Even if you live in a more petite sized apartment or house, you may have room for a home office.  Even a tiny nook can house a great home office if you use a little imagination.  Here’s a few ideas I found that I love.  Use the ideas presented here and see where you could carve out a little office space of your own!

Home Office in a Closet (from Sunset.com)

If you have an extra closet, this is a great idea!  All you need is a few shelves.  You could even tuck the chair away when you close down the office for the day.  My extra bedroom closet is calling my name right now!
(Read the rest of their series, “Great Ideas for Shelves” here.)

Modern Cottage Office (from Sunset.com)

If you don’t have an extra closet, perhaps a small bit of wall real estate?  Like in downtown areas, if you can’t build out, build up.  This desk is fabulous! It’s actually a door topped with a bit of frosted glass.  Reusing and looking very chic!  If you’d like to hide this away, you could put up a track on the ceiling with drapes to pull closed at the end of business.  I also love the bookshelves!
(Read the rest of this series, “24 Creative Home Offices” here.)

Corner Office (from freshome.com)

If you live in a small apartment and have a dead-end hallway, this is a great idea for a home office. Again, build up with shelving to maximize storage.  (Read the full article on freshome.com here.)

Do you have a small-ish home office?  How did you setup your office?

I happen to love antiquing and vintage inspired office solutions.  I also love to find original, budget friendly storage projects.  So, I thought I would share three great resources I found on the Better Homes & Gardens website.   So inspiring!

Vintage Home Office Ideas

This great series, Recipe for Vintage Home Office has some truly original vintage ideas.  I especially love the tea cup storage, pin board idea and the repurposed drawer pulls.  The thing I love most about using vintage items is their slight mystery – they all have a story, whether or not we know exactly what that story is.  And really, isn’t a little mystery intriguing to work in?

Budget Friendly Home Office Storage

I fell in LOVE with this picture!  It’s bright, happy and brilliantly laid out!  I love the lunch pail and the three tiered basket re-purposed as office storage.  Kitchen & bathroom storage items are great tools to get organized in a home office.  They look and function like a dream, and are very affordable.  If your home office organizing budget is tight, check out this Home Office Storage on a Dime series.  Love it!

A Little Bit Country

I grew up in a small town away from the big city.  Well, now that I live in a big city, I miss that relaxed style.  Over the last few years, I’ve fell in love with antiques and the casual cottage, country style.

When I saw the above picture, it made me sigh heavily.  Why?  Because I saw a yardstick exactly like this at a local antique show, and fell in love with it.  However, I couldn’t think of something to use it for, so I left it there.  You can BET next time I go, I’ll be on the hunt for one of these!

If you like casual country or cottage style like I do, you’re going to love this Country-Inspired Home Office Idea series!

What inspires you?

Ok, I must kvetch for a moment….  Why is it that electronics are mostly design carbon copies?  Why must they mostly be black and dark?  (Other than that is what sells.)

If you’ve been to my site, you may be vaguely aware that I am a bit of a vintage type girl.  The truth is, I love the lines of vintage things, the weight, the feel.  Trouble is, I am also a gadget girl.  Uh, yeah, not seeming to go together, right?  Why couldn’t they?   Why do most electronics have to be black plastic?  Why couldn’t a TV look as great as it works?  Why couldn’t a keyboard have vintage typewriter-inspired keys?   Why?  I don’t know either.  I’m just putting it out there in the universe.

True, some are better looking than others, and the recent trend of optional color cases is a great start!  But hey, let’s start a design revolution!

What would be your dream look for your laptop or other consumer electronic?

Have you seen a electronic design idea that caught your eye?  Leave a link!

Most business owners fall into two camps: pretty together or frustratingly disorganized. And I want to say right off the bat that neither of these ways is “wrong” or “right,” they’re just more or less effective. Having been in the “frustratingly disorganized” camp most of my life, I’m not quick to judge.

Yup.

What I believe is that you have a unique organizing style that can effectively support your business, regardless of which camp you’re in. You may not have discovered it yet. And if you have, there are always more ways to tweak it – so that your systems really support your business.

How to find your unique organizing style

1. Start with inquiry and curiosity

If you’re the kind of person who likes to bash themselves over the head with self-criticism, I recommend that you stop – in the interest of self-care and progress. It’s just not helpful.

Allow yourself to become curious and interested in what you’re all about. This might be a stretch, but allow yourself to begin feeling childlike wonder about your workspace, like it’s something you’ve never seen before. Cultivate an attitude of discovery.

