Everyone needs a little space to have as an office. Opening mail, paying bills, reviewing school work, and writing notes are all part of running a home and require a spot to do these activities. My home office is a little, cozy corner is in our dining room. We live in an old craftsman bungalow that has lots of “charm” (read: not much space). Our dining room happens to be the largest room in our house. Its main occupants are a long table with eight chairs, an up-right piano, a built-in china cabinet, and my office.
My home office, pictured above, is where I keep my lap-top (complete with a hole I drilled in the back for cords), rolodex, and letter writing materials. The desk isn’t too big, which is one of my tricks for keeping clutter to a minimum.
Only two things in this picture were actually purchased new. The shade, which sits upon my favorite lamp (from an estate sale) and the Ralph Lauren lead crystal “book” which is tucked into the stack of books, second from the top. (What can I say? I worked for Polo/Ralph Lauren for 9 years and when there was something really wonderful, I bought it!) Where did it all the other items come from you ask? Around. Estate sales, garage sales, used furniture stores, dumpster diving, and accepting other people’s junk. The great thing about old items is they all have a story about where they came from.
The artwork, down pillow form, lamp, and rush-seat captain’s chair are all from different estate sales, but all from the basement. Estate sale basements are where to find items that need work, but have loads of potential. The striped chair is from my in law’s basement, where it lived slip-covered, dressed in orange velvet. The curtains used to be swags in our living room which I took apart, lined, and added piping to. The pillow cover was made from scraps of another project.
There are so many items you can “find” in a dumpster, on the sidewalk, posted for free on Craig’s list, and at estate or garage sales. Always take home what you love, what appeals to you, and what won’t require too much work. Don’t worry if it doesn’t match your stuff. If you love it, it will work! There is no real need to buy “new” things for your home. So many well made items are around, it’s not necessary and it saves money and resources. Sometimes, it takes a few years for it all to come together, in a cozy corner of your home, but it is always worth the wait.
