A Tiny Office Space

Hello and I hope you are having a lovely day! As promised, here is the office space I am currently working on with the wonderful "P". (And if you haven't already gotten a chance to read them, here is a link to my first and second posts. They give you a sense of who I am and how I work, making it easier to understand future posts.)

So, client "P" is a pretty special lady. She is a hardworking single mom of two boys in need of an office space she can call her own. Not only that she would like the space to look and feel inviting. So we are going to work as a team to bring her list of needs and wants/wishes to life.

Here is the breakdown:

The Home: Two story, 3 bedrooms, and 1,446 sq. ft. The layout is basically a rectangle on top of a rectangle with the stairs on the right.

The Request: Find a space in the home and create an office

The Budget: $500.

The Timeline: We are hoping no more than a month. However, since it is a small budget, it may take a bit longer to find the right chair for the right price and keep costs as low as possible. My goal is to save her as much money as I can.

The Parameters: The office cannot be in any bedroom due to a lack of space. The downstairs does not have any nooks or areas to add additional furniture (desk or chair) unless we were to remove cabinetry in the kitchen (below) and build a desk at the far end. Not only is that over the budget, but the desk space would take away from any extra counter space and storage in the kitchen and more than likely clutter and crowd the area. As an added bonus it would be nice to have a space away from noise. (She would also like to paint the cabinets white sometime in the future and I'll keep you in the loop on how we'll choose the right white for the cabinets to get the look she wants.)

Option 1: Convert the downstairs closet into a tiny office. I found several pictures on Pinterest that showed exactly that; Closet spaces that were converted into desk areas. The closet space downstairs could definitely be used for that. It is directly at the bottom of the stairs and next to the guest bathroom and front door.

(I tried linking the picture to the source but I'm going to be honest, this whole world of social media and technology is very new to me. I think it worked and I know its the right source but it comes up as office furniture. I apologize profusely if it's your work and I didn't credit you appropriately. If this is yours, please let me know and I will fix it.)

Here is the closet. As you can see it's a small space and if we re-work it we could make it into a mini office space.

The Upside: It can be closed off with everything neatly tucked away. Also, when she's working, everything needed would be within reach. Although it is a tight space there wouldn't necessarily be a feeling of being closed off because "P" would be sitting outside of the space with her back to openness. Air conditioning and heating would not be an issue and the living room and sliding glass door is directly to the right so it would provide some light and a sense of space. 

The Downside: There would be a bit less privacy and your'e losing closet space. At that point we would need to figure out a spot for the vacuum, coats, soccer gear, and purses. It would also require a bit more discipline on the part of the family in terms of keeping their things in different spots and not resort to leaving them all over the place, which is something to consider. As far as materials we would need to build a sort of floating shelf desk, attach some shelves, and get a chair. She would need to either be okay with using a stool that could be tucked under the desk or find a spot somewhere for a bigger chair. The seating is what concerns me. Sitting on a stool for long periods of time is not the most comfortable and hauling around a chair from somewhere in the house everyday would not be convenient. Can she make it work? Absolutely.....But, if there is another option where she could have a comfortable chair and a bit more space she would rather that. Let's keep thinking....

Option 2: The Harry Potter Closet. This is a closet located under the stairs. It is sandwiched between the kitchen and the garage. If you look at the kitchen picture again you'll see a white door next to the fridge (the pantry) and the outline of another door (the garage) and opposite the pantry is the closet. Currently it is used as a game room/storage/bill paying station of sorts where the boys can tuck away inside and play video games, items can be stored, and bills can be paid.

(I put XX's on top of her kids faces. I know it looks funny...but it gets the job done)

The Upside: It is more spacious, can be closed off, already has a shelf desk and a computer in there and is pretty much set up as an "office". This is the actual space she already uses to do some of her work so she's familiar with it in the sense that she already has an idea of what it would feel like to be in there. As far as materials we would paint, get a chair, and add some life with little hits of color and some decor to personalize it.

The Downside: It is closed off with no natural light, the space is tight and the ceiling slopes at an angle giving a bit less room to hang items like calendars or any organization boards or folders. There is also no vent for air or heat, so although the door can be kept open, the flow of air is something that would need to be taken into consideration. Although she does use this space, she feels uninspired when in there....So we move on to see if there is any other spot available....

Option 3: The space at the top of the stairs.

The Upside: This section is currently being used as a movie/hangout space for the boys. This is my favorite option with enough space and light. It is far enough away from the living room and kitchen and allows for a bit of privacy. It gives the most options as far as design and has the most open feel. As an added bonus it would allow a space for the boys to do their homework and keep all of their school and homework belongings in one spot.

The Downside: There would be a need to purchase bigger pieces of furniture and more decor which would might take us over budget. The boys would lose their movie and hangout spot and the "added bonus" of a homework space wouldn't really work because the reality is that the boys like to do their homework at the kitchen table downstairs. I have found this to be true of a lot of kids. They seem to prefer doing their work on their beds, the couch, or the table and really all they need is something flat on their laps to write on.

So as you can tell from the pictures we are working with a cozy space and we both had some ideas that could work. What to do, what to do.......Well, we have a conversation is what we do. I listened and she talked and ultimately she made a decision based on what she felt would work best for her family.

The Conclusion: Although the area at the top of the stairs seems perfect, we need to take the family into consideration. This momma loves her boys and wants to be understanding of the season they are in. Because they go back and forth between two houses she wants them to have their own spot where they can feel comfortable when they are with her. She feels this is not the right time to put a desk upstairs but is tucking away the idea in her head for the future and who knows, maybe in a few years when the boys are older and no longer use that space she might be ready. But right now, after discussing everything, the right choice for her family is the Harry Potter Closet.

Can I just say how much I love this project! "P" is a great example that you do NOT need to wait until the "right" time to figure out a "something" for you. It was so awesome to have a real conversation where we could freely ask, "Where are you in life at this moment?" "What may change in the future?" "What are you comfortable with?" "What is the reality of the situation?" "What can you be okay with letting go and shift perspective on." All those questions help to get everything out in the open and go into any project with the right frame of mind. And she definitely did not need help in the enthusiasm department. Once she decided it was going to be the Harry Potter closet she made the choice to be positive. Her words were, "I'm sooooo excited! This is going to be great!" I agree and am equally excited!

So now what? Well, now I have some thinking and searching to do.

My Homework: Come up with a mood/inspiration board and get creative with the budget. The list of needs include a comfortable chair, paint, desk organizer, wall organizer, a fan. The list of wants are wall decor, a decorative pillow and throw for the chair, pictures, a new light fixture, pretty things to enhance the space and get that "look" and "feel" so she can feel good in there.

The next post will be an update on "P" and her office and we are going to take a look at another tiny office I worked on for the amazing "E". An amazing mother of 5 who started her own company and was in need of, you guessed it, an office space.

Until then, I hope you have a wonderful week!

-Diana