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Help me pull together my Home Office/Craft Room

cubby14
6 years ago

We just recently moved into a new place and I'm having some trouble pulling together my Home Office/Craft Room. I am trying to use the furniture from my last place and something is off to me. I'm willing to paint the furniture and even get some new things if really needed. This room is directly off the entrance to our home and needs to be presentable.

Curtains? Do I need them to soften up the room or should I stick with the blinds. If curtains what color etc.

Rug color etc.

Paint any or all of the furniture in there? Desk and shelves are a natural maple which has a distinct yellow to it. Don't hate it don't love it. TV shelf is Ikea brown/black. Chair is brown with blue, gold, red, orange.

Walls are off white and likely to stay that way at least for a while.

Double glass doors are on order.




Thanks for any help offered.

Comments (30)

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Bump for any help.


  • visualizemaven
    6 years ago

    Since this room is just off the entry, consider that the first thing no one wants to see is craft or office clutter/supplies. Therefore, I am suggesting you rearrange the furniture.

    If you make it look like an office or a TV Room at first glance, that would be ideal.

    Can you send a pic of the wall to the right of the opening plz

    I think staining the wood vs painting would be a good idea.

    Yes, curtains will soften the space and make it more inviting.

    Think about what color scheme you want in this space -

    cubby14 thanked visualizemaven
  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    That wall is the closet. I am open to anything, However the best view is looking out of the window that direction. Looking the other way is just someones house. I plan on keeping most of the craft clutter in the closet as soon as my husband finishes building my shelves in there.





    As far as color scheme, the rest of the house is taupe, brown and turquoise, and I'd like to add orange in here as I have some pictures and accessories I'd like to use if I can make it work.


  • simstress
    6 years ago
    You mentioned wanting to add orange. I would bin up the craft supplies into consistent containers all in orange. Any larger craft tools/supplies that can't be binned up in this fashion can move into the closet. I don't love the chair in the room, but I understand it's nice for tv viewing. I'd get a new light fixture. Good luck!
    cubby14 thanked simstress
  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Great idea simstress. Is it just that chair or any chair in the room that you don't like? I live in Arizona so a ceiling fan is very helpful, I am looking for a more updated one. I suppose I could get a nice light fixture and then bring in a stick fan for the summer which lasts 7 months of the year.

    Carly I will try turning the desk and post a picture of it that way this evening.

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

    As a fellow Arizona dweller, I understand your need for a fan. Just go ahead and do it; there are lots of fans that look way nicer than they used to.


    I think your room is more than presentable now. The only two things I would do--well maybe three--are get a larger rug and center it in the room, replace the lamp behind the chair with an floor task lamp that doesn't crowd the bookcase, and then do something about the chair occluding the closet. Maybe remove it altogether since it doesn't look like you can watch TV from it anyway.

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago


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    cubby14 thanked groveraxle
  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Thanks grover. I will look for a larger rug for sure. I agree the chair is kind of shoe-horned in to that corner by the closet. I'd really like to have a chair in there to be able to use when I'm not working and it is the only place I can think of to have it so I can see the tv. It's hard to photograph this room but the tv is on the opposite wall from the bookshelves and chair right now. Maybe I'm just not seeing another way. I'll give it some more thought. I use the tv as a second monitor for looking at and working on my photos so it needs to be easily seen from the desk.

    Do you think I should do curtain panels on the windows? Color, pattern or neutral?

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Great minds think alike, I found this one too.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Carly, here is the desk in front of the window. Is it better that way? Sorry for the dark picture, the light makes it hard.


  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I'm stressing over picking out a rug. I've never had rugs before and now I need two. One for this room and one in my great room. I've gotten samples for the great room and not liked any of them. So now I'm afraid I just can't figure out what will work.

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

  • indomom
    6 years ago

    I like the desk turned that way much better. Grover is excellent at rug selection. :)

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

    Turning your desk with your back to the windows won't allow you to see the TV.


    Just get a simple jute or sisal rug. Look at Pier 1 and World Market. I don't think you need curtains, but they would soften the room. I'd probably go plain jute on those, too. With the shelves filled with stuff, you don't need a lot of pattern in this room.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Thanks so much for the visual, I love how you do that. It really helps to be able to see things.


  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

    Aesthetically, the desk does look better turned to face the door. Could the TV be moved into the closet and the chair go where the TV was?

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Or is the closet hiding a multitude of sins that you prefer stay hidden from view? ;-) That's the way most of my closets are.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Good point grover, about the desk and tv and also about the need for pattern. My poor husband always tells me I over complicate things.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I was just thinking the same thing. I'd have to take the doors off of the closet, not sure how that will look, but it might work. I'll try it tonight.

  • Carly Schwanz
    6 years ago

    Do you need the chair in that space? Get a nice bench and put it along the wall where the TV was. You could even have storage in the bench and it could be more functional. That chair is kind of bulky in that space. The TV in the closet is genius, because you can close it off to guests for a more "focused" office look lol!

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I do need a chair in this space, sometimes I go hide away in here when my husband has meetings in our great room area, and it's nice to not have to sit in my desk chair all the time. But I'll certainly think on it.

    If I put the tv in the closet I'd have to take the doors off of the closet or I guess I could change the doors to bi-fold ones instead of sliders.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    What about putting the TV next to the shelves on a swivel wall mount. the tv is 40" and there is about 50 inches of wall space there. Will that look too crowded?

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Is this any better? I just angled the desk to match the angle of the doors and took away the little table next to the chair to give it some breathing room. Tv still in the same place.



  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I tried it with the chair in the opposite corner and the desk parallel to the window, but the chair felt too crowded there and I didn't like that I couldn't see the best view out the window.

    So I think it is back to the first way I had it but without the small table next to the chair or this way. You guys are great for working through these issues.

  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I think it is best without the chair at all but since I really want a chair in there I have to make concessions to achieve that.

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    VRA Interiors, LLC
    6 years ago

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  • Casandra383 Dean
    6 years ago
    Could the shelves be put on the opposite wall? Basically flip the shelf/desk set up to the other side of the room. Then any clutter would not be as visible from the doorway and your chair would have plenty of space.
    cubby14 thanked Casandra383 Dean
  • Casandra383 Dean
    6 years ago
    Then mount the tv where it makes sense for viewing....( sorry the tv photo was not showing up at first).
  • cubby14
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Casandra, the opposite wall can't hold the shelves if I want the door to open all the way against that wall, but thanks for the suggestion.