As promised, we’re back with the details of how we organized the six new shelves and eight new drawers in our office, along with the drawers in my floating desk and the filing/printer cabinet on the other side of the room. In other words: what went where.
It’s awesome to have so much more storage space, both out in the open and behind closed doors, so let’s spin over to the left and face our new desk/bookcase wall first.
Here are the animated GIFs that John mentioned on Monday. You were on the edge of your seat for these, right? Or were you excited about donuts? I can’t remember. Here’s the bookcase to the left of John’s desk coming together in GIF form:
And here’s the one to the right filling up in fast motion:
Between both sides of the open shelves, we managed to work in eight magazine storage boxes (from Target). We used them to hold our press stuff since we’ve saved magazines with a mention/feature of our site or any column that we’ve written. Now instead of shoving them all into various cabinets in our dining room buffet (where we used to keep them) we finally have them all organized by year with little tabs on that page. It makes it a lot easier to find things.
We also brought out a bunch of books that we had stuffed into our kitchen cabinets, and added a few decorative boxes that we already had (the blue ones are from Bed Bath & Beyond when I was in college, and the cream one is from HomeGoods last year). They’re loaded up with various office supplies that we didn’t want crowding the surface of our desks.
We also included some of our hook designs (some in the packaging, and some out) along with a few copies of our book (the English version and the Korean one) since we figured an office is a good spot to display some of the stuff you’ve made, and if we ever have anyone over for a meeting we can grab a few copies of our book or a product or two from the office shelves.
A too-pretty-to-hide-in-a-drawer stack of notebooks and post-its ended up in the mix too…
… along with an “inbox” for the magazine tear sheets that used to collect on the kitchen table or the back of the couch. I have binders with clear sleeves where I eventually file them, but now they have a drop zone until I do that, which is nice. Even got to use one of our octopus hooks as a paperweight.
There are also deceptively decorative things that are actually up there multitasking for hidden functional reasons, like the spiky yellow HomeGoods vase which is where we stash our wires (extra chargers, headphones, uploading cords for the camera, etc). It’s nice to keep those less-lovely things (like a big mass of wires) incognito, but easy to grab. And the little zebra dish holds magnets for our magnetic frame wall along with a pink vase full of dry erase markers for that zone. And we finally have a spot for my yellow horse head bookends (remember these?) which add color but also do good equine work (way to hold those books up, stallions).
There are also a few purely decorative objects in the mix, just because they make us happy. There’s my wonky little painting of our first house along with a painting by my friend Lesli of our second house (she surprised me with it as a holiday gift shortly after I painted our first one). And we can’t forget about the awesome replica of our fireplace that Lisa made us.
I also put our little bee painting up there along with a catalog tear-out from Boden that says “Squeeze the day” to add a little office cheer/inspiration – and I found a spot for our family yearbooks. I love seeing that colorful little stack of them, complete with a cup full of Young House Love pencils in every color of the rainbow (a super sweet book tour gift from 2012).
Speaking of bees and stuff that makes us happy, it was pretty hilarious to have our little bumble girl playing dress up and making bead necklaces at her little desk while we sorted and filled our shelves and drawers.
In the drawers to the right of John’s desk, we have two empty ones (room to grow = the best feeling ever) along with one that’s half full of paint decks, and one that’s full of the magazines that I love too much to throw away (like every original issue of Domino) and some catalogs that we reference from time to time.
The drawers to the left of John’s desk are where we have the more office-related things. The two that are closed in this photo are full of design prototypes that we’re currently developing/tweaking, and the top open one is full of tax stuff (receipts, file boxes of back taxes, quarterly stuff to fill out and mail in, etc). The bottom open one has back-up external hard drives, old notebooks full of info that we still need, and a large ziplock bag full of miscellaneous instruction books and warranties for things like our printer, camera, etc.
As for the printer/file cabinet, that’s also full of documents and other tax/work-related stuff. Here’s a shot of it closed (it’s the Ikea Effectiv cabinet, which they discontinued a while back).
And here it is opened up. We keep the paper and our camera case on the top left, our wireless printer lives on the top right, and all of our files are in that bottom drawer.
