Creating a Home Office Space (Part 2)

My New Home Office Space

If you've been following my blog for a while, you may have remembered a post about Creating a Home Office. It was my first post, because I launched this blog the same time that I launched my business, Socialeyes 24.7 Social Media Consulting.

Version 1 of my Home Office circa 2011

Well, a lot has changed since I started Socialeyes Consulting. My business has quadrupled, I had another child, and I have become a much better not-so-newly domestic! But what hasn't changed, is my home.

Last week, I came home to my crazy daughter and went to login to my computer and found this:

The aftermath of the iMac and the Sharpie

Yup, Sharpie. So...that, combined with a growing business, growing file cabinet, and ever-more curious daughter, led me to search out my home for new home office space.  The solution? An un-used walk-in closet in our guest room (formally my sister's room and second master).

The space was rather perfect. It's a 10' x 5.5' space, rarely used, in a quiet area of the house, and best of all--it has a door! So here's the before (when we were using it to store the kids toys) and after.

BEFORE - storage closet;          AFTER - home office

First, we took out the shelving.

Closet minus the shelves: A blank space to work with.

Then, because there is no power in the closet, we drilled through the wall to the other room's outlet and inserted conduit to run the power through.

No outlet? No problem! We ran a cord to an outlet on the other side of the wall.

Time for the fun stuff: paint, desk, and office trinkets! I tried to find colorful and inspiring pieces for everything from paper clips to notebooks. I also tried place items that spark my creativity and house knowledge, like a a colorful magnetic calendar, a globe, a pin-sculpture that makes impression art.

An open-concept desk from World Market plus a plant, some storage boxes, and creative, personal items.

I love fun storage solutions. These are pieces I found for less than $10 at Ikea.

After staging the office, I realized there was still not enough storage for files, media, and supplies. I found this amazing piece at World Market, but the $329 price tag was a little rich for my social media salary, so my husband took $20 and built me some shelves reminiscent of World Market Bookshelves instead. I think it turned out amazing!

$329 World Market Shelves vs. $20 Handmade Shelves

Finally...the room needed something more. The grey paint, though neutral, made it fill institutional and dingy. So, I took an old $10 mirror, had my husband make a frame and shelf for it, then painted it yellow. But it still didn't work with the space.

Too yellow! I often make mistakes when visualizing a room, and this was one of them. But...

Inspired by a craft box I picked out for the space, I decided to mute the yellow by placing a lighter coat ontop, then sanding it down for an aged look, and then my husband created some art on the corners to draw in the entire space. It's just what I needed: a splash of color and creativity!

A small detail goes a long way!

My space is a perfect reflection of me and my business now: colorful yet safe, sophisticated yet creative, and more than meets the social-eye!