Today I’m very excited to welcome Professional Organizer Debbie Jordan Kravitz from Virtually Organized to the blog. Debbie is going to talk to us a little bit today about one of my favorite topics, organizing using items you already have around the house. I get such a huge thrill when I’m able to use something that was intended for one purpose and turn it into a creative organizing tool instead. Talk about a high! Since this is office month around here Debbie is going to share some of the re-purposed items she uses to help her organize her own office.
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The Re-Purposed Office
Whether you work from home, work outside of the home, or work at running your home, every household has some sort of an office space. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have an entire room dedicated to your office. Or maybe you get by with a sliver of kitchen counter and a junk drawer. Whatever the case, chances are, your space could use some good re-organization. Before you run to your local office supply store to load up on products and supplies, do some shopping around your own home to see what items you can re-purpose. You’ll save yourself some cash, you’ll be helping out the planet by going “green,” your office will meld more with the look and feel of the rest of your home and you’ll create a much more inviting and productive space to work. Here are some examples of things I’ve done in my own home, as well as with some of my organizing clients.
Need a space for files? I turned an old, unused Hope Chest into a lateral filing cabinet/bench. Now it’s an eclectic piece in my office that is functional, discreet, beautiful, and sentimental:
Drawer dividers are rarely the perfect fit for every situation. Plus they can be expensive and sterile looking. Instead, try empty stationary boxes and box tops as drawer organizers:
Need a desk space? I painted the surface of this old, inexpensive kitchen table and turned it into a desk for two. My youngest daughter will often sit across from me and do homework as I finish up my own work.
The top of your desk needs to be functional, too. A floral frog can hold pens on a desktop:
An antique sugar mold can contain supplies:
A small pot or urn can really give your desk a feeling of sophistication and importance:
As you work on your desk project for this month’s round-up, try going “shopping” around your house for otherwise overlooked and under-used items you can put to work in your home office space. Let me know what you come up with . . . I’d love to discover more ideas and options!
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For those of you who might be needing a little extra push to get your office organized, be sure to check out Debbie’s Procrastination Challenge. Thanks Debbie for being here with us today!
28 Comments
I love all of these ideas! My husband is working from home now, and we are in the midst of designing an office for him.
http://andria-and-co.com
Wonderful and practical ideas. One draw back on the chest being used as a file. If the lid was ever kept down I’d have to first move EVERYTHING that I had piled on the flat surface first, you see I have what I like to call Flat-surface-itis! It would be better for me to just rip the lid off so the temptation is gone lol.
Have a blessed day!
Kim
I love these ideas! Especially turning the flower frog into a pen holder! I have a few of them, just sitting in a cupboard, and they will look so nice dressing up my office and helping me to organize!
Margie
I never would have thought to use a hope chest for files - ours are full of blankets and the other is full of photo albums.
I left you something on my blog.
Great ideas. I love the sugar mold for supplies idea. Thanks.
I’ve had a thing lately for using mason jars and crocks . . .
* Pint-size one on the kitchen counter for pens/pencils
* Half-pint w/ lid for the kids’ media minute chips (counting chips from Staples - each child has their own color) - fits perfectly on the kitchen windowsill where the boys can’t reach it!
* tiny “bean pot” crock holding their unused media chips
* 3 gallon crock (great yard sale find) for magazines
Another re-purposed item I’m loving - I picked up a gardening tote on clearance at a local hardware store. Cute striped bag with pockets all around the outside. It’s now between the front seats of my van with wipes, sunscreen, tissues - all of our on-the-go necessities - in it.
I love the hope chest for files! I have 2 from my grandmothers and my husband hates the wasted space just used for blankets. Can you tell me more about how you fit them in there? Are they hanging files or just standing up on their own?
You all are so darn clever! I love all of these ideas. I love that an office space doesn’t need to be boring and sterile. I wonder if I can sneak these ideas in slowly so that my teen aged boys don’t notice! I’ll give it a try.
