We spent all day yesterday shopping for a desk and at-home office supplies. Eric is starting school again next week and we needed room for him to work at a desk too. Since I spend the majority of my time at home on the computer – either freelancing or blogging – it was important that we had a desk big enough for both of us to work at.
I love this desk from Ikea but sadly the nearest one is a four hour drive away so this desk option was out for us. So, I was hoping to find something similar.
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My main inspiration is the home office of the interior design wizards behind Young House Love. I absolutely LOVE the look of their home office: So clean, streamlined and minimalist!
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Just to remind you, here’s what the “office space” in our teeny, tiny apartment recently looked like. Right before Eric moved back I did some reorganizing to took it from picture A to picture B below.
Most recently, we moved my beloved cube shelf into the kitchen to make room for a longer desk in our living room area.
And then today we searched and searched and searched for one long desk with no luck. 
So we ended up purchasing two, short(ish) desks from Staples to push together. Then we Eric proceeded to spend about four hours assembling them. This is what we’re at right now:
I think the two desks look pretty good next to each other, don’t you? I’m glad we got two desks instead of one now because when we move out of this shoebox apartment, we can rearrange them anyway we see fit. For now, end-to-end is really the only option for arranging them.
We have a lot of stuff to put away still.
This is where you come in! I’m looking for design inspiration! Here are some set-ups that are inspiring me right now.
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Obviously with some more manly colours 
Anyways, I’d love some tips! I am not the most design savvy person.
Also, I thought it would be fun to feature other bloggers/freelance writers/crafters/designers work spaces on the blog next week. So if you’d like to participate just snap a picture of your at-home workspace and email it to me by Sunday night!
Finally, I’m 99% sure I am going to order this Erin Condren Life Planner despite the incredibly steep price for a planner. What can I say, the video sold me! Has anyone else used this planner? Is it as amazing as it looks? If not, do you have a planner you’d recommend?
If you can’t already tell I am on a MAJOR LIFE ORGANIZING SPREE right now 
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
I really like those desks! Solid, classic and sleek.
My workspace is a mess. It’s just one regular desk but it’s a mess…papers, CDS and other stuff strewn all over. Doesn’t help that T sees fit to dump stuff on it, so it never stays tidy even after a cleaout! Even the rollout keyboard part has stuff on it, and the top shelf is home to all sorts of knickknacks.
I will definitely send you a picture – this will motivate me to clean a little bit!
I love that you got two and can push them together – because it looks like one (more streamlined) and like you said when you move you can rearrange them however you want.
Suggestion-wise I would hang a shelf to the right of the desk. Like if you were sitting on the right side and Eric was on the left in front of the opening from your kitchen, it would be above your head on the wall to your right. You can also do that for a shorter self on the wall in front of you where it looks like you have a whiteboard right now. Definitely go up with your space – when things are as cluttered on your desk and you can store them above it opens up so much!
So excited for Eric and school!
Good luck! I think the office looks great. I love the inspiration photos. You are inspiring me to redo my office space.
Best of luck! I would send you a picture, but my at home workspace is kiiiiiiiiiind of a mess. Plus it’s under the stairs so ever so slightly Harry Potter-esque
The desk set up looks great! I can’t wait till I have my own space to decorate.
P.S. Is that Friends on in the background : )
You bet it is! Season 1
Yeah so that pic I sent you is so not as cool as your inspirations. I still have some decorating to do in general.
the desks look cute!
I am by no means a design expert. My only thought is maybe you’d want to separate the two desks (send each to their own corner)… and put a small shelf or table or even trash can between them … that way, when you’re each working, you won’t feel like you’re on top of each other … gives you a little room to breathe.
I love, love, love the first picture with the 4 shelves above the desk. That is awesome. I would agree with Nilsa’s suggestion about separating the desks, I think I would feel a bit too close to the other person working. Truth be told, I don’t have a workspace where I blog, freelance, etc. I am usually reclined in the leather chair in the living room or out on the deck. I am really bad about that. I don’t really have room for a desk and when I sit at a desk for 8 hours every day, the last thing I want to do is come home to sit at another one .
