Creating A Home Office

When New York City shut down back in March, we figured we wouldn’t have any problem working from home since we were already doing it. I’ve had a home office in the corner of my living room since starting my organizing business 14 years ago. My husband, a research scientist at a medical school, does a lot of writing on his laptop at the dining room table, going into the office only for meetings. While working from home was new for my daughter, she brought home her work laptop and settled into her bedroom.

However, as the months wore on, conflicts were inevitable. My husband and I were both holding frequent meetings via phone or Zoom, and my daughter’s job required her to be on the phone for much of the day. Since I have a desktop computer and am not easily relocatable, my husband would move his laptop to my daughter’s desk when one of us had a Zoom meeting, and she would decamp to our bedroom. Every morning we would compare our schedules to ensure that we each had a quiet place when we needed one. It was getting old.

I suggested that we set up a small desk in our bedroom for my husband to hold his meetings. It was really important to us that the desk be very low-profile so that it wouldn’t overwhelm our bedroom, which has a “bed and breakfast” vibe.

We selected a small space next to the dresser and bought the following:

  • A folding desk
  • A lightweight upholstered chair that matches our bedroom decor
  • A power strip.

We rearranged items already on top of the dresser so that a lamp, landline, and coaster were within easy reach. I dipped into my cache of organizing supplies to come up with two cord organizers that would keep his laptop and iPhone charger cords at his fingertips. Excess cables got tucked under the dresser.

We are so pleased at the way it turned out! My husband likes the space so much that he usually works in there even if neither of us has any Zoom meetings. My daughter appreciates not getting bumped from her room. And I enjoy how the blue chair enhances our blue and yellow bedroom decor. I even upped my game by replacing all the coasters in that room with yellow and blue ones.

By the way, the blue chair came in a set of two, so now I have a new chair at the writing desk in my home office, too!

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