Office Archives -

Create a Cozy Home Office in the Basement

February 26, 2019

Our house is getting larger as our kids leave the nest for full-time employment (daughter) and college (middle). Over drinks, girlfriends will ask if we plan to move (with most of our friends in similar life stages). It’s a hushed conversation. We don’t want to talk about the elephant in the basement that now fits in the basement because there are no longer teenagers in the space every weekend.

home-office-in-the-basement-everyday-edits

My first response to the question is always, “We can’t afford to downsize.” With the Denver-metro area housing market we could not downsize without spending a lot more money in the neighborhoods I want to move to and the tall basement ceilings we get in a suburban home.

Thankfully, when we purchased our home (fourteen years ago) we fell in love with the home’s layout because we could grow old(er) in the flexible, multiple level home.

And, yet I did not want to share a work/office space with my husband. I told him we (me) needed our own floor. He already has a leased space with his business partners for his bootstrapped digital healthcare startup (past the startup phase, but still feels like we are cash strapped)! #startuphumor

I have my home office on the main level with views of our back yard. Deer and coyotes visit regularly. It’s a work in a very long progress phase. Here is a peek into a few updates. My office was on hiatus with the arrival of our rescue puppy I shared on Instagram.

For a while, my husband’s home office was in the closet. Seriously, it was seasonal storage for our ski gear and then his home office. It was basically a shelf in a closet. He worked standing up. It was time my husband came out of the closet.

To make this happen I had to give up a dedicated movie/teen space and make room for a small desk and a few office essentials. All while keeping it cozy. It helps that it has a dual-sided fireplace that we recently refaced with stack stone. Stay tuned for details!

I knew my husband loved his new space when I came home and he had organized all of his work files and shredded ten pounds of legal and accounting docs! He found these inexpensive storage boxes at Ikea.

Home Office Mailbox Find

July 16, 2018

A few years ago I was at the Barn; a popular vintage store located south of Denver in a town called Castle Rock. It’s a fun place to browse when you need a break from the scheduled packed days. On that day, I had a few minutes before meeting a girlfriend for coffee and ran into the Barn. In between the antiques and farmhouse finds, I found a brassy metal mailbox. It was an inexpensive find and I had plans to use it in my kitchen to hold keys. Well, that mailbox went around the block, I mean house, a few times. Finally landing (hanging) in my home office. My home office mailbox with rusty edges was not ready for Goodwill.

Home Office Mailbox Find

With an ongoing home office refresh, the mailbox found a new home in my home office, right next to the door. It got a sloppy coat of Hale Navy paint and added a little cover to the Revere Pewter walls.

In today’s email packed boxes, this little mailbox no longer holds mail.

But with the tiny door lift centered on the front of the mailbox, it is ready to store something fun. Sometimes practical is overrated!

I would love your thoughts on what to store in the front compartment. I love the metal scroll detail. Although this mailbox no longer holds the local newspaper I want to find something for the scrolled arms.

Sidenote: Our kids have no concept of a news article on printed paper.

But, what I love most about this mailbox is it reminds us of the low tech version of mail delivery. The little key entry on the front panel suggests an earlier version of security.

I love it and my little home office mailbox looks content to sit on the wall and be a part of a home office makeover.

Sharing:

Designthusiasm

My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies

Our Hopeful Home

Savvy Southern Style

Home Office Updates

April 13, 2018

HI everyone! This year has been a busy one with my decision to return to real estate and goals to grow the other love in my life… my blog. #wink. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since this happened. Needless to say, I am a work in progress. And, my home office update continues to be a work in progress, as well.

I fell in love with this lamp I found at HomeGoods. I fell in love with the white and brass finishes; it was perfect to get me out of my patterned lamp shade stage.

Now that you have a taste of the new here was my office a few years ago. Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

I didn’t love this color so I repainted the walls while watching all three Bridget Jones’ movies. Which is your favorite Bridget Jones’ movies?

I kept the chair but with cloud storage, I no longer needed a 50-pound file cabinet. And, I get my go-to files at Target or HomeGoods!

curtains

And, then there are the large slider windows that face the backyard. I have switched my desk so I face the window. And, I switched it around where my back is to the window. I get a little creeped out when I can’t see what is outside the window. Do you know what I mean?

Here’s my desk. I got in on clearance on New Year’s Eve. Pottery Barn keeps a list of interested customers for their floor model pieces. Score! Check with your local Pottery Barn store.

I tried placing my desk to the side of the window but didn’t like it. But, seeing this view below I may try it again.

The desk is a little too big; it gives me more space for stacks and paper. In fact, we use it as a second dining room table during the holidays.

Source: Pottery Barn

I fell in love with this vertical chalkboard from Home Goods. But, it is just chilling on that huge wall from my previous office.

Stay tuned! I do have a thing for chalkboards.

And, finally here is this Bowerbank bookcase I bought here.

It’s a little crowded, but it’s a work in progress; just like me!

Disclosure: Some of the links on this post are affiliate links and I may receive a very, small commission if orders are placed via these links.

Sneak Peek and Last Look Before Home Office Makeover

February 2, 2018

It’s the second day of February! When I started this post (earlier this week) it said, “this is the last day of January!” My son is away on a school retreat and my husband was in Kentucky on a business trip. With a few days to myself, I spent the time tackling several ongoing projects. One of them was my home office. It is where I spend the majority of the day with my real estate transactions and our manufacturing company. And, of course, where I write the entertaining DIY projects for this site. Here’s a sneak peek and the last look before my office makeover.

I wanted my office organized, functional and pretty. To appreciate the makeover, here’s a few pics of the office before the makeover.

It’s a really bad photo, but it illustrates the chaos inside and outside a creative mind!

It is the reason my husband can’t even walk into my office. When he returns home from his office he will pop his head in to say and head to the living room muttering, “I can’t think in here.”

That’s why some guy invented man caves.

This is the same room after I repainted it Revere Pewter. And, that’s not a cocktail on my desk it’s this drink with a splash of cranberry juice. And, that drink is how I finally kicked the soda habit. If you have a new year resolution to kick a Diet Coke or sweet tea habit, check it out.

I was not joking about the poor lighting. It felt like a cave in more ways than one. My home office faces north so it receives little light and I usually wear a down vest when working.

Check out the hammer on the window ledge; it was there for weeks.

Does anyone else have a desk that looks like this? This is an older image, but if I took of photo of my desk right now.. it would look almost identical. Except now I have a small printer on the corner of my desk.

I started this office makeover by sorting through folders and folders of receipts, documents, warranties and every child’s immunization record going back to the 1990’s!

And, then I made the decision to remove the shutters. It was long overdrawn decision and one with no regrets. My office window looks into our backyard and if you follow me on Instagram you saw one of the many visitors who stop by over lunch. This is right outside my office window. How much was I missing outside with those heavy wood shutters?

And, I’m going to leave you how I greeted you with this sneak peek at my long overdue office makeover. No shutters…

Home Office Mailbox Find

Looking for Everyday Edits in your home? Please share!