
I was so delighted to do this office for reader Katherine both because I have a soft spot for tiny home offices, and also because I am not immune to flattery. Wonder what I’m talking about? Here’s what she wrote:
Jess, I loved the way you put together an office for an entry way for Denise and realized that would be the ideal solution for my house. My husband and I live in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment, but we have a big hall with a bit of an alcove space. So, I could tuck my office in there, and as long as I keep things tidy, it’ll be the perfect spot for me to work from home between now and when we move in about 8 months.
Because the office will be semi-temporary, I’d like furnishings that I can use in a different room later, or stuff that won’t cost much. You’ll be able to see the space from the living room, so I’d like the styles to coordinate. Right now, the walls are white, and we can’t paint, but maybe there’s something else we could do to warm the space up? The living room is pretty glitzy–I like all things metallic, shiny, and Hollywood glam.
Can’t wait to see what you do with the space!
Here’s what I put together for Katherine:
Here’s the plan:
If you, too, are squeezing a home office into a small space, what are some of your favorite tips? And, what do you think of the plan for Katherine’s hallway home office?
(Psst… Want to get your own custom mood board? If you happen to be in the mood for a board of your own, click here to score some home office decorating advice for yourself.)

Inspired by Meredith’s post about Great Books to Read Aloud With Your Kids, I started thinking which print books are must-haves around my office. Yes, I know, with the Internet, I can always find the information I need without cracking open a book, but I think reference books are important for two reasons–one, the internet doesn’t always work
and two, it’s often faster to just go straight to the “source” instead of figuring out which of 80.000,000 results you’re going to rely on for your answer.
Besides that, I often like to work with the router unplugged to avoid the distractions of Twitter and Facebook completely, and when I go online to do research, it’s much more tempting to follow a rabbit hole than it is when I simply open up a book and look up the answer. So, those are my reasons for having a print reference library (I’d love to hear yours!), but what five books are on my most-turned-to list?
So, those are my five top favorites. What are yours? Or are you an internet-only kind of researcher?
***Links in this post are Amazon affiliate links which means you’re supporting GirlyPC when you use them to buy one of these books. We appreciate that!***

I wanted to share a great article and two awesome tutorials with you today.
First up, Real Simple published a lovely collection of 21 home office spaces that are carved out of other rooms–from bedrooms to kitchens to entry ways. I do wonder about their suggestion to tuck an office into a nursery, though! But the photos are full of great ideas and hints for making the most of the space you have. And I love the idea to use acrylic furnishings for a “disappearing” office!
Yesterday, when I was looking for knobs for Ana’s secretary plans, I came upon a set that fell into the “cute idea; ho-hum execution” category for me. I loved the idea that they were monogramed, but didn’t love the typeface. So, when I ran across this charming tutorial for making your own drawer knobs, I had to share both with you. I have a tall chest here in my office with five drawers and I think it’d look really cute alternating letters and clip art for the knobs to help me remember what’s inside.
And, finally, who couldn’t use more storage? These fabric cubes are easy to make and I love how customizable they are–from size to fabric, you can make them exactly the way you need them. I save cereal boxes for the cardboard, too, so I had some stashed and could get started right away.
Any links, articles or tutorials that have caught your attention so far this week?