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Office Nook Transformed

Filed Under: chalkboard, home decor, My Home, My projects, Office Space, organization, Upcycle 39 Comments

Office Nook Transformation

So one of the biggest downers about living in base housing is you really don’t get to pick your floor plan. Sometimes I wish they were completely uniform all across the country. That way you would know what to expect when you arrive at your next duty station. No such luck. When we moved here, we took our house site unseen. Sometimes you have to do that if you want a place to live right away. And since my husband was going underway within days of our arrival here, I picked a house I had never seen just so I wouldn’t have to move in by myself… with an infant. And I say “I” because really he could have cared less which house we choose as long as it had a garage 🙂

So this house, has all sorts of funny quirks and one of them was this little computer nook at the top of the stairs. It’s a decent little space but I didn’t see it’s potential at first. When we moved in I took a chunk of the dining room and set up a craft/office space. I mentioned in my 2013 Home Goals post, which you can read here, that I wanted to turn my upstairs storage closet into my craft room. Well, that’s really a two parter and this is the first part. This little computer nook is right next to the storage closet that will be my craft room. My reasoning for doing so is two fold. One, my dining room is a cluttered mess and two, now that Miss P is mobile, I want to have a work space where I can watch her play safely. The dining room has no room for her play yard and this computer nook is right off her bedroom. So I can easily put her play yard in her room and she can play safely within my sight.

makinghomebase before and after

Our computer nook before had absolutely no function at all. For months it served as a catch all for many of the loose papers we have around here. That’s the thing with the military – tons of paperwork. See all those papers in the corner? This old computer hasn’t been touched in months. And my printer, oh what a paint that was. To print from my computer downstairs and have to run up here to take a look a document only to have it print incorrectly. I was constantly running up and down the stairs!

I wanted to make this space functional. An organized place where I can work without clutter, see my babe playing behind me, and still be fun!

I think I accomplished that with this little transformation. It was out with the old and in with the new in every sense.

Making Home Base Office Nook

For organization, I bought these little pails from the Target dollar section. I painted little chalkboard labels on them. They are great for holding anything. For now they are holding pens/pencils, washi tape , and chalk. Since I did the chalkboard labels I can change them out anytime I need to.

makinghomebase office nook

I created this little mail organizer. I have a lot of note cards and greeting cards that were just sitting in the pile of papers. I like to send little cards to my husband every other week, so having them all organized in this little metal tray is very handy. Also I love having them in plain view so when I’m thinking of a friend I can just quickly write them a note. Who doesn’t love getting mail? By the way, I picked up this little tray for $.50 at a yard sale. Good buy, huh?

office nook organized making home base

This little basket came from Ikea. I spray painted it aqua for a punch of color and it’s perfect for holding my little notebooks. When I was downstairs I had my notebooks laying all over my desk and they were constantly getting buried.

makinghome base office nook transformed

I love love love this magnet board. I got it three years ago from Ikea. It was black up until yesterday and then I spray painted it metallic silver. The new color gives it a whole new look.

makinghomebase office transformation

I framed a few book pages from one of my favorite books. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series anyone? They are so light and funny making them perfect for this space. To tie into the metallic magnet board I went with silver frames.

Underneath, I framed a little chalkboard. Perfect for writing little notes and making lists. I totally imagine my husband and I writing notes back and forth here. I know, cute, right?

Making Home Base Office Nook before and after

On the other wall, a couple family photos. No office space is complete without some family pictures.

Making Home Base Office Nook After

Okay, and lastly, I really wanted to get my printer off the desk. It took up too much space. I picked up this cube from Ikea (can you see it peeking out?). It’s the expedit wall hanging cube. Now my printer is cozy in it’s new home on top of this cube. And are you wondering where I put all those papers? I filed them all away nicely in a little bin.So there you have it. My office nook makeover. I seriously love sitting at my desk now.

Thanks for visiting with me today, friends! Have a great week 🙂

Linking up to these great parties and Coastal Charm, Fox Hollow Cottage, Design, Dining, & Diapers Organize It Link Party, Home Stories A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, My Repurposed Life, Funky Junk Interiors, The CSI Project

 

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About Chelsea

Chelsea Coulston is the resident decorator, baker, and pillow hoarder around these parts. A wife to an active duty Sailor and mom of two girls, Chelsea's got a knack for decorating even the most challenging spaces (just see her military base house!) She's inspired by cool beach tones and warm natural elements that remind you of a day at the beach. After living in a half dozen rentals, she's enjoyed spending the last few years in a cute ranch style home that she and her husband have almost completely renovated themselves. Chelsea lives in sunny Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and two daughters.

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Comments

  1. Jodi says

    January 14, 2013 at 10:40 am

    This is such a great transformation. always amazing to see how a few things can make sucha huge difference in how we feel in/about an area. You did great! 🙂 You might even inspire me to (soon) get my desk act together.

    Reply

  2. Tonya @ Love of Family & Home says

    January 14, 2013 at 11:46 am

    This is such a cute, functional, & organized little space!! I love it!! Thanks so much for sharing & for linking up at the “Organize It” party!! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Debbie says

    January 15, 2013 at 3:44 am

    What a great space, Chelsea! I’m not surprised you enjoy sitting at your desk, I would too. I love that you painted the magnet board silver, it keeps the space looking clean and fresh. And that little tray works perfectly holding all of your cards, etc. It all looks so organized. You can check that one off the list, right? Have a great day!

    Debbie

    Reply

  10. Rachel says

    January 15, 2013 at 9:59 am

    I love it, it looks fantastic! It seriously inspires me to get to work on our office. Seriously, our desk is nothing but a catch-all for all of the stuff we don’t want to put away. It needs some serious organization.

    Reply

  15. Michelle says

    January 16, 2013 at 6:13 am

    You managed to turn an awkward nook into an awesome personalised space! Looks fantastic I really like the little pots so cute. I guess lots of houses are like that where the layout might not be exactly what you like but you’ve got a great imagination to turn it into something that works for you 🙂 Great job!

    Reply

  17. Taryn @ Design, Dining + Diapers says

    January 16, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    This is such a great space, Chelsea! I’m so jealous. I love the little touches that you did 🙂

    Reply

  23. Kristen says

    January 20, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    Found your blog on pinterest. Super cute! Where did you get the chair? We have an office space/desk nook just like this and I would love to organize it like this. Thanks!

    Reply

  26. Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says

    January 31, 2013 at 4:39 am

    This is beautiful! I love a white palette with little pops of color! I found you on the CSI Organization link-up. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your project!

    ~Abby =)

    Reply

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  27. Jessi @ Practically Functional says

    January 31, 2013 at 8:07 am

    Great job making use of a small space! It’s really smart to put your printer under the desk too. I put up a little shelf on the wall right above the desk for our printer and it gives me so much more room! Thanks so much for sharing this at The CSI Project!

    Reply

  28. Heather says

    February 13, 2013 at 6:21 pm

    Oh,I can soooo relate to living in military housing! You have made such a beautiful space here for your office! Putting the printer underneath the desk is a great space saver!

    Reply

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