Makeover Wednesday – Ann’s ensuite office

Ann has a terrific blog about home organizing and she embodies my belief that organizing is a process. I’m a huge fan.

Ann took me up on my offer to do a Makeover Wednesday about her workspace. Yay! Here is a picture of Ann’s office.

This lovely space is located at the end of her bedroom, which Ann says she can see while she’s in bed.

Here’s what else she said:

I want to find a balance between tidy, neat and organized (don’t want to look at piles from my bed!) but not too sterile. I won’t have a proper desk with drawers in there; I have one large table and another small (and rickety) “back table”.

I was using this space for my craft business, but now it will be just for writing and household office work. So a lot less cluttered – I hope!

Last week, I wrote an article about the drawbacks of putting your office in your bedroom, so I won’t belabor the point here. However, I think this dual-purpose arrangement can work with some minor creative adjustments.

My suggestions for Ann’s office

Idea 1: Build capacity. Currently, most of the office tools are on the desk and visible. You might want to make use of some of the space under the desk (provided it doesn’t impede your foot and leg comfort) by bringing in some storage.

I love these rolling carts with drawers for storage. Not only are they small enough for under the desk, the drawers are opaque so they let in light and don’t look too chunky.

This kind of cart would be great to store the things you use regularly but would rather not have out on the desk. This would also diminish the amount of visual distractions you can see from the bed.

Idea 2: Create support. Ann mentioned her rickety second table. If you’re using an unstable piece of furniture, it’s creating instability in your workspace – and even in your work. How does it feel to have something there that’s not reliable? Get yourself a decent table as a secondary workspace, tout de suite.

Idea 3: Define your sleeping retreat. From the looks of it, the white dresser and TV do a fairly good job of defining the boundaries of your bedroom. I’d recommend taking it a step further. Consider hanging a 1.5″ dowel between the eaves and hanging a sheer curtain from it. You could also do a microfiber one if you like the room really dark at night. You could also do a folding screen, but I find they’re a little too angular for a bedroom. They can also be a bit clunky in small spaces.

Creating this separation would do a couple of things that address your dilemma:

• Fabric creates softness and lets light through (you might want to hang the collage on the wall so even more light gets in).
• It allows you to keep your office the way you like to without worrying about its condition 24/7 (that just sounds tiring).
• It would block the view of your office from bed, creating a cozy oasis for you and your beloved.

Do you have other ideas for Ann?

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