My floating desk by the window (remember when we found it for free on criagslist?) has four more drawers for me to use, as well as a nice big top that I’m attempting to keep pretty clear except for a few notebooks and two vases full of writing paraphernalia (we use the pencils for book edits).
I put things like my scissors, stapler, and other use-a-lot stuff in the top right drawer, filled the right middle drawer with stationery/thank you cards, and kept the skinny middle drawer and the bottom right drawer empty for “space to expand.” There’s also a cabinet on the left side of the desk that’s empty (more remaining room = happy tingly feelings inside).
So that’s our little where-it-all-went rundown of the office. Only took us a year to find a spot for the stapler and the receipts… but I gotta admit, it feels better than it probably should.
That rush you get when you have a spot for everything is pretty addicting… even if your brain knows it’s only a little while before things start to multiply/explode. I’m soaking it up while I can.
Psst- Teddy’s eight week photo is up (we couldn’t resist that Spoonflower fabric).
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
Ooo! So pretty! Clara is such a cutie :)
Sarah
http://www.sarahsdaybook.wordpress.com
erin says
Where did you get the big desk in the center? Love all the storage!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Erin! That was a free craigslist find! Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/from-the-curb-to-the-office/
xo
s
Quiana says
What a wonderful space and worth the wait! We downgraded to a 2 bedroom from a 3 bedroom last year and while we increased our square footage by over 500 feet I’m sorely missing my 3rd bedroom as the office. Now I have just a corner office in my bedroom and am hoping to do another mini work station/filing space outside the bedroom on our landing overlooking the 2nd floor. I think the low shelving options you share just might work there – thank you as always for such a detailed post full of inspiration!
Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says
So. Much. Storage.
Seriously. Way to go! I love all your posts, but since the Little House has a grand total of 4 teeny closets, storage ideas have to be my favorite!
Oh, and I love the idea of color blocking books on a shelf!
Christy says
Love the bright space! You know what immediately came to my mind – you could use the Centsational Girl’s tropical-themed fabrics (http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2014/06/summer-fabrics-2014/) for curtains. I’d love to see how that would work together – the colors are perfect.
YoungHouseLove says
Love her stuff!!
xo
s
Juliet says
Looks great! How deep are each of those drawers?
YoungHouseLove says
They’re around 12″ deep.
xo
s
Natalie says
Nice! Looks really great! Bet it was a relief to scratch that one off the to-do list!
Laura says
I am shopping for a new printer, and I love how compact and sleek your wireless one is. I can tell it’s HP but not the model.
Do you remember the model and approx price? Store? Staples?
Thanks! Love your blog and your super organized office. It gives me hope that someday mine can look like that….
Laura
YoungHouseLove says
It’s an HP Photosmart C4780, but we honestly don’t love it. We shared a few reasons why in this post: https://www.younghouselove.com/post-haste-2/
xo
s
Evelina says
We are pretty happy with ours! We have the Epson Expression Home XP-410 Small-in-One. It has a pretty small footprint, it scans, is wireless, and I have never felt compelled to throw it out the window.
Mia says
Looks great!
There are French doors going to your office, right? Prepare for them to get a workout once T starts moving :-)
Also, you may want to start brainstorming a way to raise Clara’s table. My 3 year old loves to do projects on her little table, too, but her just-turned-one pesky little brother also loves to come along and do his own type of project, which involves trying to eat tiny little-girl items and sweeping everything to the floor. For now, our daughter has to do projects mostly at our dining room table. Fair warning!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Mia!
xo
s
Reshma Sanjeev says
Such a neat space. So organized. I do start organizing but it gets messed up in couple months. And then I take couple more months to get it organized. Clara looks so cute.
Megan says
Oooooh, so great! When it comes to housework, there is NOTHING better than feeling organized and on top of the chaos. I say you have a good year or two before it spins out of control. ;-) I just cleaned my daughter’s bedroom (2 day process) and I find myself lingering in there for no other reason than to appreciate the tidyness! 1 down, 3 to go.
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Oh what a clean, organized, and fresh office space! It must feel so good. I especially love that you have a space for the kiddos to hang out and “work” on their projects. It really is a fully functioning family office!
