Do you remember that time I switched my office and my guest room (3 months ago)?
1st photo: old office. 2nd photo: new office
Ben and I outgrew our office space, so we flipped the office and guest room. We figured almost double the square footage should be enough to contain the both of us.
Well, after 3 months in our new shared office, we underestimated ourselves.
We are the King and Queen of complete and total chaos. I mean, look LOOK at this mess!
I know. It’s awful. It’s disgraceful. It’s flat-out embarrassing.
In our defense, Ben recently got a new job allowing him to work from home every day.
We didn’t know about this new job when we moved offices, otherwise we would probably have given him his own office in the first place.
Obviously this “shared office” situation is NOT working for us.
So I decided it was high time for me to move out.
I mean, seriously. How creative can one be in this chaos?
I can’t even get a chair in there.
After a few weeks of threatening, I finally contacted an affordable long distance moving company to start moving out of our shared office.
And guess where I’m moving?
Right back into the “old” office/current guest room.
I’m pretty sure this is like the 25th time I’ve carried loads and loads of laundry baskets full of decor and craft supplies up and down the stairs. Maybe this time will stick.
The guest room is a total bore fest right now. Gross color on the walls. Unattractive bedding and furniture (we are “borrowing” the bed, bedding, and dresser from my brother-in-law while he doesn’t need it).
Since the big move-out, the guest room has been looking a lot more like this the past week though:
This room has turned into the downstairs catch-all including furniture of K’s that I’m trying to sell.
MY LIFE IS TOTAL CHAOS. It is driving me bonkers!
Okay, whew that was a whole lotta back-story to get to this big finale…
Step one of the big
“Move Allison’s office {again}, this time back to her previous office/current guest room”
hoopla is to transform this closet in the guest room:..
…into a closet with shelving. I can’t move loads of crap if I have nowhere to put it all.
After two full days of buying, cutting, priming, nailing, and painting sheets of MDF, I now have a nice big storage closet:
Pretty great, hua?
See that space to the left of the open closet door? That area will eventually have a built in desk with cabinets above – the perfect place for me to work, craft, and do “officey” things like sharpen pencils, store sharpies, and write thank-you notes.
But for now, the past few days I’ve been building me some shelves.
And now I get to do the back-breaking labor of carrying all that crap back downstairs again for the 75th time.
But at least I’ve got some great shelves to store it all on.
I will give you a play-by-play tutorial soon (hopefully tomorrow if I can get it written) about building the shelves so you can build some too if you want.
One more time –
Before & Currently:
I hope I can bang out a few posts tonight and tomorrow. I’ve gotten so much done around here! I haven’t even had a free second to tell you about it.
Happy Friday everyone!
Here’s the tutorial for installing the shelves in the closet.
You’ve got mad skillz, girl! That looks great.
I was looking through the messy office pictures and all I really noticed was the huge rolls of ribbon!! LOL. I can’t wait to see what you do with your office. I just finished my craft room/office a few weeks ago and love having my very own space. So much easier to keep stuff organized if you don’t have to share. LOVE the closet shelves.
Yeah I think that togetherness part of marriage does not apply to office space.
~Bliss~
I’m crazy jealous of your office closet. You did an awesome job with the shelving! My home office has been in chaos for over a year now. It’s definitely a work in progress.
At least you get to carry all the cra* downstairs this time?
Hey, it’s something 😉
I am dying at your “i can’t even get a chair in there!” comment! LOL!!!!
Hilarious! My husband has been studying tonight and took over my craft room and I was in and out of there getting supplies and cleaning all night. Not sure he got much studying done. LOL! Next week, we’re making a big-ole walk in closet his “Study”. Kinda sad that my crafting addiction gets a whole room and his dental school education gets a closet. haha! Gotta love my man! Sharing spaces is tough! So glad you’ve got your space back! Have fun up and down the stairs. Stairs are not fun! I’ve got some too 🙁
Don’t leave me! I’ll be cleaner, for real! 😉
@Ben You and your idle promises.
@Allison hey, “I’m working on it”
@Ben It’s too late. I’ve moved on. Nothing you say will change my mind. The kids can stay upstairs with you though. I get them on the weekends.
@Allison On the weekends? That’s not fair! Make me do all the hard work taking them to school every day, making lunches, hounding them to practice piano while you get to party on the weekend and take them out to Chuy’s?
@Ben Mmmmm Chuy’s. I guess you can come with us. I need someone to foot the bill. Maybe we can reconcile over tacos.
@Allison Mmmm…tacos – I miss the Pink Taco in Century City…
@Ben Me too. That place was so awesome. I also miss Pinkberry. What is up with everything being named “pink”?
@Allison LA is just in touch with it’s feminine side, I guess
@Ben so, back to the office. I love you. Like, a lot. But I’m not moving back in. Your conference calls are a deal breaker.
@Allison What@!?!#!? That’s not what you said last night. You were going through withdrawals of catching bits of conversation about clustered WebLogic environments, DR plans, and Architecture roadmaps. You know you miss it!
@Ben You are such a dork. I mean GEEK. You are a geek.
@Allison I’m surprised you didn’t move your Moonies doll for the picture…
@Ben OMGLMFAO Not my doll. NOT MY DOLL. I know and you know that is your stupid mooning doll from your cube. Everyone knows I have way more class than to even consider buying that thing.
@Allison It’s not stupid. It is a very classy piece of office decor.
@Ben Keep telling yourself that. Moonie and your pet rock can be BFFS.
@Allison it’s not just any pet rock, it is a USB Pet Rock – big difference! And just like HoH, it ROCKS!!!!
Ha! Love the commentary.
Congrats to your husband on the new job! The commute kicks butt right? Email me if you need sympathy though…my husband has been working from home for the last four years….
Good luck on the office!
Oh I would love a closet like that, it would clear up so much stuff, and save me from staking things. I hate having to take stuff off to get things from the bottom of piles
Nice solution! Those shelves look great and that nook looks like the perfect place for a desk!
You are doing the right thing! My husband and I can’t share an office, especially because he works form home and is on the phone most of the time. His office is on the top floor, and mine is the library, right next to the kitchen:)
You guys are too funny! You know, I think that’s the key to a good and long marriage…the ability to laugh together…even at each other. My husband and I both work at home and have separate spaces. The problem is when I walk around with my headset and cordless phone when on a conference call. I can do laundry, get more water, etc. when not needing to be in front of my computer. It drives him crazy to listen to me! Luckily, in our not-so-big house, his “office” is the front bedroom across from the master and mine is the front “study right by the front door. There is a bedroom in between us, so as long as I stay in my room, things are cool! Actually the pros definitely outweigh the cons of both of us working from home. Once you adjust that is. Good luck with that and remember to always keep your sense of humor! And, by the way, I am soooo jealous of your building skills. The closet shelves look GREAT!!!
Oh Goody!! Anxiously awaiting your tutorial. I just recently moved and I have plans to put shelves in my closet also for my office/craft room.