(Isn't my new rug cute? It's this one from Wayfair.) However, it's not actually a pleasant place to sit all day - those chairs kinda suck (despite the butt pillow I bought which is beloved by cats) and the table is too high for comfortable typing. There's also the big issue about trying to work in the middle of everything in a fairly open-plan house. It was not ideal and I also got really sick of seeing all my work stuff on the dining room table 24/7. I mean:
Ugh, that is a mess. Something had to change! With encouragement from Marianne I set a budget and bought a cheap-ass desk:
It's tiny, but sturdy enough for what I need and it folds up, so when I don't need it anymore I can stash it under a bed or whatever. Now, you're probably wondering where this cheap-ass desk is going! Our house has a little den with a fireplace that we'd envisioned being a cozy little TV room but we just hadn't found the right furniture for it yet. For, like, two years. It happens. It's such a cute room but had become the dumping ground for empty boxes and future thrift store donations.
Look at this mess. I decided to take the wall we'd earmarked for a future sofa and make that my office space:
I took a bunch of junk to the thrift store, found better places for some other stuff and actually hung some artwork like a GD adult person. Wanna see what it looks like now?
It's not fancy, but it's such an improvement. I liberated my office chair from work and brought it home for better butt comfort! I also bought a good stand for my laptop so I could stop using a stack of dusty books. Here's my desktop so you can see what fits:
The cute hanging calendar was handmade by my talented younger sister, so you can't have it, sorry! However, I also bought a few cute office supplies from Target (the fun Yoobi notebook and a gold wire letter tray) and I am kicking myself for not getting some pretty new file folders too! I also need a desk pad (Edit: bought it, love it) to replace my sad old mouse pad.
So, with a budget of $150, I managed to create a tiny little workspace that is pleasant and functional. Obviously I borrowed a bunch of stuff from around the house but it surprised me how little I needed to feel comfortable and productive. PS. Please don't tell me you did all this two months ago because I KNOW. I just didn't really think it'd still be working from home for this long! Please remind me in October that I said that, okay?
We just got a WFH stipend so I ordered a chair! (I was dying on my dining room chair.) But you've inspired me with the laptop stand! (Been home since March, btw.)
ReplyDeleteThat makes me feel less like a slacker. Enjoy your new chair!
DeleteI love this! Thanks for showing your den room the way it was before. I feel like we all have these kinds of catch-all spaces, but they rarely get any air time on the internet. Makes it that much more satisfying and inspiring to see the reorganized final version.
ReplyDeleteI do kind of wish I'd thought to take before-before pics because it was so much worse a few weeks ago...
DeleteBrilliant desk, and love the setup! And we have the same rug!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yay, rug twins!
DeleteSame here. Just put my little space together in the last few weeks, although I did buy a room divider screen early on and I love it. Still feeling temporary enough that I continue to work on a crappy laptop and haven't demanded a better one that doesn't give me a migraine so I guess I'm still in denial.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! It’s so nice not to have to “see” work during off-hours.
ReplyDeleteI too, have been working at home since midMarch. And I too, have been in my dining room!! The chair is definitely the worst part for me. Perhaps I should come up with something else. My office is an hour away--I'm not driving 2 hrs RT for the chair tho. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe chair is definitely the worst part! My WFH chair is at least height-adjustable, but without much padding and no lumbar support. Which is why it only cost $75 on Wayfair. I am back in the office most of the time, with the option to work at home occasionally. But since I have to cart my heavy laptop back and forth (on foot) I don't do that very often. I have been mulling a new laptop at home but I keep thinking this won't last!?
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I was working from the dining room table for the first 3 months until my husband started feeling really bad for me. Now I've got a proper office chair, a sit/stand desk, and big monitor. My back and eyes are soooo thankful. Too bad my new workstation is set up in the living room... so I've still got the full family traffic going. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about the laptop stand, I'm buying one right now. Three Stephen King books make an okay riser but as you said, dusty (and a tad rinky-dink!).
ReplyDeleteI was lucky that I had a tiny office in my old house during my 12 weeks of WFH. I was using my grandparents old writing desk so my chair sucked but I had my 24 inch monitor and wireless keyboard from the office while I was there. Now I am back in my office, we have moved house, and my desk is in the corner of my bedroom. But it will work when I need to be there. I love what you did with your space!! I have the same desk pad on my wish list and will be showing my spouse that rug!
ReplyDelete