Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Creating an Office and Giving a Mouse a Cookie

Fainting-couch

My calm little life has gone into overdrive, I must get organized.

I am not complaining just contemplating how to manage myself.

The first step was to move into my daughter's bedroom, transforming it into an office.
 

I closed my eyes and took her stuff down. Putting her memories into the closet. It was sad. The room looked bare and my crowded bedroom downstairs looks a mess… neither made me smile.

Standing

Did you ever read the book to your children: "When you give your mouse a cookie?" Well yesterday's move was like that. I moved Chelsea's bed into the guest room. The guest room bed into Sacha's room. Sacha's bunk beds into the garage, which is not close by. Then I moved a ton of my boxes into Chelsea's room. Only to realize that I need shelves or something…

Later I heard Sacha say, "Mom, my feet still hang off the bed… I am too tall for this bed too!"
I hollered downstairs, "Tie a brick to your head, and add a stool to the end of your bed."
He didn't think I was funny.

Bed

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…. When Chelsea comes home she will need a bed. SO I went back to the garage and took the twin mattress and will find a single frame for the mattress to sit on.
I had to barter with Sacha for his services. I am glad he needs a taxi driver. Bartering rides for moving beds back and forth is a good trading tool to have.

Pigs

Meanwhile the mattress on the floor is a catch all…. I need shelves, I hadn't thought of that. Chelsea's closet is full of pink pigs and one red ladybug… and a whole bunch of sweet things that make me think I should have stayed in my bed, my office bed with an escargot pincher.

Me-in-mirror

My bedroom looks like a bedroom once again… but Chelsea's bedroom well… that is another story.

Do you have any good trade secrets on how to set on a functional office to someone who is more about "how it looks" than how it works?

Comments

37 responses to “Creating an Office and Giving a Mouse a Cookie”

  1. Karin

    This is what I did for mine (I hope it helps)
    1. I went through my whole house, up and down, and looked at things from an “office” point of view. “Will that cabinet work in my new space? Why, yes, yes it will! It will hold jars and baskets and boxes just nicely and the drawers will hold paper perfectly.” Out of the bathroom it came. “That dresser will be nice for large, flat objects that I want to keep pristine. Away from hubby’s side of the bed you go!” See what I mean?
    2. Look through people’s trash. Can you do that there? I found an old crib bedspring that now has all sorts of ephemera clipped to it with clothespins. Dreamy. I found a small child’s chair that I made into a wall lamp that is unique and functional. People throw away the most useful things!
    3. Hie thee to the brocante! An old door, topped with glass, can be your desk. Old jars and boxes and baskets will hold your things for you, sorted by category, until needed. Laundry baskets will hold folded linens, as they should and old wire shopping carts give you the flexibility of traveling room to room with stuff.
    4. Make that single bed into a day bed with lots of pillows and a sweet lamp nearby for resting- because you will need it!
    5. Maybe you could fit the closet out with shelves, take off the door so you can see in there, (use it for the desk!) and cram it full of lovely treasures. Hang a pretty curtain for when you want your stuff invisible. 🙂
    6. Peg racks are nice to hang clothing, aprons, and baskets to hold small things.
    Gee, there are so many ways to make an office/design space. The possibilities are endless! Have fun making your new office yours. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Deb

    I am the most disorganized of your readers, so you don’t want my input here! BUT, I highly recommend a book called “Where Women Create” for some very creative ideas for offices and ‘studios’….Some spaces may have more ‘whimsy’ and less ‘lovliness’ than is your style, but there are great ideas and inspiration.

    Reply
  3. Candace

    Where Women Create is a great series of books (magazines). You might want to put a large board over the bed and use it for a packing and shipping table then take the board off for guests. You could hinge the board to the wall and have fold up legs attached. Look for items at your flea markets to use for storage. I found a two door shelf unit in my garage that I covered with ephemera. Good luck.