Oh I love your new workspace & the inspiration pictures too! I can’t wait to take a picture of mine for you
My at home work space is my bed. Me + laptop + boyfriend pillow = super comfy way to work
I love the two single desks pushed together! It looks great =)
As for design ideas? I stink at them. I’m better at accessorizing a room rather than starting the decor from the ground up. And for that I got to Target mostly. And sometimes boutiques. I have found that desk lamps + bedside lamps really change the look of a room and finish it!
I think the two desks put together is a great idea. Like you said, when you move out you can still use the two desks together or separately.
I love Young House Love’s decorating ideas….I wish I was that creative!
Using two desks is a good idea. That way if you decide to move things around you have more options. Also, I’m kind of in love with that planner. I may have to buy one myself.
I absolutely love the desks! I’m searching for a new desk and redoing up my entire room, because it’s just such a mess so while I don’t have any ADVICE, I do wish you a lot of luck and can’t wait to see what you come up with!
um i need that planner. however, i cannot afford a 50 dollar planner. especially since i currently am not working. but i need it.
I love the desks! Having two is a good idea, gives you options later on too.
My at home workspace right now consists of a chair at my parents house. I still havent gotten around to setting up the internet at my house, and my parents only live 5 minutes away so it seems pointless to spend the money when I dont have to.
Ooh, fun! I love young house love. I mean, how friggin’ cute is their place?? It makes me jealous. I love the long desk look. For me the trouble is just keeping the space clutter free. Desks are so easy to just dump things on.
Have fun rearranging!
Ah! I so can’t help you with this but I love your inspiration photos. I was just rewarded with my own office at work (sa-weet!), but it’s all in tones of white and grey — the steril and boring kind, not the soothing and clean kind. It’s driving me batty, but I don’t want to make it too cute in here either — being the only girl on the office sometimes has it’s downfalls…
Oh my, I am of no help in this dept unfortunately! I can not decorate to save my soul. That is what mybest friend Brooke is for.
I love the side by side desks, though! They look great!
I don’t really have a work space… I never use my desk and am thinking of selling it… Then I could move that big chair that I have posted pics of into that space (which is in my bedroom) and then I would get new furniture for my living room (my love seat is shot and there is no way I can find something that will match that chair that I own). We’ll see… I don’t really feel like now is the time to spedn money on furniture with all the travel plans ahead of me this year!
So long story short, my ‘work space’ shot would be lame because it’d be a picture of a love seat & coffee table.
I bought my planner at Barnes and Noble for like $12. I like it a lot, but that one might be a lot cooler haha.
Also I think manly colors are overrated. Pink is where it’s at. A little boy named Timothy told me today his favorite color was purple and then he tried to swipe a purple pencil case from a little girl. Perhaps this was Eric 15 or 16 years ago haha. Love the news desks!
Ooooooooooooooooooooh I love these pictures – they are giving me so many ideas!!!! I called the hubby in to the office to show him all the pictures!
Side by side desks are so cute!
i love this!!! for some reason i am so into designing right now! i bought a junky desk from a garage sale and im going to turn it into something amazing!!!!!!!
Oh how I could use a nice work space like that. Although come to think of it I probably wouldn’t use it a ton now that I have the netbook. I just carry it with me to M’s playroom and sporadically work in bursts while playing with her.
Im in love with gray walls. That covers your manly colors. Then have yellow accents. Fem colors.
I love your idea putting the two desks together. I cant wait to redo my workspace when there is more of it
I like the two desks together to make one! I love the Young House Love blog too – its great and they have such great taste. We’re in the process of decorating/arranging house stuff too. It is NOT easy
Isn’t it frustrating that we don’t have an IKEA here? My desk is from there, but I bought it in Hamilton years ago and shipped it back with me.
The two desks together look very slick
I’d love to give you some decorating advice, except I’m a major fail at that. I still need decorating advice for my house, which has pretty much not changed since we moved in a year ago. But I do love your inspiration shots, and I’d love to have something similar in my home as well.