Before and After: Small Office Space Turned Reading Nook

I have to admit it—this area of my home has always been a problem for me. I’ve reworked it, redesigned it, added shelves, painted walls— pretty much everything you can think of— in order to make it liveable without removing that dreaded desk. Each redesign, I was happy with the area for roughly three days, until I realized that I still hated the desk and I still didn’t understand why the previous owner of our condo would glue and screw a desk to the wall.

My husband and I recently decided to stay in our condo for the next two years, instead of moving to a new house this year. As soon as we made that decision, the desk was history, and we came up with an entirely new room plan.

In order to remove the desk, we had to first remove the six inch screws that held it to the space, and then pry the piece away from the foundation, which was heavily glued—you know, in case it wanted to run away? The baseboards were added in pieces after the desk was installed, so we ended up with three segments of baseboard and two gaping holes at the base of the wall. After chipping those out (which were also glued), patching, and painting the wall, we found matching baseboard to fill the space, and replaced the old outlet plates with brand new white ones.

The heavy desk ruined the hardwood floors forever, but hopefully in time we will be able to save the money to have them restored. What became of all of that useful drawer storage you say? We simply organized and tossed the junk! Our dining room table, which we never used to begin with, was converted into my “desk,” and can easily be converted back with a quick move of the computer.

I think these changes will keep me satisfied for two more years!

Re-edited from a post originally published 2.4.14-NT