Tamara @ Provident Home Design says
Looks like a calming, creative space to work in! Love how the shelves are both attractive and functional! Clara is adorable and John’s GiFS ARE pretty cool! :-)
Lana says
Whoohoo, love the organization!
Faithful reader for many months (a year, maybe?) so if you’ve mentioned this and I forgot, forgive me! What planner do you use? I see it’s very colorful!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lana! It’s from Target (the brand is Greenroom).
xo
s
Reenie says
That is so colorful… cheerful ~ ~ love it. Love the green chair at John’s desk better too.
Where’d you get the bright-colored pot with the big tree/plant? (sorry if you have mentioned it ~ I missed it, if you did)
:)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from Lowe’s (the wheely thing it’s on is also from there too).
xo
s
Anna Kelly says
Looking good, y’all!
I’ve been reading since forever so you may have tackled this question before and I just don’t remember, but what’s your fire plan (for important docs like passports / birth certificates, etc)? Do you have a safe in the house, or do you go the safe-deposit box? Curious because it’s something I’ve been meaning to address in our house, but unsure of the best route. Thoughts? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We have a safe deposit box. It just makes us feel better knowing some things are off-site and safe (for security reasons too). We do have a small fireproof safe as well, but we mostly rely on the deposit box.
xo
s
Laura @ Rather Square says
Your office space is looking so bright and open – I can see how it would be fun to work in there! And for Clara too – she looks like she’s having the most fun of all. :)
Kate says
Love a great organization post! I’m not gonna lie though…I was hoping the .gifs were going to be of Sherry doing the running man out of organization excitement!!
YoungHouseLove says
Don’t tempt me…
xo
s
Ruth says
Ok, it’s bothering me as to which chairs are in the office full time. Please tell me it’s the green ones, I really love them!
YoungHouseLove says
The white one fits better at my desk and John likes the green one for now, but they most likely will both get upgraded at some point (we’d love something ergonomic but not-ugly, so the hunt might take a while).
xo
s
Bekka says
Now that the big desk is in the middle like that, every time I see it I think, “ooh, big empty canvas area!” Do you think you’ll ever do a fun pattern or something on that space? (Of course, the plain white is nice and crisp and clean, too)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think once we add window treatments and a rug and some art we’ll see if we like the clean white furniture as a nice break from that interest/color or if we want to add anything else.
xo
s
Krista says
Looks great! I dream of the day we’ll have a dedicated office space. One question though, how do you organize your paper versus paperless files? How do you decide which papers need to be kept and filed and for how long? I always think the worst and keep EVERYTHING. Now we’re overflowing with papers.
YoungHouseLove says
Anything we can reference on a third party site (like bills that the bank keeps available for a year) we usually are paperless about that, but we keep things that we can’t reference that way, and we research when we can get rid of stuff (like when we can shred old tax stuff, so we don’t have more than we need).
xo
s
nancy50 says
So where will the Xmas tree go?
YoungHouseLove says
Good question! I think the jury is still out. It would be easy enough to move the desk but we’re not sure if we will…
xo
s
Mary Beth says
Looks good… it’s got such great natural light! We are finally starting to look at houses and that’s going to be a must for me.
MB
http://www.hystericallyeverafter.com
Danielle says
Love this! Somehow it helps to see how/where other people store stuff. I’m always trying to pare down, but it seems like there are so many necessities that we need to hold onto – and the never ending challenge of where to store them. Thanks for sharing!
Erin says
I agree! That is why my house always looks like a tornado swept through. I love seeing how other people organize and get ideas from them. Great job (as usual) John and Sherry!
Kim says
Are French doors still on the agenda? This is a great space and I think it’ll be great for your work/life balance goals to physically close some doors when the work day is over.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I’d love to add some!
xo
s
Candice says
Can you please do a post about your care for your fiddle leaf fig? How much you water it, did you repot it, etc.
YoungHouseLove says
I can’t believe it’s still alive (I have constant fears that it’s going to give up on me). I’m not really great with plants, so all I did was bring it home from Home Depot, left it in the plastic drainage pot but I put that into the plant pot I have to keep it from getting water on the floor, and I water it once a week with a full Klean Kanteen of water (maybe the equivalent of two water bottles). They seem to like a deep watering when they get dry instead of constant smaller waterings. I just keep it in mostly-indirect sunlight in that corner and it seems to be ok… for now…
xo
s
Rachel says
My immediate takeaway from these pics: Clara as “the bee girl” from the Blind Melon video. AWWWW!
