An inspired office space doesn't come from a "buy the room"-style retailer, it comes from its user carefully curating invigorating pieces that are as useful as they are unique. Lucky for us, even uniqueness has a cheat cheat. Whether you want to spend $46 or just re-use this morning's empty cereal box, there's a surprising and cool solution in here for you. Check it out.
A Straw Dispenser
Great for: An alternative to a boring pencil cup.
Get it: Museum of Useful Things, $18
A Restaurant Order Rail
Great for: A place to keep stray papers or hang up a large document or calendar for display.
Get it: Museum of Useful Things, $46
A Test Tube Rack
Great for: Giving pens or a colorful collection of markers or colored pencils a gallery-like display.
Get it: Museum of Useful Things, $28
Loaf Pans
Great for: Inexpensively diving a drawer into compartments
Get it: From your local bake shop for $1-$3.
A Vintage Lunch Tray
Great for: Using as a desk organizer, whether hidden in a drawer or left out to look gorgeous.
Get it: From vintage Etsy sellers.
IKEA's VURM Wine Rack
Great for: Storing magazines or large documents, like blueprints, rolled into document tube mailers.
Get it: Discontinued at IKEA US, but you can snag one at IKEA's overseas websites for around $10.
A Cereal Box
Great for: An inexpensive drawer organizer you can customize to fit anything.
Get it: Use this guide to DIY your own.
Ice Cube Tray
Great for: Keeping small trinkets like paper clips and push pins tidy inside a desk drawer.
Get it: At your local dollar store.
Bottle Ice Cube Tray
Great for: Stashing papers, envelopes and receipts upright on your desk top.
Get it: Amazon.com, $7.21
(Images: Museum of Useful Things [1,2,3], Real Simple [1,2,3], Organize a Desk Drawer with a Cereal Box, 10 Ways to Use Kitchen Storage in the Office, Etsy seller Scmintage)
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I loved this post! So many clever ideas. I love the loaf pan and order rail suggestions. Those little loaf pans have come in very handy around my home. Never count anything out!
VURM isn't discontinued here in LA - I was at two Ikea's over the weekend and both had big bins of them in the Kitchen section
I love it! I generally despise big box office supply store organization and desktop accessories and prefer to use other items.
Straw Dispenser (exactly as pictured) for under $8: http://bit.ly/TW47ct
I tend to use rustic pottery pieces for some office essentials, mainly pens, pencils, scissors, etc. They're sturdy and colorful, and you can often find some terrific looking pieces for little money at crafts fairs, secondhand shops, etc.