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:
- The Harlequin Accent Jute Rug from Linda Anderson has a clean, graphic look that’ll look great underfoot.
- A built-in desk will make the most of the space, and it’s really easy to do. What’s more, by attaching the work surface directly to the wall on three sides, you’ll keep things from falling behind it. Because Katherine’s husband is handy, and they’re allowed to hang things on the walls (they just can’t paint), this is a project that they’ll be able to complete in a few hours that’ll save them some money and maximize the space. They’ll use a piece of laminate counter (with plywood or MDF underneath), custom cut to the dimensions of the space and installed with the appropriate supports.
- The French Honeycomb Mirror from Wisteria is the perfect size for the space. The playful style brings a sense of freshness, yet it’s still got the glitzyness that the rest of Katherine’s home has.
- The CB2 Trig cabinet will slide under the desk to keep Katherine’s desk supplies and files handy. In Titanium, of course!
- A Patent Leather Ottoman from Brocade Home will be both comfy to sit on, and look great under the desk. Of course, ottomans are pretty easy to move around the house and this one will fit right in at the new house’s bedroom, living room, or office. There’d be room for two under the desk.
- A single-stem orchid from Pro Flowers–because fresh flowers make the office so much nicer
. - The Gabrielle table lamp from Z Gallerie will shine plenty of light on the workspace, and will fit right in with the living room furnishings after the move.
- Organization accessories: the People+Places Set, Signature Three Ring Binder (with dry-erase board on the inside to make it extra useful) and Collator are all from Russel + Hazel. The Action Runner is from Behance.
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?
- The AP Stylebook. I’ve mentioned my magazine background, and it was my very first internship where I learned the importance of a really good stylebook. They used AP, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. If you do any writing during the day, a book like this can help keep your writing style consistent so you’re not referring to Website in one paragraph and web site in another. (Though, I’ll admit, online, there are reasons to write it both ways, and I use email instead of the AP prescribed e-mail… So, in other words, use a stylebook, but don’t wed yourself to it.)
- The Oxford American Dictionary (full set). I have all 20 volumes on my bookshelf, but really, any good dictionary will do. When I was a kid, I used to read the dictionary when I ran out of books, so I splurged. (Weird, I know. But, it was illustrated, if that makes this revelation any better.)
- The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus. I seldom use this one, but every so often, I absolutely must have a good synonym for a word, and I’m always glad I can turn to a print thesaurus instead of a web search.
- Flip Dictionary. Billed as the book, “For when you know what you want to say, but can’t think of the word,” I find this resource to be far more useful than my thesaurus. I think it’s in the way the words and concepts are linked, so you’ll want to find the resource that suits your thinking style best (though, really, I don’t think you can go wrong by having both a reverse dictionary and a thesaurus on your shelf). This is the style of resource that I find is most lacking online.
- The Elements of Style. The fifty-year-old classic continues to be a must-have writing resource. Jim Lehrer said, “Only something to actually write about trumps the list of what is required to put words together in some kind of coherent way.” Assuming you have something to write about , this book will help you assemble your thoughts coherently.
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?