2. Explore and define your ideal working environment

The single most powerful thing you can do is to get in touch with how you’d really like it to be. Set aside the reality of it for a few minutes, and write (if you like) responses to the following:

* How do I want to feel when I’m working?
* What do I want my space to feel like?
* What functional details would I like to have?

Even if your sense is vague right now, it can and will get clearer over time if you keep asking yourself these questions.

3. Look at the reality and take one step toward your ideal

Once you’ve identified your ideal space, look at the reality.

* What’s currently working for you?
* What’s really not working right now?
* What would you like to adjust?

When you ask these questions in earnest, you’ll begin to discover what’s going on. If you’re patient, you may also notice ideas and actions begin to come up that can bring you closer to your ideal.

Big picture

I want to emphasize that creating a really functional office is an evolutionary process, not a revolution. You won’t get hit by a bolt from the blue and discover The Perfect Way, but you will unearth pieces of the puzzle over time. And that’s what creates a strong foundation for your business.

So, back to you, I’m wondering what’s your next step? What is one small, incremental change you want to make that will bring you more functionality and focus?

About the Author:

Jennifer Hofmann was not born organized. In fact, her creativity and ADD meant she started projects she never finished, was surrounded by clutter, and struggled to keep up with everyday tasks. Today, Jennifer still isn’t the poster child for House Beautiful, but she has developed a unique and compassionate approach to organizing that helps small businesses grow and thrive.

If you’ve tried to get organized in the past and failed, you’re not alone. Jennifer’s approach helps you discover your natural strengths and how to integrate them so that organizing becomes easy and enjoyable. Based in Salem, Oregon, Jennifer’s business is InspiredHomeOffice.com where she teaches teleclasses and coaches entrepreneurs. Jennifer understands people who struggle with clutter and overwhelm and offer unique solutions with less fuss and more fun.

Tip #28: Think Green

Do you recycle?  If so, I’ll bet you recycle paper the most in your office.  But, did you know that many ink or labeler cartridges are also recyclable?  You can even recycle electronics!  Thinking “greener” in your office can also help you save money.  Think about it – if you recycle an old monitor, you don’t have to buy a new cabinet to store it in, because you don’t have room.  Get the picture?

Not sure where to get started?  Here’s a few links to help:

Earth 911

Ideal Bite Blog

Green Your Office

Greener Everyday

The Green, Eco-Friendly Office

(Want more tips? Pick up my ebooklet, “101 Tips for Your Home Office” HERE.)

Tip #23: Pay It Forward: Donate what you’re not using

Got extra stuff in your home office?  What about that extra monitor, keyboard or filing cabinet?  If you’ve embarked on the task of cleaning out and organizing your office, chances are you will have some extras hanging around.  Before you just toss things in a big dumpster, consider donating them.  Why?

Tax Deductions.  Your donations are most likely tax deductible.   Use the ItsDeductible website to find out the value of your items.

You’ll have more space.  If you have extras in your home office, I’ll bet it taking up valuable space.  Think of the other uses you have for the space… like admiring a wonderfully empty corner. 

Someone else could need what you’re not using.  Your donated items might be taking up space in your closet or floor, but they could very well be useful to someone else.   Think of it that way, and you might have less problem parting with your stuff.

What can you donate?

(Want more tips? Pick up my ebooklet, “101 Tips for Your Home Office” HERE.)

Oh wow, where do I begin?  I had a wonderful time at the Barn House Flea Market over the weekend!  I’ll be doing a series about organizing with found items, but for now here’s some highlights of the event.

Krista Colvin, my BlogTalkRadio show co-host invited myself and a couple of her friends to come along to this even.  Boy, I am sure glad you did, sistah!  Krista was a judge in the sweets bake off and I was judging the chili cook-off.  Yum!  This candid shot is the judges getting their plates.  Krista is on the right and Tracey Buxton of Notes from A Cottage Industry is on the left.

This is what they were judging, the poor things.  (Tracey posted some gorgeous shots of the full desserts here.)

We did a little shopping (more on that later) and then it was time for the chili cook-off:

There were some great entries including ingredients like chocolate and smoked pork.  Yum!  I was really asking one of the Barn House Boys about his secret here…. It was delicious and even went back for seconds!

I also got a quick shot with Tracey since she was headed back out of town.  It was so great to meet her!