    Reply
  4. Tamara

    Go with how it looks. It will make you happy everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  5. Lynn O’Connell

    I LOVE WHERE WOMEN CREATE Book and now there is a quartly Magazine too! I have them all. There are lots of great ideas in there for creative/office workspaces. I also have one suggestion..find a pretty yet simple shelf for all your books, mags, etc…and then use that as a big “decoration in the room. Hide other extra office supplies in pretty boxes and tins and set those on the shelves along with your books. I have a 6′ x 6′ black shelf unit in my home office that holds all my decorating, crafting, life books and I also keep some sentimentals and supplies in pretty boxes. It really adds to the look of the room instead of being more utilitarian (sp?)… Have fun with the process Corey and please do document and post it for all us to share with you…
    ~Lynn

    Reply
  6. cathy

    How about a daybed for chelsea to sleep on? I look forward to seeing the end results:)Love the chaise,will that be in the room?Of course chelsea could pull out a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor or join you in your bedroom:)

    Reply
  7. Penny

    A new adventure! How fun, exciting, and emotional. You are not only setting up a new office, but, you are turning a page as a mother with your Chelsea beginning the dance of moving on. It takes a while to master the steps. Do it one at a time.
    I would suggest setting up your desk/workspace, get a comfortable chair, then a vase of flowers – even one stem will do – a cup of tea or latte or whatever warms you, and then let the space grow around you.
    When I set up my room here, a bedroom turned into a library/den, I did just what another reader suggested – I raided the other rooms in the house. An old library table now sits nearby, a good place for stacks of papers and files and all sorts of other things. An antique music cabinet holds reams of paper and pictures and a small, wooden library ladder is a good place for a lamp and a coaster to hold a glass while I read in a commandeered from another room.
    You have, I am sure, all the pieces close at hand – and there is always the brocante.

    Reply
  8. Alison Whittington

    I agree with Penny: set up the space where you will work first, and then set up the rest of the space around that. Remember to take advantage of available light.
    And don’t forget to set up a storage system for files and paperwork. Also, since you’ll be shipping, remember to set up a shipping station of some sort – your desk can do double-duty, but you’ll need a dedicated storage space for shipping supplies.
    I find that if I have to move things a lot, to get to other things, I get very frustrated, so I try to make sure each item in my workspace has a place of its own.
    Finally, allow the space to constantly evolve to fit your needs and working style. It doesn’t have to be perfect at first! In fact, it probably never will be, but as long as you feel happy when you’re in the room, that’s the most important thing.

    Reply
  9. AmyKortuem

    I am with you on the concept of “I can’t work in here unless it looks pretty.” My little office is my guest room. I got a small couch that folds out into a single bed. It came with an ottoman, lovely for lounging and reading. Then I put my vintage desk in there (salvaged from a library being remodeled) and got somme white bookshelves that aren’t just shelves, they’re cubbyholes. Makes organizing so much more easy and fun, especially with my color-coordinated bins and baskets in the cubbies. And don’t forget to have a BIG bulletin board (preferably vintage with a cracked green frame) for pinning ideas and inspiration.

    Reply
  10. georgie

    The laptop and printer are stored in a buffet in the living room. I just cut holes in the back of the buffetfor the cords to come through. Company comes over and zip zip, the laptop disappears into its’ drawer. You might want to check out
    http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/craft_rooms/ There are some good ideas re: storage and style of work areas at that site.

    Reply
  11. cynthia Wolff

    I love the puffy sweater..

    Reply
  12. Elizabeth Harper

    I’m a visual person and I kind of need to see the space before I can make it beautiful and functional. Any chance of a before picture to work with …
    I just finished painting the bookshelves that my husband built for me for my new studio space. They take up a whole wall while providing a cozy place for daybed to slip into. He’s working on finishing the wardrobe now which will have 2/3 allocated for clothes with 1/3 devoted to office things that I want to keep tucked out of sight.
    I should be working in my space instead of on it by the end of next week. I’m thrilled to bits as I’m sure you’ll be once you get past the memories.
    Right … now I’m off to work on a chair I’m reupholstering … my first one and a real learning experience.

    Reply
  13. Jeanette Mc.

    Oh my – all these ideas are fabulous. I am in the same boat with needing to carve out a place for myself here in my home. I also think more about it being pretty than functional so these comments are helping me immensely. I’m at the edge of my seat waiting to see what you come up with!