Love this post so much. A much needed boost of motivation & inspiration! We moved in last February (2013!!) and my office is STILL UNFINISHED. Thanks for giving me a little shove!!
Nicky says
Hi Sherry!
I completely understand the relieve of having a room completed now. My boyfriend and I moved into our first house a couple of months ago and last week we FINALLY finished our Ikea dressing (no kids so we had 1 spare room). It took us forever and then I had this ‘dude, get on that already’ moment. We designed it on Saturday, went shopping on Tuesday and had the whole thing up and running by Thursday. Which left me which a great feeling (and a lot of spare room, which gives me the exact feeling you describe with having some empty shelves) but also left me wondering ‘And why did this take so long exactly?’ Next up is our guest room, I can’t wait…
Tanya says
Maybe there is something about offices that make them difficult to figure out. After living in our apartment for a year my office is still pretty much an empty room with a desk in it. I should use this as inspiration and “dude, get on that!”
Gauri says
Ah! Teddy is so cute! He looks so tall :)
And I’m very, very jealous of your empty drawers. Maybe this is the motivation I need to get my own office space organized!
Heidi says
I want to work in your office so bad – it seems so peaceful! In the first photo, I’m staring at that big side of the desk facing the entrance to the office and thinking that it would be cool to either paint that some different color or paint it with magnetic paint so the kids could play there with magnets while you’re working. Maybe add a mirror to it? I don’t know…just looks like an opportunity to me. Can’t wait to see how the office keeps progressing!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Heidi! That could be fun! I think once we add window treatments and a rug and some art we’ll see if we like the clean white furniture as a nice break from that interest/color or if we want to add anything else.
xo
s
susan says
Love the GIFs, and I totally vote for one of Sherry’s running man!
When Teddy’s very first photo went up I thought he looked like John, now all I see is Clara! What have been your family’s comments about who he takes after?
YoungHouseLove says
There are mostly Clara votes, but some John ones too!
xo
s
Sara says
I love this office! I think it’s my favorite yhl office to date! It’s big, bright and airy but also a place for productivity! I love seeing where you guys stash stuff! I find tips to use in my own house every time! Thanks!
Annnd the floating desk!?! It looks so executive!
Catherine says
I LOVE THIS ROOM. :) I would never have come up with that configuration, but it seems perfect. Clara is so cute! I can’t believe how big she is.
I know this is silly, and you SO don’t need another project, but have you ever thought about adding some cute color or a pattern on the sides of the drawers on the Craigslist desk? Like this:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/b5/8d/18/b58d189e916f54c5f5a22657c65a6201.jpg
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Megan says
Totally coveting this entire room. The den/office room in my house is also the dump space where we toss anything we don’t know what to do with. I clean it every few months but things just pile back up. It feels a touch less chaotic each time the junk starts to accumulate again but that could be wishful thinking. Been a few months since I touched it so maybe the clean-up will stick this time.
Alana in Canada says
Love the breakdown of where you put everything. Thanks.
Lori says
This looks stunningly lovely! Lots of great inspiration for my own office space, which is always a work in progress. Very much looking forward to seeing what you come up with in “ergonomic but not-ugly” office chairs — I’m having a terrible time with that myself.
Megan says
I am so excited I am not the only person to have collected every original issue of Domino! I was so sad when they stopped publishing. Yes, that was what made me so excited about this post.
YoungHouseLove says
Did you see how the full collection was selling for 1K on ebay when the mag shut down?! I couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t part with mine, though!
xo
s
Jessica says
I have all the Dominos too – and would gladly part with mine if I could find a buyer willing to pay shipping. Just sayin…
Tara says
Looks so bright and cheerful! Curious about 2 things: 1) do you guys have an office/home phone or just rely on your cell phones for everything? and 2) I wonder about the comfort/ergonomics of your office chairs. I would bet you are up and moving quite a bit, but for someone who sits at a desk all day long, I found it so much better for my back to have a decent office chair (although it really isn’t anything pretty). Keep up the good work and also – congrats on your Domino Best DIY Blog award! So well-deserved.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Tara! We’d love to upgrade to more ergonomic chairs (we’re on the hunt)! And we do have a house phone for conference calls (it works better than our cells do) that’s hooked up in our living room (since it’s connected to our cable systes) but it’s cordless, so we can bring it into the office for calls.