After all that food, fun and shopping we were lucky enough to get a private tour of the house on the property.  Krista and I have decided that we’d like to be boarders!   This is a the entrance to the garden…

I love this idea of using a large wardrobe with baskets and fun accessories in side.  This is the bathroom, don’t you love it?  I could curl up in that chair and read for hours…

The living room was also to die for, such a warm and welcoming space without being fussy.  Love that!

Best of all?  I walked away with some great stuff like this fabulously stylish chair and the vintage phone dial below from the sale!  The chair is going right in the corner of my office in my soon-to-be coffee/reading area in my home office.  I am totally in LOVE with it and plan to reupholster it at a later date…. or not.     (Thanks Lynne!)

Seriously, how cute is this phone dial?  Queen of Tarte had it in her booth, and had some great ideas about using it as an ornament.  I even thought I might be able to use it as a photo frame.  Fun!

I for one can’t wait for the next Barn Sale in August!

Like what you see?  Check out the links below for more info, photos and the fabulous vendors at the event.  ( And cross your fingers that we’ll get to see some more recipes… *hint hint* )

Barn House Vintage Home & Garden (the hosts of the event + peach cobbler bakers + chili makers)

Notes From a Cottage Industry

Krista’s Organize In Style Blog

Queen of Tarte

Antie Joy (posted her poppyseed Cake Recipe!)

The Silly Bear

Little Byrd

]]> http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/barn-house-flea-market-shopping-bake-off-chili-fun/feed/ 3 http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/home-office-productivity-link-roundup-2/ http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/home-office-productivity-link-roundup-2/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:00:21 +0000 Brandie http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/?p=426

Here’s the latest version of my favorite links. Enjoy!

Web Worker Daily gives some great tips on using a whiteboard. One of them is for brainstorming, and I admit I do this and then put it the finished project into a Powerpoint slide.

Levenger has a great article about organizing a home office. They have some good tips about multi-use home offices if you are just setting up your office.

My Design Secrets is a developing directory of decorating sources. I read about it in my local paper, and had to share. Great place to get ideas if you are remodeling, rearranging or redesigning soon.

Zenhabits’ article about “editing” your workspace. I especially love the “quick not about productivity. It’s pretty much how I feel about productivity: it’s not that we have to do more and more and more… it’s that when we are more effective with our time and get our work done, we can spend time doing other things we love.

43 Folders: “Inbox Zero” Email can rule your life, and recently I heard someone call it the bane of our existence.  What we need is a system, and some fierce, ninja-like tactics to get the stuff under control.  That, and not checking the inbox every 10 minutes.    (Check out Merlin’s talk at Google, very good stuff!)

This guest post was written by Angela Todd of Angela Todd Designs.

Chances are good that your home office is one of the least esthetically pleasing rooms in your home. If you are like most homeowners, you probably spent as much time decorating your home office as your utility room. As a matter of fact, most people’s utility rooms and home offices have a lot in common:

• They tend to lack personality
• Disorder and clutter are a constant battle
• They are utilitarian in nature
• The color and décor of the room (or lack thereof) doesn’t support the room’s use

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot more time working in my home office than I do in the laundry room. Halleluiah! Did you know your working environment has a large impact on your productivity, creativity and energy levels? For many of us it also effects our perception of our personal success and our confidence level. Clutter and an uninspiring space can wreck havoc on your business goals.

Convinced you need to do address your home office’s look? I hope so! Below are some design tips to get you started.

1. Clean up your clutter and get organized: If you can’t/won’t/or don’t want to/ do it yourself, stop feeling frustrated about it! Call an expert who will customize an organizational plan that is personalized to you and your workflow. You don’t have to be great at everything; you just need to know who to call.

2. Establish a floor plan that addresses function and flow: A home office floor plan gives you quick, easy access to items you need on a daily basis. A good floor plan is also compatible with your type of business. For example, my home studio includes a work area to layout floor plans, fabrics and surface materials. What is unique about your business and workflow? Your home office should address these needs. Here is a great, free tool for laying out your home office floor plan.

3. Start your home office interior design with something that inspires you: Begin with a piece of artwork, an area rug, a lamp, an accessory or an upholstered chair that speaks to you. Then build the room’s style and palette based on what you love and what you already have.

• Blues are said to be imaginative and progressive
• Yellow is cheerful and stimulating
• Red is powerful and daring
• Orange is adventurous and unique
• Green is soothing and is said to help you think
• Purple is ambitious and associated with royalty

(Here is a great link about color psychology.)

4. Choosing wall colors for a home office : Please trust this experienced opinion: It is easier to find a wall color to match an item than find items to match a wall color. Pick your inspiration piece and general style before you paint the walls! Next, follow these tips for selecting a great wall color.