This may not sound so glamorous, but We use coffee cups for pen/pencil holders. My husband and I each have one on our desks and the kids have one on the end table in the livingroom. We have one big livingroom/diningroom/kitchen area and this is where we homeschool. It is easy to change the cups for a new look.
Also we use a wide mouth pint size canning jar for spare change.It is easy to dump the change in and out. This is important since I use the change for my garage sale/dollar store money.
I love the hope chest idea!
Those ideas are wonderful! I love the chest into a filing cabinet idea! I may be trying that one…
And when I think of all the old frogs I threw away because I didn’t have a use for them…ugh! Now I’m so mad at myself. :)
Great post!
first off what is a floral frog? I have one and had no idea what it was. Second, I love this! My corner office in our bedroom has taken over. I need help. I will waiting for more, thanks!
Blessings, Penny Raine
http://www.pennyraine.com/blog
That floral frog? I had one for ages and assumed it was for holding pens! HA!
These are great ideas!! Re-purposing with class!
I love it! My parents own a whole bunch of antiques and acquire the strangest things. The one I love the most is the old doctor’s office equipment they picked up at an auction. My dad uses the long enameled sterilizing dish for steaming fish, and mother uses the jars for her sewing supplies.
Also, one time my mother asked for an ice-cream cone dispenser (she’s a very organized person), so I bought it then with another organizer friend we looked at it and thought about different uses. Our favourite was an underwear dispenser for an urban loft-living woman. ;)
Such wonderful ideas! I use an old metal ladder-style pants hanger to clip notes and inspiring bibs and bobs. You can see it hanging on the wall above my computer, in the first picture of “Blue Room Uncovered”:
http://joegirl.blogspot.com/2008/08/blue-room-uncovered.html
So many wonderful, unique ideas for organizing. Thanks for sharing, Laura!
Love it! Especially the beautiful hope chest! Maybe I should try this month’s roundup at my WOH cube. It’s in desparate need of organization.
I sure wish I could be this organized.
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A floral frog helps keep flowers arranged in a vase by securing their stems.
I don’t know if this counts, but I bought two inexpensive letter trays to organize my paper drawer. One holds regular printer paper, and the other holds special paper (like card stock). When I need the special paper, I just lift the plain paper tray and there it is. Very convenient for my small office space.
Too clever! I love these ideas. I need to get creative like you! My desk looks like it came from an office supply store. So boring and uninspiring. I love your blog!
Great tips, Laura. Thank you.
Did you get your book?
I am loving that file cabinet! A friend gave me her grandmother’s hope chest, she didn’t have a need or room for it and knew that I would do something creative with it. Thanks for the great idea, it’s what I’ve been looking for.
I think I am an organizing junkie, too. Can’t get enough of your site
Thanks for all the wonderful comments about my re-purposed organizing ideas. . . and thanks for sharing YOUR creative ideas, too!
In response to the question about how the files are hanging in the chest, my husband installed a block of wood at either end of the trunk and then installed metal rails along the sides of the trunk that are attached to those blocks of wood. The hanging folders rest right on the rails. The depth of the trunk is just slightly larger than the files need. If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me an email!
Thanks for inviting me to guest blog for you, Laura! (I’ll have to get you over to Virtually Organized to guest blog for me as soon as your up to it!)
Debbie Jordan Kravitz
Virtually Organized mypersonalorganizer.typepad.com/virtually_organized/
I also love the hope chest idea. When dh finishes the window seat in our MBR, I think I’ll move the chest to the office and repurpose it. Thanks!
I think I’ll try and join in on this month’s round-up, even though I’m a bit tardy in joining! My “desk” needs some organization.
I love shopping around the house. It is so fun to see all the fun stuff in other rooms. But I usually clear out a room in favor of the new room that I’m decorating. But then I have another room that needs adjustments because I left it empty. So house shopping in my newly decorated room and emptying that one in favor of a “new” one… lol This is not my husband’s favorite activity of mine. :)
I record my journey here at http://www.Tibbles.net/blog where I can dish about all the organizing stuff.