Office Makeover Planning

I have achieved the impossible in our cramped home: a room of my own in which to work. I feel like Virginia Woolf would pat me on the back.

In the last five years I have gone from the sofa to the attic to the bedroom and finally took over half of the playroom. And while I am happiest with the space in here the children were not impressed. My equipment made it impossible for them to get at their toys and having them play in here while I work is less than ideal.

Given that they haven’t been able to get to most of their toys over the last few years I knew this had to change so over the Christmas break we began the process of making a change. I lacked storage for my equipment and they lacked access to their toys while upstairs we had and Expedit shelving unit filled with all sorts of bits and bobs.

Tackling the Expedit was the first task and surprisingly easy to cull. Books and videos which hadn’t been touched in years went along with a fibreglass bust of Julius Caesar (why?) and other detritus we were hanging onto through lack of consideration rather than any need. There is still much to be done here but with the bottom half now empty we moved the toys and games upstairs. Having been paired down to just the items which are played with over and over along with a few extras for visiting babies, everything fit easily. If you’ve been following my vlogs you will have seen this whole process play out.

Which now leaves me with a whole room to myself, shelving to take my equipment, the Blogtacular Shop and more. I feel quite giddy at the prospect!

My next step is rethinking the space I have. Currently everything is a bit topsy turvy and in piles over every available surface, as you can see, it’s not pretty.

Plans

Firstly, the layout needs to change. My desk wasn’t always facing into the room but it works quite well for Skype calls and I do a lot of them.

 

 

Decoration

Going to keep the decor super simple and go for white floors, ceiling and walls. Despite it being one of the coldest rooms in the house I love the impact of white floor boards so much that I’m going for it.

My decorator informs me that painting over yellow is going to take several coats so I’m glad I’ll be out of the country and not drumming my finger to get back in the room! I’ll be heading down to B&Q for the materials and leaving him to it for a week.

I have so much colour in my room accessories I think the white won’t feel too stark but it will provide a neutral canvass when I’m shooting. I’m adding a rug (more on that in a moment) so there’s warmth, texture and importantly a soft surface for sound purposes when I record my podcast.

 

Furniture

I am keeping the majority of the room the same. My amazing pink Sofa isn’t going anywhere and neither is the bureau which houses all of our paper goods. The space either side of the chimney are already shelved and will be used for storage.

The large dining table is going. I am a bit gutted about this because it is so beautiful but it attracts clutter and has a large footprint. The little formica kitchen table I use as a desk will stay to be used as a shooting table when needed.

The big changes here will be the desk and chair. I’m looking for something a little more simple which will sit nicely in the space. This is my desk mood board:

1. IKEA LILLÅSEN £115 2. West Elm Mid-Century Desk £499  3. IKEA Alex Desk £120

I’m still not sure which way I’m going to go on a desk. Ideally I’d have a large one across the back wall which I could zone but experience tells me this will just become a new place to dump stuff so I’m sticking with something on the small side.

If I didn’t buy new my first choice would be a Mid-Century desk with drawers and visible legs. I actually have a desk from this era with two solid pedestals but I feel it would be a bit dominating in the space. Perhaps I should try it once the room is settled. Lots to think about, I’d be interested to know what you think would work.

1. West Elm Ashik Wool Rug £499 2. West Elm Helvetica Chair £349

3. John Lewis May Office Chair £199 4. IKEA Erik Drawers £35

I’m far more certain about the accessories. In fact I bought the Ashik rug this morning as it’s on special. I’ve been hankering after it since I saw it in store a few months ago and it hasn’t been helped by my friend Rachel buying one and posting the prettiest pictures. I actually only went to the page to link it this morning and seeing it on special made up my mind.

My old office chair is beginning to come apart at the seams. Considering I snagged it for a fiver it’s done pretty well but it’s time for a fresh look. I’m torn over whether to white or for something with a little more colour. My instincts tell me white could look worn quite quickly. I’m even considering if I need wheels on my chair at all (I quite fancy the West Elm Saddle Chair).

One decision I’m not in confusion over is the need to put a filing system in place. Currently it’s as haphazard as the rest of the room but not for long. I’m determined to get myself organised so there are places to put everything which is currently towering over me.

That’s the overview of my plan. I’m hoping the now cleared shelving will take care of the general storage issues. What do you think I’ve missed? What would you do in the space?