Our Tiny Home Office Reveal!
So I finally have the office reveal post finished, but I can’t just dive in and show you the finished product without addressing the elephant in the room. Ummm….what he heck is life these days? I feel like I’m living in a history book. My kids school is canceled, Adam is working from home, everything is closed, I can’t see my friends or family, and I’m on week three (Four? Seventeen?) of being at home with my kids. You would think these circumstances would lead to me cranking out the projects and blog posts, but no goals are being achieved over here, we are just surviving. How are y’all holding up? Tell me things. Talk to me in the comments. I miss people. More specifically, I miss people I didn’t give birth to…I’m all good on hanging out with people that once lived in my stomach.
Anyway… let’s move on to a more upbeat topic. Check out the finished office! (You can read the first part of this room makeover here).
I’m thrilled with the way this room turned out. I love every aspect of it…the colors, textures, the huge window and natural light, and the size. I was never really worried that this space was too small…but I was never worried that it was too big either. I mean, 42 square feet isn’t exactly roomy.
The blueprints showed it having one large wrap around desk, but we decided to go a different direction and make two small desks on either side.
They aren’t really desks though, just a floating wooden countertop (tutorial here) and a file cabinet pushed underneath. This way everything is built-in and looks legit…but when it comes time to add flooring we can just slide the file cabinets out of the way.
This side of the office is for family business. It’s not picture-perfect, with its huge ugly printer and old school corded phone, but it’s super functional. The whiteboard calendar is new for our family, and incredibly useful. I like that all of our schedules are in one place, and the kids like that they can look at it and see what is coming up. Especially my second (type A) son…this has reduced the number of questions he askes me per day for from 400 to like 372. Although, nothing on that calendar actually happened, and next month isn’t looking too promising either. #quarintinelife
Also, it hides the fusebox…which is equally important to being functional. Clearly.
Our plan was to eventually put a desktop computer here for the kids to use. They are getting to the age where they will need it for school, but this was they are right in the middle of the house while on the internet and not hidden away in their rooms. This has been moved up from “one day we will get a family computer” to “we need a desktop computer yesterday” thanks to the Coronavirus and doing school from home. Also, I made the mistake of telling my kids this, so they ask me multiple times a day if I have bought a computer yet. I haven’t. Y’all…never tell your kids about future plans unless they are already in motion. Rookie mistake. Don’t be an idiot.
The file cabinets are great too. I went through all piles of paperwork, threw away a truckload, and organized the rest. The other drawers are full of office supplies…stuff that has had no home for many, many years now.
This is how bad our organization was – my kids are constantly looking for/asking me for kids scissors. I knew we owned plenty, but we could never find them when they were needed for a kid craft emergency. When we rounded them all up to put them in the drawer organizer we had nine pairs. Nine. Ridiculous.
So that about rounds out the tour! The timing on completing this space really couldn’t have been better if we had planned it. We finished it right as everything was falling apart, and now that our entire family is working/learning from home this tiny office is one of the most used areas in our home. And that’s saying something, because the house is being used pretty hard these days.
Office Source List
- Shelves – DIY (tutorial here)
- Wooden desktops – DIY (tutorial here)
- File cabinets – IKEA Alex
- Sliding doors – DIY (more info here)
- Wood ceiling – DIY (tutorial here)
- Leather office chairs – Amazon (out of stock, similar 1, similar 2)
- Whiteboard calendar – Amazon
- Round rug – Amazon
- “Valley” art – Minted
- “Hard & Soft” graphic art – Minted
- Navy Jar candle – Amazon
- White frames – Amazon
- Wood frames – Amazon
- Brass Letter – Crate & Barrel (discontinued)
- Brass light – Vintage
- Faux succulents – Nearly Natural
- Clear drawer organizers – Amazon
- Navy file holder – Amazon
- Navy paper box – Amazon
- Longhorn art – Etsy (shop on break)
- Letterboard – Target
- Wall color – SW Silvermist
- Door color – SW Oakmoss
Now….talk to me. How are y’all surviving?
I love it all so much!! But, could you explain the saying on the letter board thing for me: “Lord, beer me strength”? Is this some sort of pun on the word beer?
