apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

oh i feel you - except i don't have two screens - i have one desktop and one laptop, and also a lot of clutter.

one tip, and i know it's not the most beautiful solution but it works for me, is track shelving. bf and i shut off a door in our second bedroom (it had become the hallway from the livingroom to the restroom and was not at all good for overnight guests) and we have just put track shelving on top/in front of it. if you're not putting a whole bunch of heavy stuff, you can sit the shelf in front of the door - there will be a bit of space between the shelf and the wall-that-is-not-door but it's something i can live with. luckily, for me, our frame is not moulding - it's just a flat peice of wood - so it might work better for me.

Check out the last (*tear!) issue of Blueprint - it has some great desk set-ups using non-standard pieces.

p.s. you can also paint the track shelving to match your wall color and it is a little less ugly. :)

You could consider getting a large desk or flat board of your choice (sized to fit the area if you can). Then you can hide the plastic organizer under it, along with a trash can, and you will have enough space for the two monitors. I would just put up one shelf, maybe along the corner for the printer and the scanner. Good luck!

Are you allowed to mount shelving hardware on the door frame? I think that should be solid enough to run two Elfa-style tracks vertically on the door frame, and then you can put shelves up. I think it would be pretty easy to fill in the holes with putty and paint when you leave.

If that's possible, I would get a larger desk stretching all the way to the dresser. This way, the door would be right in the center and you could put up some patterned paper on the door behind your shelving (not wallpaper, but something removable).

Nicer looking drawers under the desk would be good.

Get a desk with drawers for starters. Then add some shelves above the desk area. Maybe even consider Ikea kitchen cabinets above, for built-in closed storage.

Sorry -- I just saw that you can't pound nails into the wall. Maybe put a bookshelf on top of the desk instead??

I would get a desk with file and pencil drawers and a pull out writing tablet to help clean up excess clutter on top of your desk. (Old steelcase desks can be purchased cheaply at office surplus stores, thriftshops or even craigslist.)

Above your desk I would mount cabinets doors and place your printer, scanner, CPU unit, external HD in as well as anything else you use on a regular basis. Mount lights underneath the wallmounted cabinets. This will not only light your space for work but will also clean up your desktop because it will replace any need for a desklamp.

What is in the inside that door? Is it space that can be used for storage (your desk should be slid down so you have acess to the closet, it looks awkward anyway)? If so I would suggest placing a file cabinet or highboy dresser in there and using it to store all your office supplies.

If you cannot access the door I would simply cover that door with more cabinetry (go floor to ceiling). This not only disguise the fact the door is there but also give you much more storage space.

I suggest you either go to the kitchen section of IKEA to buy your cabinetry or go to premade kitchen cabinet section of Home Depot or Lowes (lowes has a better selection). Going to a store that specializes in Office furniture (like Biff) will not only be more exspensive but will not offer you as wide a selection of styles to choose from.

Good Luck. This project looks like a lot of fun!

I think the key here is new furniture. Put everything that is in those two sets of plastic drawers into something solid and more permanent: a single chest of drawers to go next to the other one, a bookshelf/shelving unit with pull-out boxes, a file cabinet. I don't know what's in those drawers, but having two sets is visually annoying.

Buy a hutch. It's not shelves that go into the wall, but it will still leave room to put the scanner, the printer, the computer tower. If you can't find a hutch, I'd still go with stacked shelving. You ultimately need more surface space, and shelves in the form of furniture would do it. A desk with drawers would help as well. You could put the trash can underneath when you're done.

it looks to me like you need a larger desk. i like the comment of looking for one that spans the entire space up to the dresser. this should make it easier to work. as for storage, i would look at IKEA for their storage pedestals on casters so you can move them out of the way when needed.

also, it looks like you could mount two vertical tracks to hold the shelves on the door frame, or right inside the frame and still get a good amount of shelving space.

I try to closet the whole area. One section for your wardrobe, another for your office, from ceiling to floor to Maximize space. I like the doors on the Ikea Pax unit they are translucent and could hide your office away so you don't have to look at it while you try to relax. Add some back lighting for a soft glow at night.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09850336

how much space is there? I have this unit...
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_9990000085452711P?vName=For the Home&cName=Furniture %26 Storage&sName=Office
I don't have the glass door on right now. I have pretty colored storage boxes containing all the other office supplies.

