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For today’s Tuesday Morning Tidy, I'm sharing the first phase of designing our Home Office. Ironically, despite the fact that my husband and I are both working from home, we are not using this space! More on that later…
This project began last spring about a week before we had some renovations completed on the first floor of our two story home. We realized that with new flooring going in, it was the right time to paint what was at that point still a playroom on our first floor. The long term plan for this particular space was always to be a family office where adults could work, kids could do homework, everyone could read and some toys could be stored. So, my husband got to work and painted the room to coordinate with the rest of the first floor. It has a basic gray/beige on all the walls, and a darker tone to add coziness.
We then ripped up the carpet, applied Kilz to where the last owner’s cat had left a still-lingering mark in the carpet pad and floorboards underneath (yuck!), and moved most of the toys to the basement playroom. After we had beautiful wood floors installed, we returned an Ikea Kallax and a ladder shelf to the space to house a few toys and board games. We planned to really get to work furnishing the room after Thanksgiving as we planned to use the space as a second dining area to host a large family gathering.
Cue the search for a desk. After the holidays, I started visiting consignment shops and scouring Facebook for an “old,” but functional, large desk. Using keywords like “Executive Desk,” “Antique Desk” and “Wood Desk,” I found some promising options, but nothing I was excited about. This continued until COVID hit. Fortunately, our still empty room was ready to serve as a distance learning classroom. The kids sat on bean bags, used lap desks for worksheets, and we set up a laptop on a small table. It was a perfect solution!
After the school year concluded, and I received word that my remote work would likely continue for some time, I began the search again for a desk. It was a magical Saturday morning when I found it! It checked all of the boxes--it was relatively new, but made of reclaimed wood (so, “old” in a different way). It’s very large--almost 70” wide! It hides components well, which was important since this is the first thing you see when entering our home from the front door. And...it is beautiful! Click here if you’re interested in purchasing one for your home, though I’m thrilled that we found a barely used one nearby for a fraction of the original price!
I quickly added a few other items to the room that I’d been waiting to order until we purchased a desk:
Young House Love declared this the “Magic Rug”
You’ll notice that I am still in need of a desk chair, which explains why my husband and I are not using the space right now. The reason for the delay is due to one fact-- the desk is very tall. And I am not. So, that means that only certain chairs (those with a max height of at least 22”) will work with our new desk. And I take great pleasure in combing websites and stores for the perfect looking and functioning chair, which I have not yet found. So, I’m still working at an old table in our master bedroom.
Other items that we would like to add:
Credenza (to go behind the desk to house a printer and other office equipment and supplies)
Reading Chair
Reading Lamp
Frames for large prints
When this is all complete, I’ll share a final update of the space with links to the items above that we purchase. If you have any suggestions for a favorite reading chair that is comfortable but not too large, please send it my way at andshewrites2@gmail.com!
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