Thank you! “Lord beer me strength” is from The Office…seemed fitting :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y0ji1rPiCw
I love it! I think the two separate desks were a great idea. Plus that way your back isn’t to the other part of the house (much easier to catch the kiddos doing kiddos thing if you can see them haha) I’ve been following you for years and it’s been a pleasure this whole time!
Awww, thank you so much!
Looks awesome!!!
Looks great – that should be a sweet spot to do homework for years to come.
Glad to know you are hanging in there.
Take care & stay safe!
Hi, from an adult that has never been in your tummy. I don’t have kids to deal with and my hubby and I are both retired so this change has probably been easier on us than most. I am an extrovert though so that is a challenge. Due to my hubbies age and medical history he is pretty much a goner if he gets covid so we are super strictly quarantining. I mean super strict. One very methodical and well orchestrated trip to Aldi since March 13. I have found zoom and group FB chats to be really helpful. Seeing a face and video makes the calls so much better. And in person phone calls and less texting. I have also had a few through the storm door visits from friends picking up face masks from my front porch. Hopefully you and Adam can manage to swap out kid care so you each can get a little alone time where you can chat, uninterrupted with people in your life that you love but can’t visit with. Hang in there!
It looks amazing! I love small rooms. It’s so practical and functional. Great idea to put two desks in there.
I love it! We had a similar office nook with U shaped desk adjacent to the main living space when we moved in – I turned it into a reading nook that we all ADORE. But I legit homeschool, so the homeschool corner is a permanent fixture at the other side of the living area. FWIW, prior to kids/homeschool, I had no office type area so I kept my office things in a pretty lidded storage box with homemade dividers and it worked out great for the random white out, index cards, staple remover, etc. For anyone reading who doesn’t have an office, the Office Box is a valid option!
It’s gorgeous! I do have a question though. Did you ever replace the missing/broken glass piece in the office doors? Glad you are all well. I miss people I don’t work with…or people I’m not related to. Trying to see the good in this, like appreciating the little things more, but some days I just want endless chips and salsa and a few margaritas with my friends.
I did replace the broken peice, it was super easy. Also a thousand times yes to chips and salsa and margarits with friends!
Your office area came out so beautiful! I love your entire home.
Here in Austin my husband & I are self-isolating. My son has a job as a delivery driver for Amazon so his job is secure, thank God. Our little family business took a hit because the majority of our customers are in the hospitality industry. Thankfully, my husband found a roofing job in a nearby town. We are so grateful for that. The only thing is that when it rains he can’t work.
The normal day-to-day stuff of my life has been thrown into chaos and I feel somewhat unmoored by all of this. Everything feels off. I get single-minded on some project or task and then I forget to eat and/or exercise. I miss going out to eat. Not at a fancy restaurant, I would be thrilled to go to my local Dairy Queen. I miss window shopping and seeing my friends face-to-face. I miss having margaritas at my favorite happy hour with my husband. I know that life will eventually get back to normal. I just have to be patient and stay sane.
Thank you for your post. It’s almost like being invited into your home and it was therapeutic for me. Kind of like getting out of mine.
Girl, same….I could have written your second paragraph. I have cabin fever so bad…I get excited just to check the mail and take out the trash these days!
The office is great, what a good use of a small space and looks fantastic.
I am in quarantine mostly with my 5 month old puppy as my husband is still working because he is in the automotive repair business and my daughter is a caregiver for special needs kids and was able to keep one family as she is considered essential, as for me I work in a retail nonessential business and I’ve been off since March 19th. I had no idea when I decided to adopt a puppy in late December that I would need her as much as she needs me! She keeps me busy and gets me out of the house everyday for long walks. Lucky for me I’m happy being on my own, but like most of us I miss my work family, my relatives and friends and just going out to shop for home stuff and clothes. Hang in there Ashley and know that I read your posts and love seeing your beautiful family and home. You’ve given me a lot of great ideas over the years and I appreciate all you do????
How absolutely beautiful and functional! Small and perfect.
