Workspace in a Nook

Hello and I hope you had a wonderful week! I wanted to share another small work space that I worked on a few months ago with the wonderful "E". She is a mother of 5 kiddos who had just started a business for herself and needed a spot where she could work while her little ones were taking naps and after they went to bed. At the time we met she had been working at the kitchen table and was stacking all of her laptop and supplies in about 2 sq. ft. of counter space next to the refrigerator. This momma was in need of a workstation of her own and I was more than happy to help. Here is the breakdown:

The Space:  Two Story, 3 Bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 1,230 sq. ft. The layout is an “L” shape.

The Request: Find a space in the home and create a work station.

The Budget: Anywhere between $200 - $300 (honestly, the idea was just to find a space, get her the basics, and keep it as low cost as possible. She just needed a desk area more than anything and I wanted to make it pretty for her if I could.)

The Parameters: The office needs to have enough space for a laptop and supplies (Printer, binders, paper, etc) nearby and she needed to be able to close it off when not in use. Since she has 5 little ones with curious minds and tiny hands everything needed to be kept out of the way.

The Timeline: Whenever possible, the sooner the better.

Option 1: The nook by the stairs/front door.

So right when you walk through the front door you can take the stairs to your immediate left or keep walking towards the back of the house. The upstairs is a cozy space with a hallway that leads to the bedrooms, laundry room, and kids bathroom. The top of the stairs doesn't have a landing so there isn't an option to put a work area up there. But the bottom of the stairs has a small nook which could house a bench, coatrack, or storage for backpacks and shoes. Next to the nook is a closet and then you enter the kitchen/family room/dining area.

The main living area is rectangular shaped and has the kitchen, dining room, and family room. Although there is a very nice built in with  storage options, it's used for the TV and kids toys, books, and games, and there wasn't any additional space available. My mind kept going back to the nook and she agreed that she had thought of that as a possibility. 

The Upside: It is super bright with a windows on all all sides showing the bright blue sky and trees. It’s centered between the family/kitchen and the upstairs so she would be able to hear anything the kids are doing (and they could easily hear her and find her) from the upstairs or the family room while she works. The closet is right next to the space so she can store all of her supplies and printer inside. Also, there is no worry about heating or air conditioning and it has a very open feeling with high ceilings. 

The Downside: The only downside I could think of was the that it was located right next to the front door and any flow of traffic may be blocked since with the walkway is within an inch of the space.  

Option 2:  Honestly there was no option 2. Really that should say "brief consideration of the space under the stairs".

The closet sits between the stairs and the kitchen. (It's the door on the left) Although I did look in the closet, I didn't push too much into this as a possibility because "the Nook" felt like the right choice from the beginning. We did walk into the closet and talked about how to configure the space to hold "E's" supplies and get a clear "no" as a possible work space.

The Upside: The closet extends in an "L" shape giving extra room for a printer, binders, and any other supplies "E" may need. We could definitely make this work with the the right configuration like “P's" office space under the stairs.

The Downside: There is no natural light, a fan would need to be brought in to get air flow, and it would be snug space. I also took into consideration the kids in the home. “P’s” kids are much older and split time between two households. There is less worry and stress about doing work when you know your teenagers can get their own bowl of cereal and don't need help using the bathroom. “E's" kiddos are still so very young and need more attention and help at a moments notice. Because "E" is still in the "little" stage with her kids, the idea of closing herself off in a closet just wouldn't work at this time. Especially when we can come up with great ideas for an area outside the closet.

The Final Decision: The Nook

After taking measurements, creating some inspiration/mood board, some communicating back and forth, I came up with this:

I created this on SketchUp (I had just gone to a training in Denver provided by Tammy Cody) and I was putting everything I learned to the test. I wanted to make sure a chair and floating desk fit and wouldn't overwhelm the space. I also needed to make sure that when the desk was not in use the area would not look cluttered and could still function as an entryway. I tested out many different chair and desk combinations to see what would work best. I had 3 things to consider. The size and comfort of the chair, the size and functionality of the desk, and, if possible, making it look nice by bringing a bit of color with paint and decor. Below is one of the inspiration boards that I created using PowerPoint. (I now use DesignFiles)

For the color palette, I had to take into consideration the undertone in the carpet on the stairs, the kitchen counters, the couch, the color of the carpet in the family room, and color of wood already in the house, and think of a way to bring everything together. I left her with some ideas on how to move forward and bring everything together with the right colors and decor so that as you walk from the front door to the living area everything would flow beautifully.

Here I chose a bit of a larger chair (as an example - this is not the actual chair) to see how it would fit into the space with a smaller desk. The actual desk I found was on hinges and could be folded when not in use. This version would mean she would still have to grab her laptop, mouse, mousepad and any other smaller supplies from the closet each time which wouldn't be too hard if she stored them in a basket and just pulled the basket out each time.

This version has a smaller chair but a bigger desk. This particular desk could house her laptop (on it's side) and other small supplies. The top cold even be used as a tiny shelf for a little plant or smaller decorative items.

This version had my favorite desk. It's a wall mounted desk that folds down to the floor. What I love is that it gives the most storage and folds into a "real" desk so it feels more solid.

Below are the 3 versions with views from above.

(I apologize for the quality of the pictures. I have come a long way in learning how to do all this computer and social media stuff and just when I think I got it...I realize I don't. So, instead of pulling little chunks of my hair out in frustration, I just screenshot the pictures I needed and used those)

And here is what "E" has done so far!

This desk was only available in white when she went to order. She also opted to put the desk on the other wall and picked out a blue chair for herself. (She accidentally measured a bit high but uses a book to hold up the desk until it can be moved.)

For the time being, this is all she needs. Although it's a small space, it fit her needs, was under budget, and she was able to get her work done. And do you want to know what I love best about this mini office. I feel like it's the epitome of an office underdog. This little guy may not have been super styled, fancy, or have a corner view from the 16th floor of an office building, but guess what...It got the job done. Not only that, she has been so successful that they will be moving to a bigger home. Here's a big high-five to all the little offices out there and all the people grinding it out no matter what. You guys are awesome!

That's it for this week! Next week I will update you on "P's" space and show you a kitchen remodel I am working on. The homeowners were gracious enough to let me come in and give them some ideas for a new kitchen for their home renovation. I'm very excited about it and look forward to showing you what I came up with. I also want to write about my mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries. Actually, I think I might film myself instead. It's something that is such a huge part of my life and affected me not only physically but mentally and emotionally. I'm hoping anything I share can help someone else going through the same thing.

Until next time...I hope you have a lovely week!

-Diana

(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.)