• Just because they place a color on a swatch doesn’t mean it should ever be on a wall.
• If you want something in your office to “pop”, don’t match the walls to that item.
• Use a tint, tone or shade of a color in your palette, instead of an exact match.
• Unless you are experienced with wall colors, know that colors are more intense than they seem on a small color chip. You might want to move down the color card a shade or two lighter than your first choice.
• Complex neutrals with a touch of color are very vogue these days and are here to stay for some time. A room can be interesting without the walls screaming color. It will also have longer staying power before you grow tired of it.
• Although painting is inexpensive, it is time consuming and painful to re-do! If you aren’t sure of your choice, hire a designer for a color consultation.

5. Establish a focal point for your home office: A focal point is the first thing you see when you enter a space. It is necessary in all design, and many home offices don’t have a natural focal point like a fireplace, or a large bank of windows with a view. If your focal point is your desk (most of the time it is), give it visual impact by hanging grouped artwork, placing a bookshelf behind it, or installing a specialized wall treatment made of wallpaper, fabric or a decorative mural. You can also add an area rug or drop a chandelier to ground the space.

6. Include sufficient lighting in your floor plan: Lighting is the most overlooked area of designing a room and it has a large impact on the finished project. At a minimum you need at least two sources of light – most designers would argue three. In addition to your overhead light, consider a desk lamp. If you have extra seating, try a floor lamp or a table lamp next to the chair. If you have a bookshelf, installing lighting inside will give a great effect. Use an uplight for large trees and watch the leaf pattern dance on your walls and ceiling. Express your personality and style in your lighting. If a banker’s desk lamp isn’t your style, pick something that is you.

7. Encourage yourself every day: This suggestion looks different in visual form for everyone, but it is important for you to consider what inspires you. For some, a piece of artwork of an exotic place they vacation is a motivator. For others, it’s a whiteboard or corkboard with goals, client thank you notes, and a mission statement. Some of us are motivated by family photos or fresh flowers each week. I have also found some like to declare their business with their logo or business name. You can also place an inspirational quote that speaks to you. Vendors like Wallwords can customize a decal for you inexpensively. You can place your creation on glass, mirrors, and painted walls. Visual encouragement helps remind you of your accomplishments and goals on a daily basis.

Follow these easy tips to transform your utilitarian home office into a personalized space that inspires you every time you enter!

About the author:

Angela Todd creates exceptional, personalized spaces for homeowners and small business professionals. For more information on how Angela can help you create an exceptional space, visit her website or her blog.

Yes, I am a Vern Yip fan. I loved his eye-catching designs back during Trading Spaces. So now that his new show, “Deserving Design” is on the air, I couldn’t be happier! Two episodes into it, I just love it! The show bestows gorgeous designs and new rooms on much deserving people. So far, this includes a volunteer firefighter and his wife, and a family who lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. There is something so great about people giving back to those who really deserve it. It started with Extreme Makeover Home Edition and now Deserving Design. Rock on with paying it forward! It only makes the world a better place.

photo from HGTV

So, you’re looking at your dining or office chairs and thinking, “Yeah, I’m not so thrilled with these.” Does this mean you need to go out and buy new ones? Well, that depends on you budget. However, if you would like to keep that budget to a minimum, why not repurpose your existing chairs?

A little elbow grease goes a long way to refreshing your style.

All it takes is a little stain, paint, fabric or a slipcover. Have white chairs? Paint them black. Don’t like the fabric on the seat? Change it out with upholstery fabric at your local fabric store. Don’t really like the style of your chair, or wish that it even had a style? Try a slipcover – they are washable, and you can change them with the seasons.

Any way you look at it, your chairs can be updated and fabulous. And you don’t have to bust your budget to do it!

Books:

Simply Upholstery

Ok, so I wanted to let you know that you can shop online at Storables! This is one of my one of my fave brick and mortar storage and organization retailers – they have high quality products AND staff. They also have several lines which are exclusive to Storables. You can also find a location near you at their website, as well as great organizing tips – so check it out!

Recently HGTV is touting their new marketing line:

“Make life ___________, start at home!”  I LOVE this new line, and it’s such a great thought on how to really change your life from the inside out.  Think about it: home is where you rest, eat probably 2/3 of your meals, store all things which are important to you, houses pictures and momentos, protects you from the elements and provides a place to connect and great a life together with your friends and family.

Why wait until you sell?

