One of the first projects that I wanted to knock out immediately was my office space. It's approximately 8'-11"x9'-1" in space, thus planning revolved around anything space efficient. So the first thing I tried was a desk much like the one below.
This desk was great except for the fact that it was wobbly as hell. As I typed, both of my monitors wobbled along with the rhythm of my presses. As such, this table was immediately moved upstairs to serve as a bill table and I decided to leave my room in complete disarray until I found something more suitable. After a few unplanned trips to Office Depot (months later mind you), I realized that I preferred the aesthetic and space usage of U/L shaped desks. I quickly wrote-off the U shape in consideration to space usage. With that, my compulsive personality forged forward to procure an L shaped desk.
Now mind you, I am a cheap skate. If I think I can get a good deal, even if it requires a lot of extra work, I will most likely pursue it. That is the case when I found this gem of a desk on Walmart.
Perfect, I thought. It's design specs indicated that it would fit nicely in my room without being overbearing and it looked good enough! So I ordered it. Unfortunately for the desk, I am a horrible procrastinator and received the desk prior to painting the room and re-hanging some ikea bookshelves that were in the room earlier. So, that particular madness assumed. The images below are the end result of billy bookshelves (in white), and some satin colored Lowes purple paint (I can't recall the exact brand color - we have the can somewhere... I believe it was Valspar).
You might be thinking - purple?! Why purple? Well, it's my favorite color... it all started with Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The smart one was the cool one! Back to grownup life... I managed to finish up my room so that I could put my desk in. Bringing a few pieces in, I noted something. I hated the "cherry" color.
As you can tell from the picture above, I decided that I could sand the finish off, paint, and seal the desk myself. I did exactly that. I purchased a returned 1gal bucket of satin midnight black paint (returned paints are like 80% off at Lowes) and I followed this guide for picking the right grit of sandpaper for the job. Seeing as the material of this desk wasn't exactly the most fortified thing you have ever worked with - I ended up using a Medium 120 grit for most of it. I than take a paint roller, in hindsight follow the guides and use a brush, and rolled on a couple coats of black. After rolling on the black paint and letting it dry for a day, I assembled the desk and placed it where I thought it most appropriate in my office. I immediately sat down and scratched some of the paint off. DOH!
I had forgotten to seal the desk. So I went to Lowes, again, and picked up a can of polyurethane. Once again, I didn't follow directions because I like doing my own thing or am just too impatient, and I ended up rolling the polyurethane with a mini paint roller. Do not do this - it will not give you the results you expected... or maybe it will if you want to call it, "art." What ended up happening is that the roller didn't distribute the polyurethane equally and thus leaving streak residue and a raised bubble look. This might not have happened had I not vainly attempted a minor hair removal that resulted in a major ordeal. I will spare you the facts, but I must admit - the end result wasn't that bad. See for your self.
Some other finishing touches that I managed to do was to add two screws to the outer most leg cross-member (the support in the back). This resulted in a better fortification of the desk (less wobble). Also, I mounted a power strip underneath the desk so I could provide my own cable management.
Finally, to finish up my office space I wanted to hang a few wall shelves between the book cases. I picked up the these particular shelves at Target, and they were a breeze to hang... though I had to manually bend some of the mounting hardware due to shipping wear.
Ahhh books. I love my office, in fact it is my favorite place to sit and work for hours.
What you did to that office space is somewhat great. Although, I think you could’ve put the computer somewhere else. I think the sun’s glare could affect your work if you’ll be working during the day. Come to think of it, you’ll be able to receive vitamin D from being exposed to the sun.
ReplyDelete- Clayton Steadham
Hey Clayton - thanks for the feedback. Yes, programmers do require as much vitamin d as possible ;). As for the glare, it's really not too bad. The blinds that are in the office are of one solid construction (not in horizontal slats that I was used to growing up as a kid). So its ability to filter light is quite nice.
DeleteI could only wish the monitors were of higher quality and were anti-glare. Sadly, they are not. Though, I am 6'3" so I tend to block most of the light that attempts to shine on the monitors.
Thanks for your post!
Great tips for customizing the office space! I never thought about incorporating plants for a refreshing touch. The practical ideas shared here will surely make working from home a more enjoyable and productive experience.Thank you for sharing this blog with us.
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