    Reply
  14. Patt

    Hi Corey, what fun you should be having, as a designer my suggestion to you is DON’T OVERTHINK IT. a great space just evolves. for a not to modern look, I love old checken laying boxes stacked on top of each other in rows. Your treasures are put away but you don’t have to open and shut drawers for find them. Whitewashed. If you can not find some they are easy and inexpensive to had made. Remember, it is the journey as well as the destination.

    Reply
  15. lynne

    you are a riot! i’m certain it will be absolute perfection by the time you are done!

    Reply
  16. Mmd. Tortoise

    Dear Corey,
    Ahhh function; it can be as beautiful as form.
    I am a lover of lists. It might be of assistance if you start with one. A list of everything you will be doing in your new office: map out the room according to function, with a space for each. Then a list of what you will need in each space to meet the functional requirements.It is here that function meets form and you create the beauty. But you are probably well ahead of me.I expect the room is now almost finished. I have enjoyed reading the great ideas posted by others; wish we could all be there to help. The patron saint of creativily shall be invoked in your honour, but I must say that you do ever so beautifully on your own.( I love the paint technique and colour of your bedroom walls)Good luck with this; your “room of one’s own”

    Reply
  17. nan tofanelli

    Get thee to an Ikea… buy some inexpensive cubbies to fill a whole wall. Paint them if necessary to fulfill your creative energies and then start filling up those cubbies with everything in your boxes. The rest will follow. If you organize what is in the boxes and on top of the bed, you will see beyond the clutter. The beauty of the room and the wonderful furnishings you will find will all come together.
    Nan

    Reply
  18. Sara

    You are so brave, boxing up Chelsea’s things. I don’t think I could do it! (My things are still boxed up from when I moved out of my old bedroom and left home. 20 years ago. sigh)
    No advice for an office, sorry. I know yours will look fab! Maybe you need to go the the brocante to find shelving?!

    Reply
  19. Annie

    I could only wish I had some secrets to give you—–I just exposed my own dirty laundry for the world to see today…
    annie

    Reply
  20. Brother Mathew

    Fuction following form. Almost always a bad philosophy heading into the design process.

    Reply
  21. Brother Mathew

    If it functions well then it is beautiful.

    Reply
  22. Tina S

    Well, I have no insights into how to organize a home office but I had to comment about Chelsea’s pigs! I have never known another child who collected pigs besides my daughter, Amy. She was 15 when she died as the result of a car accident. Since her death, I am the Keeper of the Pigs. So many people now give me pigs. “I saw this and thought of you (or Amy) and I had to get it for you!” Oh, how my sad mommy heart sings when my friends, her friends, family, etc. bring me pigs. It means she touched their hearts and lives. It means she lives on….and I owe it all to pigs! Thanks for the smile you sent to my inbox today.

    Reply
  23. christine allen

    How about a Murphy bed? There are companies out there that are really cool and functional.

    Reply
  24. Rhonda P

    Wow – there are a lot of comments with great ideas! I’m like you, Corey, I am more about the way my studio/office looks than how it functions. I am always rearranging..welcome to my world! Fake Husband is always offering up his ideas….to which I give him that look that Chelsea had on her face a few posts back. I love that look. Classic.

    Reply
  25. Marilyn

    Shelves and more shelves. Stack of suitcases are great for hiding things.
    And yet my office still looks a mess. It is difficult.

    Reply
  26. Marci

    Ikea, baskets and re-purposing things into useful things.

    Reply
  27. shelley

    I’m a writer and must love what I sit amidst. All necessities – phone, mouse, calculator, calendar, writing pad, desk lamp in arms reach and near a window – lots of sunshine and no clutter.
    How?
    An enormous filing cabinet!
    It works!

