Making a Work Space

Ever since I graduated from college, I've never had an actual desk.  Since I had one-bedroom apartments that were small (as in living room + kitchen + bedroom..no extra rooms!), there was never really any room for one.  For years, I've had to work from my dining room table or couch.

When we moved into our house and I saw there was an extra bedroom, I immediately knew that I was going to get a desk, finally!  I have a lot of fun ideas for this room, but for now I'm just happy to finally have a dedicated work space and my own desk.

This is a really small room, so  my first priority was having a desk that had some built-in storage.  I don't really like having drawers or cabinets, because I would just throw everything in there and it would get messy very fast.  This desk has two open shelves that are the perfect size for some magazines, office supplies, and books.

Beside my desk is an old cabinet that I got from Ikea.  This is a very slim and deep cabinet with three open drawers, and a large bottom drawer to hang folders.  We don't have a filing system yet, but this has done just fine for the past few years!

On top of that cabinet, I keep some magazines that I need to read, along with a letter organizer to store different types of envelopes.  The size of this worked perfectly, and now I don't have to search all over for a wrinkled up envelope!

I'm keeping the top of the desk mostly clear, and I absolutely love this desk organizer from Ikea.  It has a few different slots in the top, where I store my favorite pens and markers.  I also keep pretty coasters, scissors, and mini fake succulents in there.

Also on my desk is a glass box that I picked up at Jo-Ann's.  I use this as a memory box, and keep all of my tickets and boarding passes in here.  I used to have a smaller shadow box, but had to upgrade to this bigger one.  I might eventually paint the box, but for now I like how it looks with natural wood.

I haven't bought a dedicated desk chair yet, so for now we've been borrowing this one from the dining table.  It works for now, but that's next on my "to buy" list!  I love the location of the desk because it looks out over a cherry blossom tree that looks beautiful even when it's not in bloom.  The window also doesn't get direct sunlight, so I can always keep the blinds open!

I still have some work to do in this room, but for now I'm happy with how it's coming together.  Still on my list of projects is to paint the room (hopefully with a fun design or mural) and add storage.     

Sources (contains affiliate links- thank you for your support!)

Desk - Target

Cabinet - Ikea

Chair - Ikea (reupholstered with fabric from Jo-Ann)

Desk Organizer - Ikea

Markers - Tombow

Pens - Papermate

Plants - Marshalls (similar here)

Shadow Box - Jo-Ann

Do you have dedicated work space?
Fake plants- yay or nay?
What magazines do you subscribe to?

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