Like most people, I have spent much more time in my home office over the last year. Honestly, I have spent more time in the last few months than I did in the previous 3 yeara.
My desk was great when we had limited space and I had my desk in the living room of our condo, but considering I am often working on two laptops, my 20" by 40" desk and card tables for my sewing machines just weren't cutting it anymore. When you start using the floor to spread files on, it might be time for an upgrade.
I am lucky to have a dedicated room all to myself for my office Now. Because it is a bonus room over the garage, it has a slanted ceiling. This lends well to it being just my room since my 6'1" husband doesn't fit very well. I guess we could say the room is Sebra sized. The slanted ceiling does make it a little challenging though.
Here Is what my office looked like before.
I adore the color of my office. I had it painted Sherwin Willaims Tidewater (SW6477) before we moved in. It is a really light turquoise and is so serene. It just makes me happy! The carpet is a light beige so I feel like I am visiting a beach. That is particulary comforting in the middle of winter, especially this last winter.
The dream office would have a custom desk and storage. The next option was going with a stock desk and cabinets. Lets just say, I figured I could use that money better elsewhere. I love Pintrest and had pinned all kinds of office ideas, but with a unique roof line, not all of these would work and most had a heafty price tag. So what's a girl to do?
When all else fails, go thrift!
In my town, we have a Habitat for Humanity Restore. If you have one and haven't checked it out you really should. I knew our store often had filing cabinets that had been donated and I knew they always had old doors. So, I made a trip to the Restore. Actually, I ended up making 3 trips. (My next vehicle needs to be able to haul more.) I was able to pick up 4 filing cabinets measuring 29" tall x 29" deep x 15" wide. The filing cabinets are the really good quality AllSteel filing cabinets (these retail for about $200 each). I paid $40 for all 4. Bargain! At 29" tall, with a top put on them they are the perfect height for a desk.
Now, what to do for a top?
At the Restore, I was also able to get 3 matching used doors measuring 28" wide and 80" tall. I chose hollowcore doors, so they aren't as heavy. Solid doors could be used as well. Used doors will have a hole cut out in them where the doorknob used to be. It makes a perfect place to thread cords through. The doors were $5 each. New hollowcore doors are $30+ each.
I placed the former doorknob whole near the wall so my electrical cords could thread through it. That left the edge where the hinges used to be exposed. I could have left it that way, but why not pretty it up. I happen to have some fun printed contact paper that matches my color scheme, so I cut strips just wide enough to cover the edge. It wasn't sticking very well, so I added thhumb tacks to help it adhere. Eventually, I will probably pull it off and paint the edges instead, but it works for now.
So for the incredible price of $55, I now have a long 188" x 28" L-shaped desk. By purchasing from the Habitat for Humanity Restore, I contributed to the community and repurposed some items.
I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
What do you think?