In my current position furniture is handed down, passed over and if you're lucky, purchased with new grant money. My desk was a freebie from a closing bank. My file cabinets have been in this office for at least 30+ years (I did spray them all black so at least they matched!) and the shelves and lateral files were bought with grant money (per the grant!). So there is not a lot of creativity that goes into it. I haven't added many of my own touches because none of it is mine.
Now I get /haveto design and decorate an office (albeit small) from top to bottom. I'm working with a limited budget since I am trying to keep my start-up costs under $5000 (this includes EVERYTHING!) but unfortunately I have naturally expensive tastes. I love natural wood and organic shapes and textures. I had in mind a specific office design that included a lot of wood, natural fibers and some rustic qualities. Between Pinterest and several home decorating blogs I had some serious ideas - that involved buying used furniture and spending time and elbow grease to make it amazing. Then I had a dose of reality that said 1) I would NEVER get these projects done in time to open my office when I NEED to and 2) finding these used "gems" would be nearly impossible..so I somewhat forlornly left that idea behind.
Keep in mind I live on Kauai. We have a cuople furniture stores but they are very expensive and don't carry much in the way of office furniture. The only other options are Craigslist and Costco...neither of which are very fruitful here.
That left me with having to design an office online! I have spent countless hours online on every possible furniture site from Overstock.com to Pottery Barn. Many retailers are simply cost prohibitive due to the cost of shipping bulky items here. Ikea doesn't ship here all, which blows as that would have been the best of everything! After much soul searching and shopping cart creations, I settled on a set from CB2. It in no way meets my mental image of my office. So in that regard I'm a little disappointed. The prices were right, the shipping was incredibly cheap and ultimately I like the idea that is taking shape in my head. I'm hoping to find a way to balance the industrial look of the furniture with the natural fiber/organic look that I love.
So that is how my office grows. I have been slowly assembling the pieces of my office and see an office taking shape. So far my office inventory is as follows:
1. 2 desks (to create one long one or a "L" shaped one) - CB2
2. 2. console tables (to create a work space) - CB2
3. 2 drawer/file combos - CB2
4. 1 three shelf cart (may be for printer or other officey stuff) CB2
5. 2 visitor chairs (that need to be painted, re-wheeled, and covers made for the cushions) - Craigslist $5 each!
6. A Multi-function color printer - Costco.com
7. A monitor (that will plug into my laptop) - Costco.com
8. A Keurig and 2 Costco boxes of coffee pods (my most beloved item so far) - Costco
9. A wall clock -$2 from Ikea
10. 2 dog butt hooks - Ikea
11. A 2 hole punch, file folders, labeler, file tabs... - Amazon.com
So as you can see, I'm getting there! Some other touches like plants, wall art, window shades, signs etc..will be determined when I actually am in the space..OH YEAH I do have a space too! It's a small room that needs paint, window coverings and a covering for the "closet" area.
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| Looking to the right from the door |
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| Looking to the left from the door - note the weird "closet" space. Plan to put shelves in and use it for storage but need a "door" covering. May use a curtain.. |
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| The front! Super cute and will be even cuter with some potted plants and a sign |
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| Covered lanai in front of my office aka lunchroom! |
Okay, so I'm excited about this. I love to organize a new space!
