function vs attractiveness HELP

18 years ago

I have recently spiffed up my study; it serves as a our home office and occasional guest room with a queen sofa bed and adjoining bath. This is where the PC is, and some files and book shelves but I have nice cherry furniture finally and a handsome desk and I don't want to clutter everything up with all the peripherals I seem to need to survive. But you can see from the photo that it is filling up fast.

Buying a large computer armoire is not an option. How do people keep functionality in a room where serious work gets done without compromising the attractiveness of the plan?

Am I making sense?

Here is a link that might be useful: the newly done study et al

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Comments (5)

steve_o
18 years ago
Well, the $$$ fix is to buy computers that more closely match your decor. But that's not a solution most people can pursue. :-) Some ideas:

- Computer items can be moved. Things like USB hubs or cable/DSL modems do not have to live on a flat surface. You could even stuff them behind the furniture so long as they are accessible if you need to use them.
- Could some of the other items move to the bookshelves? It looks like the books would need to be thinned out some, but at least you move them off other flat surfaces and might streamline some views.
- It's hard to tell from the size of the pictures, but it looks like there are three lamps on the desk with the computer display. Do you really need all three? Could some be moved or -- better -- removed?

HTH!
alicesRestaurant
18 years ago
I think what you want to do is extremely difficult. The reality is that for most of us, our home is a "workshop" and workshops require tools and things to work with and on, etc. Yes, we can keep them neat but some parts of the home where work goes on will be difficult to keep serene and tranquil in appearance because tools must be accessible.

DH has the luxury of a separate office bldg for his business but even with that, he has his "work" office in the back of the bldg where clients don't go and he doesn't have to worry asmuch about it being messy. Then he has a rather large conference room (larger than his office and up front) that is easily kept neat with only the need of a large conference table, chairs, TV and stand, phone and stand.

As I was writing the above, I remembered how my husband's work office (in the back) was pretty disorganized looking. He isn't a very neat person but it was pretty bad even considering that.

I did some rearranging and the effect was dramatic. I can tell from your picture that your room is probably fairly small but can't tell how small. My husband's office was pretty darn small but putting the desk in the middle of the room with a long narrow computer table behind the desk (with desk chair between) really organized the room though it did fill it up more. A book case was put against the wall to the right of the desk chair. In front of the desk is a rug and two small occasional chairs both at angles to each other facing the desk. There is another table (also elongated like a sofa table) between the occasional chairs leaving about 4 feet between the desk and the occasional chairs in front. Luckily, the doorway is on a side wall..

I'm sure this is difficult to visualize but my main point is that sometimes filling up the middle of the room can be a good thing and make the room look neater and more organized. It sure did in our case.

I've always heard that if you can see parts of the baseboards (along the floor), it will give a sense of spaciousness. I'm not sure about the spaciousness but I think it does enhance. Your office looks like a lot of the wall space is filled up. Maybe you could work trying to see how it would look leaving more of the wall space open and moving to the middle of the room.

Good luck.

--Alice
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dayenu
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Alice,
the room is 13 by 13 and since there is a sofa bed because the room acts as a guest room too, I don't really want furniture in the middle of the room. Being dual purpose maybe I just need to keep in mind what you said about work rooms not being able to be completely serene and relax about it, I have another room where I see clients and that's spacious sunny and not cluttered with any of the work tools of a private practice. So thanks again for giving me some clarity on the situation.
talley_sue_nyc
18 years ago
13x13 is nice and big--it's almost big enough to split in two--13x6.5. A *bit* skinny, but maybe it would work, ir you could think of them as that?

Or, maybe you could have work furniture in the middle that's on wheels, and can roll over to the other wall when it's sofa-bed time? Then you can have furniture in the middle of the room MOST of the time, and "close the office" when somebody comes to visit.
dayenu
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi again Sue, that room is nice and big? I have a 13 x 13 sewing room and things are bursting from the seams. My dream is to have at least a 20 by 30 studio with plumbing at one end, tons of storage and counters, a large cutting table and pressing table in the center and wildly bright lighting everywhere. ah dream on.
I should be counting my blessings rather than whining.
groan.