Have you ever wondered how your office desk can start off being the most organized location and 6 years later you only have enough space for your computer to fit? Well sadly that has been my home office desk story for the last few years of Starting Stagetecture. When I first started I had just a roll around printer desk with my “Carrie Bradshaw – Sex in the City” iconic black Apple laptop that was as slow as molasses! You couldn’t tell me anything, because I was excited to be starting my own business and nothing could stop me.

I’m remembering back to when I attended the Haven Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015, and saw one of the sponsors was Minted – “A New Kind of Print Shop Built Around Artists”. I was given a complimentary print and the chance to refresh my home office and I thought in my head, “YES!!! Finally an excuse to declutter my home office.”

Refreshing My Home Office with Minted Limited Edition Artwork

All images: Stagetecture

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Choosing my Minted – Limited Edition Artworks

I was excited to see that Minted is based around artists and you can read about each artist, their philosophy to their designs, and then choose which one fits your decorative style and space you’re going to display it.

About Minted:

• Minted is a design marketplace that connects you with independent artists to create something one-of-a-kind.
• All artworks are printed on museum-quality paper and available in a wide array of sizes and framing options.
• Minted sells the work of independent artists from 43 different countries and the crowdsourcing model enables anyone, anywhere, to submit designs for its challenges.

When I went perusing through Minted’s limited edition artworks I was immediately drawn to pictures of mountains and western colors that I miss from my childhood growing up in Colorado.

I chose Holly Royval who “…has painted her whole life and is endlessly inspired by her beautiful state of Colorado with its bright, bold colors.” 

Holly Royval, Artist – from Denver, Colorado

Holly’s Sundrop artwork is what I chose for my home office and you’ll be able to see the transformation below.

Breathing Life Back into My Home Office

When organizing your office, especially when you live at home, you’ll need to part with items that don’t really need to be kept anymore. For me – catalogs, home decor magazines from 2009, every craft that my daughter has made since she was 2…. you know STUFF!  After 4 hours of purging, sorting, dusting, and organizing I was able to shed the pounds from my overly bloated office and showcase my new Minted artwork in my office.

Another great source for artwork is ArtFund for perking up your home office!

I especially love the colors of Sundrop that “…takes inspiration from the radial patterns of a puddle with drops of new water, this painting is lively and happy.” The colors compliment my sage green walls in my office beautifully and I chose the distressed charcoal stain frame from Minted to compliment my desktop.

Thanks Minted for helping me refresh my home office with Holly’s beautiful artwork and a little elbow grease and organization!

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

19 New Year Organizing Tips for Home Office Organization

1. Determine What Areas Need Home Office Organization

Your main target for the home office organization is to organize, not to renovate! So, try to evaluate the current condition of the place and determine the areas you need to work on and the things you need to organize. For example, all you need for your office is probably just to clear the old clutter and put the paper and files in order. On the other hand, reducing the physical clutter and building up a working system with more electronic software and applications on your computer will possibly enough to get things in order!

2. Home Office Ideas: Solve the Problems Separately

Instead of focusing on the entire place, find out small problems and work on them separately. You have to fix those things that create interruptions and distractions during work. Check if the position of your laptop or computer monitor is on the eye level, if the chair is comfortable and good for your back, if the working desk is spacious enough to hold all the necessary items, and etc. Your flow of work will certainly be hampered if you cannot sit comfortably or have to leave your desk every time your phone rings. So, fix all the things that are not allowing you to be productive.

3. Home Office Organization: Remove Clutter Wherever Possible

Removing the useless things and keeping the existing files and documents in order is an important part of home office organization. So, invent new ways and tricks to keep the office space as free as possible. Instead of the mess of hundreds of sticky note reminders, use electronic calendars and keep e-files and receipts instead of the paper documents and files. Take help of online services if you face problem in keep tracking of those e-documents and receipts. In addition, make the place look less cluttered by managing all the cords. Use wireless equipment and power outlets to make things work.

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4. Home Office Decluttering Tips: Increase Space with Storage Units

Did you know the same kitchen storage ideas can be mimicked in your home office? Shelves and storage boxes are effective in keep the files, documents, and books in order. Install shelves or custom shelving units for keeping the books, files, and decorative pieces. Keep the loose items in boxes and then keep the boxes neatly grouped inside the shelves. You can also use freestanding filing cabinets on either or both sides of the desk. If you do not want to use huge shelving units, use wall-mounted box shelves as a sleek alternative. Using these storage units will increase the space and help you to keep organized.