Wait? There's a "tear" issue of Blueprint out? In Weddings? Where?

Okay, first of all, buy a desk. Judging from your stuff, you need an actual desk desk with tons of drawers...not a table.

oh yeah, the side shelves look small in the pic, but one cubby would fit a printer.

Yeah, with two monitors, a longer desktop would help with the cramped feel. If it were me, I'd adhere cork to the inside of the filled-in door (or a fabric-covered message board) to make it look purposeful and architectural.

If you're going to mount shelves, the little wall on the left would be a great space to utilize at a 90º angle to the desk.

Good luck! Small home offices can be so sweet and cozy. My husband and I made an office out of a small closet, and we love it.

Whoa, so many great ideas! I'm going to get to work on this right away, and hopefully get an update in here at some point.

Thanks so much, everyone!

YOU CAN DO IT!! BE STRONG!

i know how you feel though with the chaos. i feel like this everytime i see my work desk. there is just no space. and i don't have a wall to put shelving on either. you need shelving anf lots and lots of it.

put a wall mounted desk accross that door and fill in the space above your two computer screens (you are in graphic design or drafting of some sort are you not? i have a matching pair... hard to fit into small spaces!) with shelves just big enough to have paper piles and files on them as many as will fit up to the roof.

then have a built in set of cabinets or drawers so you can have the same effect as the drawers minus the ug factor.

GOOD LUCK!

it looks like you have a bit of wall on both ends of your desk area...what i would do is mount shelves that are bracketed on the ends, in front of the door. you could then bypass the back wall completely. if you're worried about things falling behind it you could add trim at the back of the shelves around the door, attaching it to the shelves to minimize holes. you could either mount a piece of plywood in a similar fashion (plus supports for weight bearing ability) or you could do like i did a buy table legs at a salvage store and attach them to some wood. then you wouldn't worry about drilling a hole in it for wires, and you can buy cheap wire casing and staple it to the bottom of the desk.

obviously this is all time consuming and requires handiness...but i think it would turn out well.

Did anybody else notice the stuffed animal on top of the printer? He's all, "I can't take it anymore!" *collapse* haha!!

Get your home office out of your bedroom!!!

(If possible.)

But other than the actual equipment, what do you need to store?

Paper? Books? Samples?

Identify, wrangle and weed that BEFORE you start mountin' shelves or buying more storage boxes.

Horse, cart, in that order.

Listen to p(too), whose wisdom I'm about to expand on.

First, evaluate what you need the space to accomplish:

--What needs to be STORED that doesn't need to be right there?
--What needs to be STORED but close at hand because you use it regularly?
--What needs to be RIGHT THERE in plain sight because you use it constantly and/or are incapable of putting it away?
--What kind of SURFACE do you need to be able to work efficiently?
--What LIGHT do you need?
--What VISUAL STIMULUS do you need to feel happy? (Bulletin boards with swatches, etc.)
--What CONVENIENCES do you need to be productive? (Phone? Stereo?)

Work all this out, including minimum sizes; and definitely cull unneeded stuff first. The project will be so much easier if you're not trying to find space for crap. Long-term files should be moved to low-priority storage. Things you need should be within easy reach.

Now, second -- the biggest mistake people make is accumulating all sorts of unmatched bits of storage, all different heights, all smallish (because those were affordable), all different materials. The result never looks pulled together, and it never works all that well, either. On the other hand, unless you can get your life into a single hutch, one massive storage unit is not usually the best solution for a renter because it doesn't move well to other places.

This is why IKEA exists -- so you can do modular, matching, coordinated, flexible storage without breaking the bank. While I'm not usually an IKEA fan, this kind of project is what they're best at. First runner-up is Container Store, though it's harder to pull together doors and drawers there. If you hate those options, you still need to look for something that will Do It All in the fewest separate pieces.

Can't wait to see the transformation! I am partial to the "hide it" method- this is a similar desk to what I have: http://www.potterybarn.com/gift/thm/thmhofsey/index.cfm

You have some extensive equiptment- so I am not sure if it would work, but maybe with a side table/file cab/shelf unit or drawers. But remember part of the cure is to get rid of stuff you really aren't using. GOOD LUCK!

Look into getting monitor arms or dual lcd monitor stands.
The backs of LCDs are standard sizes so you can often get stands that hold two monitors.