Reader Space: A Happy Home Office

I go through all sorts of organizing phases.  I think it keeps things interesting.  Last week I was focused on the outdoors, this week I am obsessed with home offices.  And I have a home office to share with you today, which might be the reason behind this week's obsession.

Gaby is a sweet as pie blogger who lives in Scotland and shares her beautiful home and organizing projects on her blog Life in Eight.  She recently decided that she was going to take back her home office, as it was shining as bright as she knew it could.  Here is a quick glance at what Gaby was working with.

This girl is getting long distance high fives from me right away.  She started this project right.  She emptied the space completely to give herself a fresh perspective.

And it worked!  Here she is now to share the results of her home office organization and some tips as well!

What is the main function of the space?

"This is the smallest room in our house but the one that we expect the most from in functionality terms!  It is mainly an office but it is also a craft room, reading nook, chill-out room.  It can also serve as a guest room during those festive periods when all the family is around.  Children love to stay there with their ready-made beds!"

Any superstar tips for keeping it organized?

"Labeled containers, folders and boxes for everything!  In our home, clutter usually occurs when things don't have a designated place to live.  Things get placed "temporarily" {for that, read for months on end!} in the room where they should go.  The solution?  Labeled folders and boxes!  We have added some filing trays that have worked well as a tidy holding area for paperwork.  Before the makeover, this type of correspondence would just pile up on top of the desk.  Nowadays the pile of paperwork doesn't get the chance to grow so big.  It's really helped us to keep on top of it."

What items did you find were essential when organizing this space, and why?

"Boxes, boxes and more boxes.  Hubby has a big collection of CD's and DVD's that used to live in four IKEA Benno towers that took up a lot of wall space and created a lot of visual clutter.  As I've not persuaded him to go digital {yet}, I decided to use boxes to organise them.  As I went for the cheap option without book plates, I designed my own labels.  If you like them as much as I do, you can download them here.  I use these labels to keep the CD's in alphabetical order and the DVD's by genre.  It's been working great!  I love seeing hubby going to the boxes and getting his CD of choice.

In addition to the boxes, I just love, love, love the Expedit attachments with the little doors from IKEA.  They gave us the possibility to hide some bigger items that wouldn't fit in any of our drawers or boxes, like the laminator and paper shredder.  These kinds of things are not decorative or pretty so it is good to have a place to disguise them!"


What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"I hung colour coordinated prints and a canvas.  I also used pretty wallpapers to up-cycle boring old boxes and folders and give them new life.  I think they look pretty smart."

How has this space impacted your life for the better?

"This has now become one of our favourite rooms in the house.  It is our happy place where we come just to enjoy some reading, blogging or just good old fashioned chilling out.  Before that, the room was a mess.  In fact it was an upsetting mess {which was even worse!} that we conquered.

Gaby 1 Clutter 0."

Let's take a minute to chat about why I am so head over heals for this happy home office:

• I love that Gaby painted the walls a fresh color.  That is always a great way to find new inspiration for a room update.  It instantly gives the room a facelift with a very small investment.
• Gaby used a lot of what she already owned, by removing all of the items, it gave her the opportunity to place them back where they made more sense.  I love that you now see her pretty workstation when you peek in from the hallway.
• The updated light fixture is simple yet dramatic.
• She has a great combination of open and concealed storage.  She disguised the less sightly necessities behind doors.
• Those DVD and CD boxes are so gorgeous with her DIY labels, and I love that she was able to find a compromise with her hubby.  
• All of the white really makes the room feel fresh and grand, even if it is a smaller room in their home.
• She brought in her own personality and some pretty color through art.
• She added a lamp to her desk, which is often times forgotten but really great for late night blogging or bill writing.
• And last but not least, the room makes her happy.  Isn't that what it is all about.  Giving you those sweet tingles when you walk in each time?  Love.

Congrats to Gaby for taking back her home office and making it such a lovely place to work.  You can snag all of the details over on Gaby's blog here.

 
ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!