15 Home Office Organizing Tips from Blogger Friends

1. Organizing My Home Office
2. How to Build Hanging Shelving and Desk Unit
3. Total Home Office Organization ó Under $30
4. Home Office Memo Board
5. How to Maintain an Organized Desk
6. How To Create An Organized Office
7. DIY Painted Storage Boxes
8. Rustic Chic Home Office Reveal
9. Organizing My Desk with Poppin Office Supplies
10. Under Stair Office Reveal
11. Organized Office Closet
12. New Year, New Office
13. How to Build Industrial Wood Office Shelves
14. How to Create a Farmhouse Office Makeover Inexpensively
15. Home Office Makeover

The New Year is the best time to get organized and one of the effective ways to take charge of our busy lives is to start the year off right. So, stop dilly-dallying and start doing your home office organization! Be ruthless in decluttering and tidy up the entire space in small spurts and make the place cozy as well as inspiring!

Have any unique idea about home office organization to share with us?

Budget Decorating: Simple Home Office Ideas

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Utilize Multi-Purpose Furniture

If your home office is part of another room, multifunctional furniture comes in handy. For example, you can use a large armoire for storage and store your papers, files, and household items in it. You can also buy a wood coffee table with storage and place cushions on top to create a cozy sitting area where guests can relax when they come to your office. Remember that the room doesn’t have to look like a traditional office.

Dress Up your Cords & Cables

Your chargers, computers, and lighting fixtures have different cables which can make your office look cluttered. Cables can also be hazardous, particularly in a home with small children. While cables are a part of your life, they don’t have to take up all the floor space. You can cover them with fabric or tape or keep them hidden. Tackle this project in advance because you will never get around to it if you postpone.

Create a Sunny Space by Making Use of Natural Light

There are many ways you can create a sunny office. You can position your desk near a window to enjoy daylight, paint the walls white to highlight the natural light, or incorporate light window treatments. If the room gets a little amount of light, add artificial lighting fixtures to illuminate it during the day and at night. Keep in mind that you need sufficient light in order to work comfortably.

Decorating a home office is not the easiest of tasks. You have to think of the environment you want to create, the furniture to add, and the changes to make. You have to create an office that increases your productivity but isn’t too distracting. For instance, if you make the space too cozy, you may want to rest every now and then and consequently neglect your work. The good news is that you can blend comfort and professionalism to create a home office that offers enduring style.

Have you tried any of these budget decorating ideas?

Office Organization: Declutter with Cord Management

Image via: Lush Home

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Keep Cords Out of Sight

Another solution to get rid of the cords and cables is to hide them. You will find many products that will neatly hide even the most heavy-duty power strips. These box-shaped products will keep your home office workspace clean of cables by storing all the cords and keep just one cord outside that plugs into the outlet. You can have the same service without buying any product. Cut a foam pipe insulation to size, stash the cables inside, and pull out the ends through the slit. You can also use a cable-hiding charging station. Buy one or turn a media box into a cable organizer that will keep a handful of corded gadgets including cellphones, iPhones, digicam, etc. organized.

Image via: The Financialite

Identify the Cords

Crawling under the desk to keep the power cords organized is obviously not the most appealing task to do! Moreover, things can get complicated if you do not know which power plug belongs to which gadget. So, do something to identify your plugs. It can be masking tape and marker, labels with picture of the specific gadget, or tags with names.

Image via: Brit

Manage Lengthy Cords

The most obvious reason for wires and cables getting tangled? They are too long! It is very easy to get lost or get tripping over extra lengthy cords. You can manage such cords by using a plug hugger, a coin wrapper, a rubber band, or turn an old credit card into a cable wrapper. If you have time, use a little bit of your DIY skill and make a cable wrapper with a rubber mat and a scissor. You can also use colorful, reusable ties, which will get the things done and add interest to a boring place.

Image via: Cablox

Keep Power Plugs In Place

It is very annoying when the power plugs of your gadgets fall off the back of your desk constantly. A simple binder clip can solve this problem in a jiffy! Just run the plug through it and clip onto the back of the desk. A cable organizer that can hold cables in place and double as a weight block can also become handy.

Image via: Hongkiat

Stop kicking the wire-mess under your desk and apply these cord management tricks to organize your power plugs, cables, chargers, and gadgets. You do not need to be frustrated anymore at the sight of your office messed up with cords and cables sprawled around the floor. So, apply these cable management systems and make your office organization a hassle-free task.

For more home office organization tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Combined Spaces: Merging your Home Office

Image via: Nancy Sanford, Inc.

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Apply a Subtle Wall Color

Soothing colors such as soft gold and sage green will give your living room and office a warm, inviting feel. If the room is small, use a neutral wall color like beige and ivory to make it look bigger. If it is big, make it cozy by painting the walls neutral hues in dark shades. Also dress the windows to cater to your needs and decorating style.

