The story behind this office is this: This is the third, small bedroom in my two story house. I needed a space for both my painting studio and my writing desk, so I placed my painting table in the middle of the room, because I need more room for that, and I placed my writing desk in the nook left by my taking out the closet doors. But you can see that the nook is quite small. My father-in-law’s desk fits right in, but there is not much room for anything else. So I put up a magnetic strip and a “picture rail” from Ikea, which you can see, and two glass shelves left over from my old appartment. I have since replaced those with stronger shelves, also from Ikea. I have also since replaced the paper sorter on the desk with a wall mounted paper sorter to my right. This is great! What needs to be I eye level is, and I can type or write away at my leisure. Since I have a big office at the university, I keep all my teaching books there and my research books are on shelves behind me.

The only thing that is missing in my office/studio is a comfy chair. There is simply no room for that and that’s sad. I have to go down a flight of stairs to rest and that bearks the concentration.

Small? Yes, indeed. But also private, cozy, snug, and cheerful. With the door left open a bit at night, it was just fine.

An office space is more challenging because one is, hopefully, awake in the office, and more aware of the environment.

At the very least, it would need painting and the fluorescent light fixture would need to be swapped out for something more congenial.

On the plus side, there is an operable window, for ventilation, but it doesn’t let in any light, because there is a shed parked in front of it outside.

If it had natural light, it would be a fairly perfect spot, but I’m hesitating, because I’m not a mole person. I like sunshine.

I would probably need one of those lamps used to treat SAD; I think I need one of those anyway.

It does give you hope that a very small space can work.

As for the baby room office: my daughter usually insisted I not only hold her, but move around! At the time I didn’t have a laptop; I would have built some kind of podium-type thing so I could rock her in the baby sling and work at the same time.