New Home Office!

I have been wanting a home office for YEARS.  I had one long ago, but five years ago I gave it up to turn it into a nap room for my daycare. I have really missed it! While running the daycare, my "office" was pretty much all over the house... files stored here, baskets of bills and such there. I mostly worked in a chair in my living room, which meant said chair was often surrounded by piles of papers. Not pretty, and not terribly efficient.

Now that the daycare is closed, I finally have my office back! I had such fun putting this room together. And now that it's been in use for about a week, I can say that it's really working well for me. I'm able to work efficiently and productively, as I'm in a tidy, organized environment where there is a place for everything and everything in it's place. I'm one happy Mama, I tell you.

When putting this room together, I had to work within a pretty tight budget. For the most part, I was able to make use of furniture and accessories I already owned. The only items I had to buy were some file storage pieces (one from HomeGoods for about $20, and one from this local shop, for about $25. Although they were not "needed" as such, I also picked up a little ceramic owl on clearance at Michaels, just because it was cute, and a little fern, to add a little green to the room.

But enough rambling on... I know what you really want to see is pictures!

(drumroll... )

from just inside the doorway, looking toward the back of the room.
Desks for two, and a vintage bookcase for storage. The blue bins previously
lived in my bedroom closet, but they weren't really working well in
there anymore, but they are perfect in here, for storing power cords and
cables and other computer accessories. Jars, baskets and boxes below hold
 art supplies. The curtained closet  in the back holds our modem, printer, paper, etc. 

Large IKEA shelf unit, for more storage. The storage bins were old, unfinished
wood bins I've had for years. After a couple of coats of gray paint and some stick-on
chalkboard labels, they look like brand new. The file boxes on the bottom shelves
will eventually be replaced with something prettier. 

The view from my desk. The bench used to be in our old
daycare playroom, but now is a nice place for the
kids to sit and talk to me while I'm working. 

The artwork over the bench has one of my current
favorite poems. 

Nice, efficient work spaces! The chairs were formerly white
 dining chairs, which we painted blue and pumpkin. The blue
 art box on the floor was once my grandfather's. The rug
is from IKEA, and used to be in the old daycare playroom.

The baskets on this hanging file holder are labeled
 "This month" "This week" and "Today." This helps
me get papers, bills, forms and other things
I need to tend to done on time. (paperwork is my
nemesis, so I need all the help I can get!)

This cute little file holder/shelf thing is made from an old
desk drawer. I love new stuff made from old stuff!

One final, fun detail... this light switch plate
was in the stairway of my grandparents house
since my dad was a kid.  I love having it in here!

So that is our new home office! This is the first of THREE rooms we've been renovating in the last week and a half. Soon I'll show you our new playroom, which I just finished today. We're also working on the living room, but that is still very much a work in progress. I'll be very happy when our home is all finished, as it feels a bit chaotic around here with the school year having started and all. I function best when my surrounding are organized, so this is really throwing me for a loop. But it's all part of the Grand Plan for an exciting new life, so it's all good.

Next post: The Big Kid Playroom Reveal!