    Reply
  28. Denise Moulun-Pasek

    Hi Corey,
    If I were transforming a bedroom into an office, a Tongue in Cheek Brocante office, I’m sure I would choose the Expedit line at IKEA for shelves, a desk and baskets to put all the brocante treasures in.
    The Expedit bookcase houses square baskets or boxes that fit right in each cubby hole. There are a number of options to choose from. You could label them with: linens, books, tableware, for example.
    For a desk, you could have the Expedit desk that hooks right up to the bookshelf. Under it, you may want to have the insert with two drawers to keep your stationery and files in order. Expedit is relatively inexpensive line you see…
    You may want to have rolls of brown craft paper and shipping tape for wrapping parcels to post. It would be great if you could set up the roll of paper on a rod so that you could just unroll the desired length and cut it off with the scissors you keep in a can on top of your desk. This can could also hold a couple of Sharpies to address your parcels.
    A bulletin board is a must, you have to write down requests so that you don’t forget and write yourself TO DO or TO FIND lists. We 52 year olds have to do that you know.
    You may want to have an extra chair facing your desk when you have a friend come over and you want to just hang out and look at treasures together.
    Oh! I’d love to be a fly on the wall! It all sounds very exciting and I’m very happy for you!
    Denise
    P.S. I DO NOT work at IKEA!

    Reply
  29. Elaine L.

    I’m right where you are regarding your daughter. My daughter has moved out and will only be back as a visitor. It’s hard for me to move the curio cabinet out of her room, that has odds and ends from her childhood, yet I have no where to put it. It’s something I have to work through, since I don’t want all evidence of her childhood removed from the house, but I also want my own space.
    And, I’m great at organizing. Want me to fly out and help?!
    ~elaine~

    Reply
  30. Fiona Mc – Australia

    Yes, let it evolve.
    Fill it wih stuff you love (that you would never ever ever ever sell to us…damn it) and make sure its a place you love to be.
    I’m sure you wont just have a cardboard box to throw your paperwork in – it will be a ‘Turn of the Century Something Truly to Die for box’
    Find a spot for your bum and a spot for the photography and let the rest happen organically – it will be you!
    Enjoy the ceative process!

    Reply
  31. Jackie

    “Where Women Create” is a great book and it’s full of pictures:) I spent hours looking at the pretty pictures (instead of actually organizing.)
    jackie
    bliss farm antiques

    Reply
  32. Paulita

    I don’t know how to set up a functional office, but we just finished organizing the costume room at the high school. It has maybe even more things in it than your new office. I can tell you that it is so much easier to find things now because we went through every single item and put it in its place. You want a patterned medium length skirt? I know which box to go to. You want a bowler hat? I got that. It’s worth the effort, even if it takes a long time.

    Reply
  33. Natalie Thiele

    I am completely out of my league here. I am extremely unorganized, but I am also a home stager and have to make sense of rooms, some very quirky and seemingly disfunctional.
    I agree with the IKEA commenters. Great selection, great storage and great prices. I always start in the As-Is department and work my way backwards through the warehouse.
    Good luck, I know it will be beautiful (whether or not it’s functional).

    Reply
  34. liannallama

    awww! What a bittersweet time! Good luck with your new office. At least you will have an excuse to buy new things, LOL!

    Reply
  35. Jenny

    Hi Corey!
    I have been were you are…my eldest moving away for college and eventually marriage. It has left me with her large, post 90’s purple painted bedroom of which I promptly repainted white ( ‘teacup’ by Martha Stewart ) My life has changed so much the past 2 years I’m dizzy just thinking about it…I know home educate my 17 year old daughter, and needed a classroom/office/guest room for my eldest and son in law. Out came a large, sturdy farm harvest able for a work desk, industrial look metal chrome shelving for books, books and more books. A postal “cubby” sits on the desk table to stash the little stuff ( pens, pencils, office stuff) The bare wood floors have a few sisal rugs. I painted one wall with chalkboard paint and love it. One very comfortable old club chair, and a queen bed with my old early marriage post wooden headboard, and my white childhood French provincial dresser. I have managed to combine an office/classroom/guestroom into one large bedroom, and it feels cozy, efficient and good. ( I think it LOOKS rather pretty too) Go with what feels right, there are no rules to creating a space you love to work in.

    Reply
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    Reply
  37. Bob Monk

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    Reply

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