xo
s
JillM says
Did you see you were featured on Domino? http://domino.com/best-diy-blogs
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that crazy?! We are so honored – and we loved checking out the other blogs!
xo
s
Evelina says
This turned out great! I love the brightness and colourfulness of the room. Thanks for the GIF. So fun! I’d also like to place another vote for the running man GIF. Sherry, if styling shelves had an award, you’d for sure win every time! (insert trophy emoji here)
I will also be sitting on the edge of my seat looking forward to the Christmas tree placement next winter! Glad I’m not alone :)
Lindsay J says
I, too, just love being organized and having a home for everything! It gives the best feeling. Enjoy your space. It is beautiful!
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
Oh man, you’re giving me a serious tick over here. Must. Organize. House. Now. LOVE it, especially fun – the lapsed images showing how you styled the space! :)
Catherine says
Do you have a fancy way to charge your laptop at the floating desk? Or do you just pull out the long cord and run it to the desk when you are running low?
YoungHouseLove says
I pull out a long cord to charge it, but we’re planning to add a ceiling fixture in here along with a floor outlet for the desk. Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Caitlyn says
I’m doing an office renovation project this weekend and this has given me so many ideas…also, can’t wait to feel that sweet freedom of organization in there!
Maxine says
Just curious… I didn’t see a spot for all the kid-related craft paraphernalia. Where does that all go? It’s always been a struggle in my house to keep that all corralled!
YoungHouseLove says
Right outside the office is a closet that we repurposed as a toy/craft/supply “library” – so we have baskets of Clara’s stickers/paint/markers in there. It’s really handy! Here’s the link for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/who-needs-coats-when-you-can-have-toys/
xo
s
Jess says
It just looks so fresh and happy-love it. I’m jealous of the paintings of your houses. Just such a cool thing.
PS since you mentioned new prototype stuff…Every white octopus I tried to buy had a chip in it or the edges weren’t sprayed all the way so you could see the material coming through. I finally got an aqua colored one instead. Maybe there was some issue with that white paint? Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it to you, just an FYI. I looked at several stores too, so it wasn’t just a couple like that. Love the aqua one though!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jess, we hadn’t heard that! I wonder if a certain shipment had a defect or something. All the products are under a lifetime warranty and will be replaced quickly if there are problems due to manufacturing or damage during transit, so you can contact Liberty’s Target customer solutions specialist at [email protected] (put Young House Love in the email title for fastest response) if you bought anything with issues. They have awesome customer service so they should take care of you asap!
xo
s
Jess says
That’s good to know about the warranty. Thanks!
Kylie says
Love your office! So bright and inviting!
Where is your desk from? Sorry if I missed that, I am a newer reader of your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kylie! Here’s that story: https://www.younghouselove.com/from-the-curb-to-the-office/
xo
s
Deanna says
So I have a silly question – I used to love knickknacks and what-nots for decor, but HATE dusting/cleaning around them. As a result, I’ve gone with a pretty sparse look. While your office looks wonderful (like the rest of your home – you two are so stinkin’ inspiring, its shameful!), I have to ask – how the heck do you keep it all so clean/dusted??? I’m curious as to what supplies do you use and do you keep yourself on a schedule so as not to fall behind? I fell in love with Norwex products but after a time, got lazy again!
YoungHouseLove says
I use a microfiber cloth for dusting (it’s like a dust magnet thanks to the static) and I just lift things up and run it under them and put them back down. Seems to be something I tackle whenever it gets bad (read: I can see dust) but don’t tell my mom that! Haha!
xo
s
Melissa says
This office is AMAZING… we currently just have one lonely desk sitting in our office right now (we just moved last month) with no other storage yet and just piles of papers/items on the floor. Now I have a ton of ideas on how to increase storage and make it beautiful as well ;) thanks for the details!
Melissa
http://www.melismcgrath.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Melissa! Good luck with everything!
xo
s