Hi! Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so!
I thought I’d show you the desk area we’ve been piecing together in our master bedroom today. (Note: I know you’re not supposed to have computers in your bedroom, but we live in a 2-bedroom house, and we’ve decided this is the best spot for them to go.) The area is directly across from our bed, and is still far from finished, so pardon the all the cords and randomly-placed decor items sitting everywhere…
The old (uncomfortable) chairs will eventually be replaced, and I’m thinking about using little curtains on tension rods to cover the printer and power strips. Have you ever seen anyone do that? I’ll have to check Pinterest to see if I can find an inspiration pic.
Be right back.
Pretend this is hold music…
Okay, I’m back. 🙂
Found one lickety-split by searching the words “hide cords curtain”:
Great job, Kris!
Here’s another one that popped up in Google Images:
I’ll keep you posted if that’s the route I decide to go, and I’m all ears if you’ve got any other ideas in the meantime!
As for the shelves, we just used two 2″x12″ pine boards from Home Depot. We beat them up with hammers, drill bits, and chisels before we stained them (Special Walnut) to make them look a little less new.
The ($4) black shelf brackets came from Ikea and I just love them!
The cotton photograph that I’ve got (temporarily) leaning there was taken by our neighbor-friend, Josh…
…and the handcrafted framed (which reminds me of a picket fence!) was made out of native wood by another Alabama friend, Scott, who sells his creations under the name Chirpwood.
Isn’t that a great name/logo? 😀 I’ve got a thing for typography and logos (The Lettered Cottage) and I loooooove that the bird looks like the rings of a tree:
And while I’m bragging on Chirpwood, I also love that their products are created ethically (and in a barn!) and that they use 50% of their profits to impact our world in a positive way.
I feel like our cotton photo wants to hang on a blue or gray wall, so I’m going to be thinking about what room/area could get coated with one of those colors next. Hmmm. Maybe the stairwell? Maybe our master bathroom? Off to wander around the house and dream. 🙂
Hi Layla, I love all the shelving and don’t mind the computers one bit. Sometimes function is most important! I don’t know if you can fit the printer on one of the shelves, or if you have another spot you’d rather have it-I make these awesome faux book boxes that hide Internet routers, cables, cords, printers, you name it. I can do any size and any combination of colors-typically with vintage books. You could just do a whole row of books and cover the entire back and bottom where the printer is now-it may look kind of cool to have your feet up against a ton of books 🙂 If you decide you’d ever like one, contact me!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/225345452/green-orange-turquoise-white-bright
I use ikea’s kvissle cable management box on my desk top for the power board. I think it looks cute. Won’t hide your printer though of course. http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/40203958/
cool; love the whole ensemble, The magazine rack can store a tablet also
Looks really good. I love the curtain on a rod to cover cords. Very creative! I also just saw the magazine article. So nice and your little boy is one lucky fella. His room is perfect. I am so glad I discovered your blog and IG feed. Your creativity and positive attitude is infectious. Have a great week. I hope your sweet boy will be home soon.
Well, thank you, Melaney! I hope you have a great week too! 😀
Wow! Love those shelves! I wouldn’t have had a clue that you’d only just bought them. Just beautiful – as always!
Cannot WAIT for Sonny to be home with you all!! Take care. <3
Thank you, sweet Louise! 😀
The shelves look great! Did you find that the 2 X 12 boards were really heavy? I looked at some 2 X 12 at Lowes and I couldn’t lift them! Seemed like I would need some heavy duty brackets to support the weight.
Thanks, Becca! Yes, they are heavy so we made sure to use heavy duty wall anchors in the spots where there weren’t wall studs behind the drywall. 🙂
This is perfect timing! My husband and I are looking to build long, open shelves just like yours over a dining room buffet piece. Your style is so lovely and simple– thanks for sharing!
Layla, beautiful as always, I love everything you do. Are your IKEA brackets the wood ones, painted black? I really like the look of them.
You have given me some great ideas for our basement we refinished and will be turning into an office/sewing area. I’ve been a bit stumped on what to do, so the shelving may definitely be an option.
