The Hot Mess – CONQUERED!

Apr 5
Amy

I have been working on re-modeling (rearranging furniture, really) and re-organizing our office at home.  My first post about this project talked about what a Hot Mess the office was.  The furniture arrangement didn’t work for efficiency, and it didn’t allow us to supervise the girls when they were on the computer very well.  It became a cluttered heap of disorganized craziness.

The first stage of the project was for me to empty the office except for the large furniture.  Last Thursday, my parents came over to help rearrange shelves and furniture (Thank you, Mom and Dad!).  While my dad did most of the work moving shelves and furniture, my mom helped me weed through each of the different piles of junk.  We had a recycle box, a garbage box, and a donate box.  After the shelves and furniture were moved and we were done doing most of the sorting, they helped me bring the heavy stuff back in.  I spent some time this weekend working on putting everything else back in and making it organized so we can work in there efficiently and without shuffling papers from one place to another.

Mom & Dad working.

The dining room became a temporary storage for the office items.

The finished office is still small – obviously, we didn’t tear down walls or anything, but it is so so so much better!  My desk, the girls’ computer, and the TV are all along the left (North) wall, the back wall (East) is now all shelving, and there is a long countertop along the right wall (South).  The countertop butts up against one of the shelves, and I plan on using it for scrapbooking projects.  Right now, my books for the term are on the shelf, and I plan on doing my schoolwork at the counter.  The girls’ desk is large enough that they are able to do homework while at the computer if necessary.

Eventually, all the cardboard boxes will be replaced with smaller ones with more specific items in them.  For example, right now, one box is all my craft stuff – eventually I will break that down into smaller boxes like rubber stamps, ribbon, Fimo clay, etc.  Also, eventually Mom and I will be covering all the cardboard boxes with canvas with touches of accent colored fabric.  For now, it’s just a matter of deciding what size boxes work for what stuff, and getting them situated where I want them.  Once that is settled, we will be able to cover them and make them look all pretty.  I can’t wait!

The Finished Project

This is my favorite part of the “new” office – the girls’ computer.  The screen faces the door, so even if we are not in the office with them, we are always able to see what they are doing.  It is fantastic!

I am so happy this project is finally finished!  The door to our office used to always be closed, we were embarrassed to show it to people, and it was a huge distraction.  I finally feel like a huge weight has been lifted and I can finally use the office without feeling guilty about the state of it.  That makes me happy.