It’s interesting how when sellers get ready to put a house on the market, they get help beautifying the place.  Many haven’t done work on the home much, and most have not updated anything in the home.  Why is that?  Why would you make your house stunning for someone else, and not do that for yourself?  It’s like cleaning your home before company comes over.  Why wouldn’t you want to live in a clean and uncluttered home for yourself – because you actually live there?

I have a theory – we are too busy, and don’t take time to make our environment what we really want it to be.  We might think it’s selfish, or that we really are not bothered by its current state enough to get off our duff and do something about it.  How sad is that?  Our home is the place that nurtures and protects us – shouldn’t it deserve our upmost care and attention so that it makes us feel “at home”?

Make your home a place you love, right now.

Take some time to look around your home – is it the way you want it to be?  Does it really reflect who you are?  Is there something bothering you about the space – what is it, and why does it bother you.   Make your life what you want it to be, and start in the place you rest you head in each night: your home.

If you’re a collector …. well, whatever…. maybe you have your prized possessions scattered around the house.  Whether it’s black or white rocks from the beach or vintage apple boxes – bring them together and make a huge impact!  Here’s a few ways to do that:

1. Shadow boxes: Use shadow boxes for big or small items, and group them together on a wall.  Works great for coffee cups, sports memorabilia, records or vintage prints.

2. Crown molding shelves: Set a collection of vases, vintage canning jars or photos, figures or soda bottles.

3. Frames: Use empty frames (no glass or backing) to bring impact to anything that can hang on the wall – vintage keys, hats, sports memorabilia or even seashells.

4. Jars or baskets: Great for smaller items (and kids “treasures”) like rocks/stones, pine cones, sea shells or even bottle caps.

Use just a little imagination and show off your organized collection to the world!  If you have great ideas, let me know!

I checked my email this morning and I have been selected as a featured Interior Refiner on www.interiorrefiners.com for the month of June!  I am completely flattered and honored!

The Interior Refiner Network has been a wonderful source of camaraderie and information on the interior redesign industry.  Thanks IRN!

If you would like to utilize the services of an Interior Refiner in your area, check out the Directory.  Interior Refinement is a great option if you don’t have the resources to hire a traditional Interior Designer.  Interior Refiners use furniture and accessories you already own for a complete room makeover.  You’ll be amazed!

If you would like more information on working with me, click HERE.

Check out this blog I just came across, it’s called “IkeaHacker“.  The idea is to take things you can find at Ikea, which are very clean lined (is that a word?) and make them fun!  I love it when people take something and make it their own.  You could even use these ideas on what you already have!  The possibilities are endless.  Enjoy!

Ok, so being a recovering TLC’s Trading Spaces addict, I have to say I LOVE Vern Yip‘s designs. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to see that he is coming to HGTV!  His new show, Deserving Design, premiers Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 9 p.m. I know I’ll be tuning in!

Look around at the room you’re in. Yep, right now. If you were a stranger, and you were looking at that same room, what would your thoughts be? Would you know what your room is used for? Would it be clear, somewhat clear or really unclear?

What’s your room “saying” to you?

Our rooms say so much about us. I’m not talking about what they say to other people (whether you care about that is up to you). I’m talking about, what does your room “say” to you? I’m not getting all ethereal about it, but really, what does your living room say: “Help me, I need to breathe”, “I love and cherish family time”, “We love to travel”, “I collect whirly bobs”, “Family mementos are important to me”, “I love soft luxurious bedding”, or “I love paisley”? Is it clear what the room is used for? Who uses it? WHAT gets used?

Creating a sense of purpose in a room is calming to those that use it. Removing the distractions makes space for you and your mind to just “be” in your space. “Visual clarity” simply means getting real with how you use your space, and making that use apparent to you.

So, what’s going on in your room?

I have to admit that although I didn’t watch the episode Monica Ricci was talking about in her post “Form Before Function?”, I just HAD to chime in agreement about form AND function being necessary for good design. You rock on girl!

What does the client want?

In a recent “Top Design” show, a designer who didn’t fully listen (or at least incorporate) what her “client” wanted won a contest for best design.  Ick! Isn’t the point of having a client (whether you’re selling widgets, organizing, design or donuts) that you serve your clients best needs? I mean, if your client wants glass walls and that works for them, then do it.  Why?  It’s their decision.  But if they need something that you are made aware of in your initial assessment, and you ignore (or maybe forget about it) that’s, well ….. not good.

So, all that just to rant and say, Monica, I completely agree!