I pinned this looong ago. I don’t think the link actually goes anywhere with instructions on how to do it, but I don’t think it would be too difficult to figure out.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/210402613812359050/
Layla, I love your blog and your design eye, as well as your rosy outlook on life! I drove past the Pike Road on my way to a family weekend in Fairhope this weekend, and thought of you! My extended family includes one grown adopted daughter (she’s in med school now, we’re so proud), and my baby daughter who turns two this week, who also came to us through adoption. I have been following your adoption story and your blog for some time, and while I am always excited to see a new post… in the last few weeks I am just filled with so much anticipation for the day I see the headline that tells us you’re going to get your boy! So so thrilled for you to get to enjoy the next steps for your family.
I love this and I also appreciate that your computer is in your bedroom. We have a small house and our office area is in a corner of our living room–I love ideas where your can marry form and function. Keep sending the ideas along–those of us with limited space appreciate them!
My husband and I are thinking of downsizing from 4 bedrooms to 2 and I love this idea. Is this house smaller than your previous one? If so is the transition difficult?
Love it! And love the curtain idea, too! Can you mount the power strips to the wall or side of cabinet – or even underside of counter toward the back? Another idea I saw somewhere (sorry, don’t have a picture) is putting the printer on a short stool/shelf kind of thing under the desk instead of on the floor. It got it up off the floor and had room underneath. Think of like a milk crate turned on its end. WIsh I had the picture of it! ANyway, could still use the curtain idea with all that, too. I’m sure whatever you do will look great!
Love it! Would you tell me more about the desk? Did you purchase separate cabinet units and desk surface? Where did you get the pieces? Are they fastened together? Or does the topper stay put without fastening? Thanks!
These are ikea alex; on my list for next visit.
Love the shelves you made, and your desk setup. Where are your drawers from? We need a new work station too. Have always used a traditional desk with a file cabinet sitting next to it, but hate the look of that.
I’ve seen many ideas for hiding the cords and such on Pinterest. The simplest cord hider I found was putting cup hooks up under the back of the desktop near the wall and mounting the power strip to the wall near them. You just wrap the cords horizontally along the cup hooks. I like the curtains too, as well as Allison’s Pinterest find with the doors.
I don’t see anything wrong with work in the bedroom, as long as you aren’t trying to use it when you should be sleeping, but then we have always had a TV in there too, and it never interfered in our sleep ( or anything else !!! ) 😉
Love it! It also makes me happy that I have the same type of shelves planned for our bathroom, brackets from IKEA and all! I also spied a basket in the last photo that we also have in our bathroom currently housing extra TP rolls! ❤️?
I’m a fellow Alabamian and I will definitely be checking Chirpwood out. I also am glad to see his post because we are currently working with he computer desk/homeschool storage placement into our master bedroom. Brilliant idea about the curtain to hide cords!
I bought an inexpensive basket from IKEA and cut a hole in the back to store the cords and things like the router. As for the printer, we have a wireless one and keep it in the utility room, so no clutter on the desk.
That’s a nice sized work area, I love the shelves!
I stole one of your earlier ideas and stuck a faux succulent in a bowl today and added another case of greenery to the mantel decor. Thank you for sharing your ideas, you never know how many of us get inspired by our posts!
Hoping you get your news soon!
Ps I enjoyed the hold music?
I, too, love those IKEA brackets. They hold thousands of Legos in my son’s room. 😉 Great job on making the wood look not so new! Before I clicked over from my email, I would have sworn that you bought the planks that way. I guess I need to beat up my wood more to get that look. Thanks for the inspiration!
Along with Lori and Marianne in Mo., I’d love to know more about your desks! This is exactly what I need!
I love those rustic shelves. Finally an open solution for my tiny kitchen! I didn’t want upper cupboards. Love the office part!
Love this office! But I am wondering if your boards are 1 x 12 and not 2 x 12? I think that they are too thin for the 2 x.
I love to see your updates and am really looking forward to your living room being finished – maybe in time for Christmas decorating?
Nope- they’re 2″x12″ boards, Leslie! 😀 We’ve had to put a hold on the living room for a while, but maybe we can work on it again after Sonny boy is home. 🙂
Beautiful use of this space. I love the industrial looking, long shelving with the mix of metal and that beautiful wood above the desk. The items displayed on the shelving is just right, not too much…no clutter….love it, just like everything you do!
