I think it’s safe to say most of us approach the month of January with a sigh of relief. Our home is *almost* back to normal, and in this new year, while it’s tempting to focus all my energy on our kids and the farm, what I know I need to do most is to breathe and take some time for myself. It feels so good to get organized and de-clutter, as well as carve out some space each day to read, nap, or watch a favorite movie. I know that restoring my spirit and my home needn’t be mutually exclusive.
From creating or reinventing a home office with function and style, to re-purposing a chaise lounge from clunky living room piece to a comfy day bed, we have January refresh and revive ideas covered!
It seems that so many families work from home in one capacity or another. For some, the home office is where they telecommute from 9-5. For others, it’s the place where the business of managing a family is taken care of. As CEO of the Ray household, my work space is the epicenter of our lives. From there, I keep track of our farm, social calendar, home-school schedule, and so much more.
Between spreadsheets and deadlines or scrapbooks and school schedules, where you work should support your daily agenda and your personality. Two key items can make all the difference to your work day: storage and seating. You can’t work comfortably without a chair you love or a place to put all your things. Luckily, we have options for both, ready to pick up at our showroom.
The Kallax shelving unit can transform a home office’s functionality and appearance in no time.
Here are three ways this multi-purpose superstar works:
1) Place this storage unit behind your desk to act as a console to store books, magazines, your personal printer and favorite framed photos. You can also store paperwork in matching binders or hanging files, neatly labeled for easy organizing.
2) Turn it into an open shelving wall unit to keep the clutter away from your desktop. Slide these Dompen storage boxes (made from natural coconut fiber) into the modular shelves for keeping craft materials and office supplies out of sight until you need to use them.
3) Use it as a room divider to separate work and family spaces - fill with small house plants, vases, ceramics, and other meaningful items you want to display.
One of the things we love about IKEA’S home office collection is that comfort and quality come at a fair price and a whole lot of wow-factor style. This modern swivel chair looks great in every office, is adjustable for your desk’s height, and costs under $40.
Complete your organized space with some new desk accessories. We personally love different sized canisters and trays for markers, push pins, and clips. A stylish water carafe and matching drinking glass will look beautiful and remind you to stay hydrated while you work.
Don’t forget, you can enlist one of our personal IKEA shoppers to select any IKEA product, no matter the size or price, and have everything delivered to your front door; a must have service for busy multi-taskers.
In our next blog post, we’ll show you how we took an IKEA chaise that claimed valuable real estate in our living room and reinvented it as a retreat space in our master suite.
In the meantime, let us know how you use IKEA furniture to make your home work station or office fresh and functionable by sending us a photo - we’ll post it to our Facebook page to inspire other ClubMod members!
Happy January!