Yeah, the covid, hey? Unreal. I couldn’t believe just how fast everything changed. I didn’t know large bureaucratic entities could move so fast! Where I am, on Vancouver Island, everything changed from a Wednesday to a Friday. All schools and daycares closed, all stores except essential services, all churches and special events, the sports seasons all ended…it was a different world in less than three days. I’m lucky that I have been able to transition most of my teaching to online, and Shae is working online as well. We feel very fortunate. Our cases are still very low here, but after watching meteoric rises in so many places I know that could change quickly. Our biggest worry was that my oldest son and daughter in law were expecting a baby on March 27th. They were worried my son wouldn’t be able to go in the delivery room, and that the hospital would be a dangerous place to be. Thankfully the baby was safely born on Friday morning, and they were able to come home yesterday. Today we got to see them all through the car window! I can’t wait to hug them all and snuggle that sweet bub.
Take care! These chaotic days will one day be a fond memory, believe it or not.
I love how your office space turned out. With multiple kids it will work out better to have 2 work spaces as time goes on. We can all relate to missing people, our people or any people! We live an hour out of Ft. Worth, so I have outdoor space where I can keep busy. All of my gardening projects, that I normally try to squeeze in while taking care of our aging parents, are finally getting some attention. And my husband works from home, so his routine hasn’t changed. I miss my Master Gardener friends. I miss my kids (spread around the county) and I miss our grandson, just a short 3 county drive away. Hang in there Ashley (and everybody), try to keep a routine as best as you can. While the kids are out of school, try to educate them on the little things in life….how to sew a button on (use big buttons for little hands), counting money (good for addition and subtraction skills, as well as budget), how to cook (measuring is great math), how to build a bird house (you guys probably already have building covered, lol), plant some seeds….Basil grows quickly and is great in the kitchen, Dill also grows quickly. Butterflies will lay their egg on its and the caterpillars will eat it (great circle of life lesson). Have the boys write a play (with parts for each boy) they can perform it for the Grandparents via FaceTime or Skype. You get the idea, teach them the things we all need to know in life, but schools have stopped teaching. Hang in there!
It looks very cozy! What I’m worried about is the glare that would be coming from that window, it looks like quite a sunny room. Also is one of you left-handed? Noticed that the drawer positioning changes :)
Thank you! It is pretty bright, but there is a 8 foot deep porch in front of the window, so no direct sunlight. One of my sons is left handed (so far), but the drawer posisitioning is just becaue I wanted them both on the back wall.
I often say that the years that we struggled with unemployment were some of our happiest. Stressful, yes. But we had Shane home and were able to spend quality time as a family. We had to band together and rely on the Lord more than ever. My mom always said that she would rather have financial trials verses any other kind and while I agree, I think it has held me back from trying to be successful with my blog/business. If I don’t have financial struggles then that would mean I would have other (harder) struggles. I know I will have the trials regardless, but sometimes it is easier said than done. Thank you for your insight :)
I know this is completely off topic from your office which is SO beautiful. I was actually curious about your interior doors. Did you make the natural interior doors yourself?! I have been searching high and low for where they came from ????
We bought the doors online, sight unseen, from a company called ETO doors. They are mahogany and we love them! The prices are great… most of them actually came from the clearance section for $99 each.
It’s a really lovely home office!! I love it!!
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Its Great idea, use the space wisely
Geez, I just left a looong spiel on your fb page, lol! I couldn’t see a place to reply on the email. Something must have changed…but then again so did everything else we did in the past! Take care.
Ellie aka Musch aka!!
Such an awesome idea. It is so pretty to make use of the little corner. The Landmark Condo
How long and wide is your desk? And deep? I love it!!! Also the color of your walls?
I love this room
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it doesn’t create telephone calls yet on the off chance that you are going to endure in the real estate putting business area simply place it in there and leave it.
How are you and your family doing? We have not seen any posts from you in a while and was just getting a little worried. Hope all is well and you are still working on your beautiful home. Happy Holidays
Hi Ashley! I know you are not living in this home anymore, but was the desk chair comfortable? I am making my own version of your tiny office in my bedroom and I am trying decide on a chair. I love how it looks, but I work for 3 or 4 hours at a time on the computer so the chair has to be comfy.
I found it comfortable and didn’t have any problem working at it for a few hours at a time. I also tend to “perch” on my chairs, with my legs up in it…so I might not be the best person to ask. I would absolutly buy the same chair again though!