Thanks so much for sharing your design inspiration! 🙂
Our bedroom is on the first floor and is home to my rolltop desk. It actually works out great. I love that I can shut the door and work but am still easily accessible when needed.
Can’t believe the shelf brackets are from ikea! Love them! Love the entire desk area actually! Looks great. Nice work!
-Jen
Jen Gilday Interiors
athomeinthenorthwestblog.com
Layla, I purchased this printer shelf from Office Depot. Printer on top …and, you could decorate the bottom shelf with a plant. Just a thought.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcRn4VxJuX75gLf-zFHW4g1TEIY0l4mhSrGFF_77T-vUQ_Bvktg&usqp=CAE
That looks great! If you have to work in your bedroom, that’s a beautiful way to do it.
Hey Layla….loving your special place. What did you use for your desk top?
Love the shelves! Are they just laying on the brackets are do you have them bolted together somehow??
Praying for that sweet boy to be home SOON!!!
Add another one whom wants to know how the desk came to be. Is it one piece of wood that you stained and three drawer units? Where did the drawer units come from?
I have dreamed of a desk like this for years but haven’t yet been able to acquire a large piece of wood for the desk top.
I’m surprised you put your printer on the floor for two reasons; dust and accessibility. Maybe you don’t print stuff often? Maybe you love to dust? Good on ya! 🙂 My bro is a computer tech – he’d give me heck.
Love the shelves.
Just remember to always turn off your computer/electronics when going to bed. We are exposed to too much electronic fields these days and it’s making people sick in all sorts of ways. It’s actually very important to the human body to have at least one room (bedrooms) in your house that are electronics free.
I totally hear ya all on the small house/making good use of the space you have issue. I, too, am “in that camp”.
Hi Maryjane!
I’ve actually just got the printer sitting down there while I figure out where everything is going to go. I guess I should’ve mentioned that along with the randomly-placed decor, we’ve currently got a randomly-placed printer too- LOL! 😀
Your ideas are giving me inspiration for my art room that I going to remodel.
A painters drop cloth would be an inexpensive fabric to use. We have some better quality clothes at Benjamin Moore New Look in Montgomery.
There are several of us who would love to have info about your desk top and drawer units. Pleeeze?
Oh, of course, Debbie! I’ll blog all about ’em on Friday! 🙂 #SpoilerAlert #They’reFromIkea
Thanks bunches, Layla!! I look forward to Friday — well, actually, I look forward to ALL of your posts and everything you do!
You are seriously cute Layla!
Hugs!
You are so funny Layla!! I love your “notes to listen”, that is totally my kind of humor. You made me laugh out loud at work while reading this. I love your sense of style, you have come across my mind many times, as things I listen to have come up about adoption and how you are patiently waiting for your new son to come home.
You are inspiring! I don’t comment often, but had to today as you “crack me up!!”
I love these shelves so much, I think I may have to copy your idea!!!! I do have a question though, what do you use your sunroom for, because I was curious why you don’t set up your office in there?
Thanks, Renee! Our sunroom doesn’t really have any long lengths of walls (it’s all windows and doors) and our baby grand piano sits right in the center of it, so it’s not really set up to function any differently.
Oh, I guess I didn’t realize that….. but that sure makes for a pretty room full of natural light!!!! Maybe one day we’ll some pictures of Sweet Pea at the baby grand! 🙂
The desk I bought for my office has a panel under the desk top that hides all the cordsl You could just take a piece of white thin white board (maybe bead board) and attach it to either side. Mine has a small shelf attached that extends out about 10 inches and the backboard does not go all the way to the floor. Hides all the ugly cords! You can mount them with a cord manager to the back of that board.
I bet if you look at office desks you will find an example.
Love your blog, first blog I ever read. Can’t wait for Sonny to arrive.
I think I’ve found the perfect inspiration for my office. I also look forward to all of your post, everything is beautiful! How long is the desk? I’m trying to decide what wall to put mine on. Also what did you use for the top? Thanks Trisha
HI- where did you get the white cabinets? they look like ikea but when i go to ikea I can’t find the ones with the file cabinet option.
Thanks
Try Command strips or mounting tape to put the cords up under the desk.