planning "the office"

No, not the TV show, though I do confess a fondness for the original British version. I’m talking, “we’re moving in 2 weeks, stare at each other and realise we haven’t got anything for the home office” panic. So in true Steve style efficiency , we decided to merge my first excursion out of the house with getting our home office furnishing sorted.

I’m drawn to really clean lines in my office surroundings. I figure there’s too much going on in this addled brain of mine, and a clear area helps me clear my mind to get work done. Since I’d already done lots of research, all I had to do was show S some of these pictures to serve as my “inspiration board”. To my delight, he loved my ideas too.

What’s important for us: clean lines, elegant looking, free of cable clutter, storage that is functional as well as aesthetic, 2 separate workstations, a nook for reading.

source: unplggd.com

I looked at several options for “proper” office furniture, but then we realised after perusing several online reviews, that it was overkill. The key to having more money left over so I can build my dream wardrobe (naughty giggles) is instead, buying some of Ikea’s better offerings that are renown for their sturdiness and good lookin’ lines. And truly, there’s nothing more fun than a trip to Ikea! Even with chronic back pain!

source: cheyennemillwork.com

It was an exact 2 hour trip all up (doctor recommended maximum!) – and though brief, we got what we needed and I managed to get back in the car before the really awful nauseating pain set in. (The car ride home and afternoon that ensued was not all that fun for poor S. I may have been pathetic and noisily so).

We’ve decided on the Jonas desk, one for each of us. Previous Ikea desks we’ve had haven’t been able to stand up to S’s stringent sturdiness needs (he’s a giant people, and not a gentle one!). This one did – he leaned on it, sat at it, and generally err, tested it with his frame, and the lovely Ikea assistant only stared at us, fascinated, a teeny bit.

Ikea Jonas Desk

And to satisfy our double clutterbug need for amazing amounts of storage, we are going with the good ol’ Billy bookcase. It’s a world favourite, so why not? Behold the prettiness:

source: apartmenttherapy.com

I’ve long loved the Billy bookcase, using it as storage in almost every apartment I’ve lived in since moving to Australia. I’ve even used it as a bar. Cue, photo of my embarrassingly well-stocked bar. Yup, Billy bookcase!

my (well stocked) Billy bookcase bar

What??? You shouldn’t be ill-prepared when you have company!

I’m also going to be doing a bit of ikea-hacking on my office bookcases, so am now scouting some gorgeous wallpapers to go inside, ah-la the Design Sponge version below:

source: designspongeonline.com

So at the moment the home office inspiration board looks a bit like this.

our new home office

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