Three years ago, I thought I'd be working from home temporarily as a transition from maternity leave back to office life. But as my graphic design business grew and grew, I happily realized my home office was here to stay — but I'd need to make some big changes if the space was really going to function as a full-time studio.
While I love more things than I can count about working from home, it does present challenges — not the least of which is the blurring of lines between work and family life. While time management is part of that difficulty, I found it easier to conquer than the simple fact of how messy a house can get when there is a toddler on the loose. That force of entropy, frustrating and yet tolerable at home, was a big problem in my office where projects and deadlines demand organization … or at the very least, a clean surface.
I used to look to the creative chaos of artists' studios to help justify my own sometimes-messy process, but it was becoming more and more obvious that the space was simply not functional. I enlisted the help of organization professional (and fellow Apartment Therapy Boston blogger) Kyle Freeman of Cloud 9 Organize & Redesign, who suggested more storage — LOTS more storage. She also had the brilliant suggestion to remove the closet doors which did wonders for opening up the space. We came up with a plan for setting up the room that involved a whole lot more furniture, but surprisingly left the room feeling more open than it did originally. I came in at about $500 for the whole project, opting for inexpensive pieces from Ikea and Staples that could be repurposed in other parts of the house if I do eventually move to an office outside of my house.
While organizing the space stretched from the 3 days I'd estimated spending, into three weeks, and then over a month, the cleared out room is more valuable to my sanity than all the time in the world spent pulling my hair out over cleaning. There are still a few things to do, re-think, and decorate, but it's now a calm space to work and think and almost forget about the 12-foot-long toy train track being attacked by a slew of wild stuffed animals right outside the office door.
MORE OF MY HOME OFFICE:
Before & After: An Open, Reorganized Closet
RESOURCES:
Cloud 9 Organize & Redesign: Affordable Design Service
Images: Sarah Rainwater
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Great work! Where are the narrow/tall white drawers from in the 5th picture?? I've been looking for some small drawers just like those!
I honestly wish the walls were painted a color. This kind of reminds me of the rental studio I lived in after college.
I actually love the white walls - clean, airy, and bright. A perfect canvas for creativity!
I like that a person can see out the window from either chair. Working at a desk without a view can seem like punishment after a while.
Very nice! I also like the white walls and you could paint the shelves in a bright color (red,orange,blue,yellow) to give the room a pop.
This looks like a place I would not like to work in everyday.
what kind of design business is this person running..... hopefully not interior
I can relate to the chaos of working at home with a toddler and can see how helpful it would be to wrestle this space into submission. Great job!
It's an interesting space. Although it's not really my taste I can appreciate how calm and organised it looks. It strikes me every time how much tidier a small space can be with upward storage.
@ mckernanb: It looks to me like Ikea's ALEX drawer unit.
I don't get the negative comments; not all tastes are alike. What if someone hired a decorator asking for exactly this room? would that mean the decorator failed? Besides, it seems to me this person was after functionality above other factors.
mckernanb, the stack of drawers is from the Alex line at Ikea. I've got a couple of the shorter ones along with the wide-drawer unit. I love, love, love them!
Read the post people, she clearly states she's a graphic designer.
Love the desk.
Sadly the space is way too dull to get much work done...it looks more like a place for punishment. Granted the space before was more cluttered at least it looked happy and inspired.
I clicked on all the images and though...'where are the after photo's'.
I have those same IKEA shelving units. It sways. How do you keep them safe?
Your essay is good except for the spelling???????
@moondust, it was spam.
I know, Miami's Elaine, it was a very lame attempt of a sarcastic comment. Sorry :))) I just see too many spams lately and I find them so annoying you know?
I like it, but it's awfully neutral. If it were my office, I'd add some color with a quilt on the wall, a colorful rug, or some flowers.
@moondust, agreed.
I mean, about the spam being very annoying.