How I Created My First Home Office Back in New York City
When I made the decision to work from home, nearly two years ago, I knew I would need a dedicated space to focus. Granted, with a laptop, I could stand in the kitchen & work from the counter (I know because I've done it, in addition to cranking out an obscene amount of work from my phone) but I wanted a space in the house really designated for work and "important stuff" per my husband lol.
Aside from needing a place for work, working from home with a newborn baby, I needed some semblance of order and normalcy, and a work space was critical in creating that. I see this come up A LOT where entrepreneurs, especially, get it in their head that they need huge amount of space or a dedicated room for their office. Add a child to that equation, and the thinking is that any additional space should be for the tots, as though wanting that spapce for yourself makes you selfish. Lies & fibulations!
In hindsight, so many people either didn't understand why I wanted a work space or simply doubted the feasibility of my having a "home office" in a studio; but a few fun facts about me are...
- I love solving a problem
- I love a good challenge
- I love proving people wrong
Creating my home office was all about the lifestyle I wanted (needed) and all it took was the right products & the right use of space.
I had the perfect spot already in mind for the office -- smack in from of my window! I wanted the view and I wanted the sunlight, and just the layout of the apartment, made this really a prime location all around for having an office. I also mentioned that being a first time mom, I was now going from working 40 to 60 hours OUTSIDE of my home to this completely new life. The window was also my connection to the outside world.
The window was a huge deciding factor in the type of desk & chair I wanted -- a glass/acrylic or white console table so that it would seamlessly "blend" into the window, almost disappearing into the space. I say console table, and not desk, because consoles typically have a slimmer profile, in terms of the depth, which would've been fine for a laptop.
With a nonexistent budget, I turned to Ikea for solutions...
An corner office with a view...
The Vittsjo laptop table was the perfect height, width, and depth, plus it had a great open design. I decided to look past the dark frame (at the time the white option wasn't available in the U.S.) since all the essential features I needed were met.
had already previously purchased the Lennart drawer unit to serve as a storage nightstand & turned out it nestled perfectly below the desk's shelf (it was actually merchandised that way when we went to pick up the desk). A small profile chair ensured that my new home office area would be fully functional without a large footprint.
With some personal touches and accents, I'd created an area in my studio where I could sit, get work done, and get inspired by the view.
- IKEA Vittsjo Laptop Table
- IKEA Lampan Table Lamp
- Ban.do 17 Month Classic Agenda (via Hattan Home)
- Fujifilm Instax Mini (via Amazon)
- Bluetooth Retro Handset
I won't lie, I was highly upset to learn that both the table AND drawer unit were later made available in white, but hey, everything happens for a reason; he laptop table is still with me, now gold with marble contact paper, as the dining room bar table.
