-
ORDER OUR BOOK TODAY
Now available in paperback.
Workspace of the Week: A simple, small study
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Barb McMahon’s itty bitty netbook office:
This home office is so superbly simple that there isn’t much to say about it. The do-it-yourself desk/storage box works wonderfully with the re-purposed bathroom mirror hanging above it. The office chair is one of the dining table chairs, and the bookshelf on the left is conveniently out of the way. Brilliantly minimalist and uncluttered.
Thank you, Barb, for submitting your workspace to our Flickr pool.
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
11 comments posted
Posted by Ann - 09/03/2010
it is very streamlined, but I wonder at it’s actual functionallity. for brief stints it would work great and is certainly highly contained, but for anything longer it looks like a set up for neck strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. I am totally in love with the old bathroom mirror, though.
Posted by Tami - 09/03/2010
This is fantastic!
For short computing sessions, it would be absolutely perfect. No clutter-magnet of an office desk (I swear, it’s like printouts BREED on desks). No unnecessarily large space-eating desk.
Especially if you don’t use your computer for business computing, this would be perfect. Close it up when you’re done, and it’s just a (gorgeous) wooden box.
The only thing that might improve it would be if it sat over a power outlet so that all the cables could be trained inside the box.
For the average “check my email and surf the web a little” computer user, this is a beautiful, streamlined solution.
Posted by Rue - 09/03/2010
Definitely great if all you need is a space to put the computer! I like having some extra space to pay bills and do the extra work I bring home, etc., though.
Posted by tuppenz - 09/03/2010
I would take the rocks off of the shelf of the bathroom mirror and replace them with some post-it notes of different sizes in case I needed to jot something down while I was on the internet or doing research on the computer. Also, I would remove that letter/photo holder just in case I needed to put a pen, calculator, etc. up there while I was working. This is a beautiful little space but the rocks may qualify as clutter.
Posted by Anita - 09/03/2010
Looks like a great spot for the odd bit of email and bill-paying. It’s great if you want to be able to tuck your “office” out of the way in less than a minute, too!
For my part, I’ve always been a fan of more “permanent” desks (in my family we’ve each always had and needed our individual desks) and never really understood the increasingly common trend of wanting to hide them away in one’s home, but I suppose that’s a question of what you’re used to and what you need/value/use.
Posted by chacha1 - 09/03/2010
I like the box-on-the-wall solution. Just got a newsletter from my local wine shop offering a special on a Chilean meritage crated in similar boxes. Many brands do … worth looking into for someone who wants to try this option for a small out-of-the-way study area.
Posted by gypsy packer - 09/04/2010
This would look so great with an early 20th century embossed, dovetailed crate and an old ad or sign on the front. I use a standing desk but a recent foot injury makes a second compact unit look attractive and practical.
Posted by Marc - 09/05/2010
While I like the minimalist approach the overhead cabinet reminds me of the one my grandma had over her toilet. I would have a hard time working in a place that reminds me of grandma’s bathroom.
Posted by klutzgrrl - 09/06/2010
funny how this space isn’t getting much comment love. Personally I feel it’s a little cramped – I really need a bit of space. But it certainly is uncluttered and functional, and I like the idea that repurposed materials can be simple and effective without going for a faux French Provincial look or some such nonsense.
Posted by WilliamB - 09/08/2010
I admire tidy, constrained, minimalist desks but there’s always part of me that wonders if we see the whole picture.
These are items I think might be somewhere else:
- phone (I can’t get good speakerphone from a cell phone)
- printer/fax/copier
- paper for printer/fax/copier
- stamps, envelopes, address labels
- notepad, notes from said pad
- physical files for ongoing projects (frex, vacation plans, home improvement plans, annotated business documents, invitations for events you don’t yet know you can attend,…)
- physical files for storage
- office supplies: writing instruments, staplers, scissors, ruler, calculator, etc.
- good writing paper (an email is not acceptable for formal communications such as condolence notes)
- computer keyboard and screen cleaner, compressed air
- store loyalty program cards
- business records, payroll stubs, tax records, real estate records
- business cards
One could argue away the need for most of these items, one way or another. For example, conducting business and charity online would eliminate much of the need for stamps and envelopes but not all. If I went paperless I would need a scanner, printer, and paper. I would still need pens, staples, etc., for the matters that require physical paper. Most credit card companies don’t have copies of actual receipts, only summaries, so if you don’t keep the receipts you could lose the ability to return or get warranty service. My bank charges $10 and takes 2-6 weeks to get me copies of checks.
Does anyone else wonder where this stuff is?
Posted by Joe Crawford - 09/10/2010
@WilliamB – I totally agree. It is so easy to put a 13″ laptop on some tiny desk, but where is the rest of that disaster?
Comments are closed for this entry.