steal if you are familiar with beeswax candle pricing! Plus, beeswax candles cleanse the air while burning instead of emitting toxins like regular candles! Thrifty and eco-chic!).  An adorable stained glass Christmas tree for $2. My “splurge” items that went over the $5 mark were an amazing glass dish in the shape of a heart for $20 and two decorative oversized pinecones on spikes for $4/each. 

Shop the “End of Season” Deals

 

I know, I know, the last thing you want to do after the holiday season is over is re-invest more money into the holiday season. You’ve spent enough money on gifts and outfits for holiday parties and all you want to do now is curl up in front of the TV with Friends re-runs and eggnog.  If you can get yourself off the couch and in to a store you’ll find you can get some major deals! You’ll save an arm and a leg on holiday decorations whether its lights, wrapping paper, décor items or ornaments the big box stores want that merch gone and they’re marking it down to move.

 

Make Your Own Decorations

 

Pinterest has a plethora of holiday season inspired DIYs. What’s even better is that a lot of the DIYs are made of crafty items that can be purchased at the dollar store! Not only will they look better than the junk sold at the big box stores but they’ll cost you a fraction of the price.

 

Take Inspiration from Nature

If you have a front porch (sorry - apartment living doesn’t exactly lend to this kind of decorating) make up a cute decorative planter. The nice thing is that you can have some green on your porch without worrying about it dying in the cold winter weather! Combine greenery (last year I stole the bottom branches off my Christmas tree), dogwood (those trendy red sticks you see everywhere at this time of year) and either buy or make some pinecones or stars on sticks to add a little character to the display. I usually finish mine off with a big red bow from the dollar store. Last year I purchased some cute faux snowflakes and blue ribbon to tie around the pot. If you can’t get out of the city to scavange some greenery and sticks you’ll probably have to buy it at the farmers market. 

This year I took the dogs out back at my boyfriend’s parents place to get the greenery and sticks I needed. I ended up finding some really cool dried flowers I’m going to add! Of course, the dogs decided it was a great day for a November swim. Brrr!