Image via: Home-designing

Buy Versatile Furniture

Your furniture must accommodate both your living room and home office needs. Choose comfy furnishings for the living area and pick a desk and chair which suit your decorating style and office needs. For example, if you have a contemporary living room, get a desk with a glass top and chrome legs to match the style.

Choose Proper Accessories

The accessories you choose for your living room and office should create a cohesive look. Connect the two spaces with identical artwork and avoid bulletin boards or anything that can make the place look too office-like. You can adorn the desk with potted plants to create an outdoorsy look. Disguise your fax machine and printer by surrounding them with beautiful home accessories. Additionally, replace your desktop with a laptop which has a low profile.

Image via: Beautiful Homes Designs

A home office situated in the living room can be decked out to create a difference between the recreation zone and the work zone. If you want an office with a lot of privacy, use a room divider to separate the two zones. You can even use filing cabinets and office shelves as room dividers. If you have children and want to keep an eye on them as you work, place your desk in the corner with your back to the wall. Creating a multipurpose living room is easy, all you need to do is use the above space saving tips.

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

How to Make the Most of Your Office Space

Image via: Decor Aid

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Pull Out the Architectural Features

Nowadays more and more offices are being built with openness in mind. With that being said, you might have windows and glass doors, to help you not feel so closed in. Pull your desk by or near the window this will help to relax and hopefully allow you to breathe from the work that you are doing. Also, take advantage of certain materials that the room has like the paints and flooring materials. If you can, try to get warm or soft colors on the walls within your space or even carpet flooring, this will help the office to seem more inviting and calming for you and your guests.

Image via:  The Works

Choose the Right Office Accessories

If you want to do your best you have to feel your best, so the office accessories you use is essential to that process. Have office furniture that would fit your needs and the personnel who will be visiting your office as well. That may be having a desk, storage cabinetry and even side chairs or a desk, a big chair in the corner and a sofa, it all depends what will be taking place within the office. Also, think about the equipment that you would have to use, like the phones, computer systems, in some cases stereo systems or television sets. The equipment that you plan on using can make or break you within your office space so take careful consideration when selecting them.

Personalize Your Office

It is extremely important to…wait for it…have things in your office that make you happy. There is nothing more important than being positive and energized especially when you are at work. Have pictures of your family around, or have inspiring words or wall art, again get a Lay-Z Boy chair if you can. Use the things, of course within the guidelines of the office; that inspire you to work and be happy while working. Let’s be honest if you are not happy in the work place then the best will not come out of you, so make your home office personal.

Image via: KL Interiors

Your office is the place where you have business, clients, children, work etc. Your office is almost like your second home why not have it suit your needs somewhat like your home. It doesn’t have to be much just a few twists that can make the most for your office space. So go back over the suggestions above and also, Stagetecture readers see what you can come up with yourself because we’d love to hear them.

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Working from home in a home office can be a wonderful thing. You get to be your own boss and don’t have nosy co-workers peeking into your business. But it can also get stressful if you don’t have enough inspiration around you, or worse, you are unable to switch off.

Image via: Houzz

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How to Design your Home Office for Spring

1. Find the right spot:

Now that the sun is out and smiling upon us, make the most of it and find a space adjacent to a window. Set up your home office with a sleek table and a comfortable chair. If you are worried about lack of space in your chosen room, then I strongly advise you to invest in ghost furniture made from Lucite or plexi-glass. The transparent furniture will cut down extra bulkiness in the room and will give you a fresh, airy feel.

Image via: Brit.co

 2. Bring in cheerful accessories –

Even though at home, you will be spending most of your time in the vicinity of your workspace. Create a cheerful atmosphere by bringing in colorful and fun accessories. Look for interesting stationery in sorbet and metallic colors along with storage solutions to keep clutter at bay. Storage boxes in decorative patterns will help match the look of the décor around you. A pouf can come in handy if you want to prop your feet up. Define your office space with a beautiful rug.

Image via: The Every Girl

 3. Add some inspiration –

The design for your home office is incomplete without lots of inspiration. Find space around your writing desk to hang a corkboard. You can pin pictures that inspire you, motivational quotes that get you going and family photographs to remind you of your loved ones. Bring in fresh spring flowers and plants to add life to your workspace. There is no right or wrong way to create an inspiring space. The great thing about a home office is that you can be yourself.

Image via: Honestlywtf

Design your home office in a way that inspires you to get out of bed each morning and get to your workspace. Switching off from work is just as important. Set office timings for yourself and get away from your workspace at the end of the day.

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Organizing your bookshelves is one thing but making it look stylish is another. You may have organized your bookshelves thoroughly but the fact is that it looks like you’re bringing in a library-look in your interior. Well, there’s nothing wrong about a library setting. It’s just that having it in your home interior can be quite boring.

