One of the comments I received last week was to write about ideas for small space living, so today let’s talk about work spaces and home offices. So much of what we do now is online compared to 20 or even 10 years ago, it seems having a little place to set your laptop or store your desktop is an absolute must in any home.

Absent the luxury of an actual room to turn into a home office, there are many other ways you can pull up a little horizontal space to catch up on your email, do your online banking, or better yet, blog!  So where do you squeeze in a space for a home office where there is none?  Here are ten ideas.

1.  Contained Office.   A tall computer hutch is a great way to use vertical space to pack all things office into one piece of furniture.  Consider customizing one you already have with bulletin boards and a pull out desk (that’s what we plan to do with our family room’s armoire – build a family computer station where kids can be supervised and do homework too.)

via Wisteria

PB Hutch via Freshome

Stylish secretary cabinets are also useful for a quick pull down desktop.

Elle Decor

source unknown

The best part about these furniture solutions is the benefit of closing it up out of sight when you’re done working, for when guests come over, or to simply to hide it away at day’s end.

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I spent this weekend prepping and priming a dresser for a good friend in anticipation of painting it for her daughter’s room.  We’re sprucing up the space and repurposing some furniture and since the walls and daybed are white, I thought it would be absolute perfection if we painted the dresser robin’s egg blue. So off I went in search of the absolute perfect shade. 

I adore this color so much I even use a version of it as a background on the ol’ blog. It’s that blueish with a bit of green and gray shade that in my opinion just makes the world a better place. It’s not turquoise or aqua, but not pastel or too green either.  Kind of airy and watery but not as bright as Tiffany blue, and always so so pretty when done right. I’m a total sucker for anything painted robin’s egg blue.

Like this console.

via Morgan Harrison Home

Or these floors.

via Armelle blog

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Anther great reader question this week, and one I’ve had a couple of times before.  My mantra has always been if you don’t like an old tired piece of furniture you own, then paint it!  Lots of people share that idea and want to reinvent their furniture with a coat paint but like Mina, they get stuck on deciding what color to choose. 

“I would like some advice on some pieces of furniture for my bedroom. I am new at this and really don’t know where to start.  For my bedroom I’d love some color mixed with black, grey, and white.  I want to mix in new pieces of furniture (like a headboard) with old/repainted night stands and an old chest.  What color do you think I should paint them?  Should I brush paint or spray paint? Any thoughts or ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.”  ~ Mina

The answer is completely subjective and depends on so many factors, your favorite colors, the space itself, and of course the style of the piece of furniture. I like to think of it this way.  If you’re looking for a piece that will harmonize with other players in the room then choose a classic or more neutral color, like cream, gray, or black, and then pull color into the space with your wall paint, textiles, and accessories.  But if you’re looking for a showstopper, or one that will be a focal point and be more dominant in the space, then by all means, choose a brighter color.

There’s a great source of inspiration for painted furniture and a site I absolutely love. I wrote about Somerset Bay two years ago, and I find their entire collection so inspiring, every color is spot on.  

Take a peek at a few of their classic neutrals …

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I love my house, I really do. Nothing feels more homey to me than my spaces filled with all my people and my treasures.  It’s cozy, it’s comfy, it’s my sanctuary.  I could die in my house, I love it that much, and I am grateful for each day I live in it. 

However.

I have thoughts of building again. I harbor them deep in my soul, and it keeps me awake at night. It’s why I continue subscribing to all those shelter magazines, tabbing all the ideas for my ‘next house’.  Confess, I know many of you do this too. You have  pages torn from magazines of the things you’d include if you ever build a dream home. I have many images stored in binders and also online, it’s why I’m a Pinning fool.  

One of the things I will have many of in my future dream house on five acres with a botanical garden and lavender field that I may or may not ever have the fortune to plant and build someday is a . . . nook.  Well, not one nook.  Several.  Many.  Many nooks would make me very happy.  The world needs more nooks, don’t you think?

I shall definitely build a sunny breakfast nook.

Southern Living

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