Creating a home office can sometimes be a daunting experience, especially if you don’t know where to start. Having a plan and executing that plan can be two very different things. Our home office has been no exception. We now have a permanent office in our basement, but it originally started out in one of our spare rooms. It worked perfectly till the birth of our son, which forced us to make a change. Ours didn’t look nearly as beautiful as this picture down below, but I am sharing this image with you to show you what’s possible in most homes with correct use of space.
The equation to a great office is: Flat work space + office chair + storage = a home office! It’s really that simple. Or is it? I think there are some really important things to think about when creating the space.
What Am I Using This Space For (Present and Future)?
Is this space going to be for writing, computer work, or huge layouts like crafts or scrap booking? Knowing and anticipating how you will use the space will help you develop a plan for the scale of working space that you will need. When we created our home office we wanted to have a large desk to work on. Mr. Holmsey uses it for computer work, as well working on various projects. I used to do a lot of scrap booking years ago, so we created my “own” side for that. Although at various times of the year Darryl’s stuff seems to migrate further over onto on my side. Not sure about that yet…. I haven’t really been using my side since I restored that 1880’s antique table and set up an office in my living room. Our desk is almost 10 ft. long so it required a special piece of 1 1/4 inch plywood. We painted it grey to match the file cabinets we found. Although if I were to do it over, I would use the filing cabinets that make up our coffee table instead. The wood is super strong and of course Darryl built the frame for it to sit on very strong as well. Surprise, Surprise… So strong, I can easily stand on it to get things on the top shelf and it will not break.
Plan For The Wires
Mr. Holmsey thought of the idea behind the white boxes that you can see in the back of the desk. He made the boxes out of wood and installed piano hinges so they would be able to flip-up. Inside we store all of our power bars, wires, cell phone chargers, etc. This keeps it all tidy and tucked away. The whole unit is wired with power outlets on the outside and inside that power the lights, powerbars, backup batteries, hard drives and all the other stuff that lives in the base cabinets. The charges and printers are controlled by a switch, so they can be turned off and not use any power when not in use. We tried to incorporate “green thinking” into our plans whenever we can.
Give Yourself MORE Storage Than You Think You Will Need
I really like it when everything is organized and I have a place for everything. I have learned over the last few years that I am only successful with this when I have more than enough space for my belongings. This is achieved through dealing with my clutter and only storing what I really need to keep in its own location. You may want to do a real good purge first to decide what you actually have to store before going ahead with the planning process. My side of the cupboards are pretty organized. Could it be better organized? Yes, it totally could! I don’t use my side very much, so I have placed most of my office supplies like ribbon, tapes, scrapbook embellishments, pens, stapler, etc. in white storage boxes so they are out of sight. If you do a lot of scrap booking, gift wrapping or crafts then this type of office would attract you. As for our design, we really wanted a very clean backdrop with very little visual distraction. Open shelving can look great, if setup and maintained properly, but in our case we really wanted to be able to close the doors.
Great job to LuLuCrafter’s great design for all her ribbon, glitter, paper. Everything is organized by colour and mounted above the desk for easy reach. Some other great storage ideas don’t always have to be your typical storage boxes with lids. I like to think outside the box (no pun intended) when it comes to ideas pertaining to storage.
I really like these antique Pepsi crates. This is such a good way to re-use items found at flea markets and antique stores. Fewer items in the land fill.
This is soooo cool. There shouldn’t be a problem here having enough storage for your office supplies laid out this way. I love the modern sleek design of it. Very Unique I must say.
Find Ways To Store Your Printer And Fax Machines In A Way That Is Useful For You
We wanted to design our home office so that our electronics were tucked way. We simply installed rolling shelves to have a place for all our printers, etc. When they are not in use they out of sight and out of mind. If you do use your printer or fax machine a lot, but still want them tucked away, then this is still a really good option for you. All it would take is to slide them out with one hand and they would be ready to go. In our case none of the printers see regular use (we try to have a paperless office), so this solution works well for us.
Make The Most Of Your Space
We knew we wanted to build our cabinets wide as well as tall. We started by building a frame for the cabinet doors to be installed on, and then installed cabinets shelves made of plywood (sanded smooth and painted). We saw these cabinet doors at the Salvage Yard and knew that they would be perfect for our space. I think they cost us $10 each door (including hinges) and they were in perfect condition. I would encourage you to check out used building yards like this to find great deals that are quality and at less than a 1/3 of the price that you would pay for them new, and it is also a “greener” way of building. We also designed shallower under desk cabinets to get the most storage possible out of the space.
Good Lighting Is Key
We have three very large windows in our basement facing North and West, although they are shaded by a second floor patio. We felt we could always use more lighting right in front of us when we are working or writing. So Darryl installed lighting under the upper cabinets. They provide great backlighting when using the desk space, day or night. They are not ideal for evening computer use, as the backlighting can be hard on the eyes. In that case we use the room lights or desk lamps for more indirect lighting. We wanted the space to reflect openness and brightness. We installed panelling on the wall behind the desk to compliment the tall cabinet doors and long handles emphasizing the over all height of the space. Being filled with vibrancy and lightness plays a very important role for a room that is located in the basement which would normally not give efficient light.
We have throughly enjoyed having this office to work in. It is 2 floors away from our children’s rooms so it is definitely a space away from it all when one of us needs a place for peace and quiet. Having a place in your home where you can go to have some time for yourself, read, or work is a wonderful thing and should be considered a luxury. Setting up an office a few times has taught us what works for us and what doesn’t. Remember, an office is only great if it works for you. It can look really great on the outside, but if it doesn’t meet your needs, functionally or creatively, then it’s time for some changes. In the end it will be so worth it when you have put in the time reflecting on what you actually need. Here’s to some great office’s created this January! Cheers! Wanna show off yours? This is your chance.