A Non-Traditional “Office” for Mama

Remember the little dresser that I painted from this post? Well, I kind of left you hanging with my plans for this little piece of furniture. Sorry about that! It actually became the springboard for an idea that I’ve been trying to come up with a solution for: an office! Not a traditional roll-top desk and rolling chair (that would be lovely!), but somewhere that all of my office “stuff” can be in one place and I can get some work done! 

I had been thinking about putting a little writing desk in the living room to have a spot to blog and work from, but there are a few times when I try and work while my husband holds down the fort (wahoo!) and let’s face it…having a DOOR is essential to getting any type of work done! Ha! My children have two noise levels: asleep and Metallica. (Knock on wood, they are pretty good sleepers and we are working on the “Metallica” part….my dad typically leaves his hearing aids at home when he comes over, so that gives you an idea of the noise level….A tad “excitable”! Sorry Pop!) So, upon further thinking, the living room was vetoed as an option and the bedroom became the winner! Definitely proves to not rush into an idea, but take some time to think about how it will work in your home with your family! Especially if yours sounds like wild banshees at a hoe-down. [wink] 

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The drawers in the little dresser hold some “normal” types of office items: scissors, stamps, pens, etc. but the other drawers hold homeschool materials I am saving in case we need them again.

 (There were 4 “extra” drawers that were a pretty good size, so I could put the bulk of kindergarten-third grade materials in them.) Here’s a look at our kindergarten drawer:

Once the dresser was in the room, I decided the room needed a bit more of a refresh. In our house, that means Morgan starts moving furniture around, typically while her husband is not home, so he can be wowed by her amazing feats of strength (or just fuss that she’s going to hurt her shoulder…it’s love.) SO, I moved around three pieces of furniture. To move that big white cabinet, I had to take a good bit of the stuff that was inside, OUT. It’s a fun slippery slope with these projects….Once all the stuff was all over the room, what’s a girl to do except go through and reorganize/ declutter. I am a complete nerd when it comes to things like this. I LOVE to go through things. When I was young, my parents would tell me I needed to clean my closet, so I would take everything OUT of my closet and then neatly rearrange it as I put things back in. (I probably would have been Marie Kondo’s BFF as a child…except for the fact that she lived across the world, minor detail.) 

This white cabinet held a lot of homeschool items too and also all of our photo albums and photo books, etc. I was able to purge enough stuff that I ended up with 3 empty shelves! Yay! I moved jewelry to one shelf (gotta keep it up high where little fingers can’t reach!) and other shelves for books and files. 

I kept looking at “office” organizing bins and paper holders, but truth be told, I am cheap. (Gasp! I know you are shocked!) And my frugal self just couldn’t justify spending money on those things. So everything I used was either free or I already had it.  (The pretty green and flowered boxes were from cookies that Jason’s grandparents sent us and those “file holders” are actually drawers from a trundle sewing machine my parents found at en estate sale. I love repurposing things. (Not just because it keeps my money-saving-self happy, but because it’s fun to brainstorm how to use something in a new way! Being resourceful lends itself to creativity at times!)

This whole little office set up really came together when my husband was grocery shopping. Yep! At Aldi, he spotted the chair on clearance for $49 and decided it would make a great Mother’s Day present! It was looking so lonely, and my love for throw pillows knows no limitations, so it was only a matter of time before the chair got a “friend”. I am loving this embroidered one that I found at Christmas Tree Shops! Throw pillows are a great way to add a fun “pop” of color to your space! I love color, but I wouldn’t probably be bold enough to paint a room one of these colors, so I can enjoy them on this pillow. It’s a great little chair for typing up blog posts, replying to emails, and doing the fun “behind the scenes” work for My Pear Tree Home.  I’m going to be on the hunt for a pouf for a foot rest soon I think! This picture shows what happens first whenever I sit down here:

Thanks for stopping by to see my latest little spot. It just goes to show that a little space can go a long way! It just takes a little bit of time, some decluttering, and a little out-of-the-box thinking! 

What space in your home would you like to give a little “refresh” to? Tell me in the comments!