Image via: Jeri Koegel

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5 Clever Ways to Style your Boring Bookshelves

The good thing is that you can do something about this scenario. There are a number of ways to style your boring bookshelves. Here are 5 clever ways that you can make your bookshelves a highlight in your home interior design:

• Use empty picture frames

This is something that will provide a geometric pattern in your bookshelves. It will instantly create an impact in your shelves, making it look like a decorative spot rather than a storage. You can arrange the frames randomly for better appeal.

• Paint a deeper shade

There’s no better and quicker way to enhance your bookshelves than repainting it. But you don’t just paint it with any color. Choose a color shade that is bolder or deeper than your wall paint on its exterior. This way, you will accentuate the inner shelf and capture attention.

Image via: Castanes

• Display solid-colored items

Solid-colored items like vibrant vase, sea shells, artworks and everything with striking colors are great for your bookshelves.  These stunning items will definitely command attention and enhance the vibrancy of your bookshelves.

• Add a personal touch

What better way to enhance the looks of your bookshelves than to add personal items to it. You can include family pictures, personal artworks and some DIY project you did in school.

Image via: Inspirit Deco

• Arrange items according to their color

Color coding your bookshelf items will be a great idea to make it look exciting. It will look more organized yet so bubbly to look at. This should be a very simple task yet so effective when done.

Take your pick among these 5 clever ways to style your boring bookshelves. Any of these ideas will certainly make a difference in how you see your bookshelves.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Home office design gets better every single day. You will hear and see the development of home accessories on a regular basis. Nowadays, modern decorative items are making a huge difference on how your home office looks like. And sometimes it comes in small packages – like the unique Fuji flower vase.

Images via: Studio Tuer

Fuji Flower Vase

This unique Fuji flower vase is a modern, minimalist design that is made of porcelain for a steady base. It’s a true beauty and style for any home office who wants to enhance the surroundings naturally. With a long-stem flower inserted into the Fuji flower vase, there’s no way that it can be overlooked. Here are some of the unique features of the Fuji flower vase:

• Put focus on the flower

Unlike any other flower vase, the Fuji vase allows the flower to be the highlight and stand out. The long-stem flower will be the center of attraction. But don’t get it wrong, the Fuji vase maybe simple and small but elegant in style.

• Well-designed steady, porcelain base

The steady porcelain flower base provides a stable and firm hold of the flower. The porcelain material is known for its stability and strength. It looks so beautiful and glossy when painted. As for the flower vase, you can choose between six relatively cool shades of colors. And these are really wonderfully painted.

•  Portable and flexible

Well, since the flower vase is designed small, you have the luxury to move it from one area to another. You can do it all by yourself in one hand. It can also cater so many types of beautiful flowers. Although it’s only seven centimeters high, it can steadily hold a flower of up to a meter in length.

You’ll definitely fall in love with these small pieces of arts. It’s handy, attractive, functional and elegant. So, grab your Fuji flower vase now!

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Now-a-days, many people have a working space set-up in their home. It is important to set up a proper office space, especially if you work or operate small business out of your home. It should be separate from your home life so that you will be able to concentrate on your work. Take a look through these ideas to make your home office more functional. Here are a few ideas for a home office makeover that will leave you feeling great and more productive.

Image via: Homes

Do not Clutter with Technical Equipment

A workstation must be equipped with different gadgets and technical appliances but do not let the tech dominating the space because it is your home, not office. In addition, you have to set the technical equipment properly. Invest in some decent extensions and nice-looking charging stations. Finally, find a solution to keep your wires neat and tidy so that cable clutter does not ruin the aesthetic of the place.

Image via: Houzz

Redo the Walls

Your home office walls are not just for sticking notes. No doubt is there that the place should be functional but it should be stylish too so that you feel better working there. Give personal touches to the walls by hanging family pictures, your favorite souvenirs, and posters or cards given by family or friends. Use a nicely framed pinboard to stick the work notes or hang a vintage blackboard to write down the necessary notes. Visit flea markets or thrift shops for affordable wall pieces like vintage pieces, text-based screenprints, or geeky posters.

Home office makeover ideas: Lighting is key

Your home office should be clean and well lit because such an environment makes it easier to get down to work. Natural light is always welcome but you have to resort to artificial lighting in case of lack of window options. Avoid crappy overhead fluorescent lighting and choose lamps with soft bulbs instead. Use task lighting for desk area and small lamps for mood lighting. Good lighting will improve your mood, uplift the place, and help you avoiding eyestrain.

Image via: Pinterest

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Functional Furniture

The furniture of your office should be comfortable as well as functional. Avoid the cubicles and disgusting office desks because they may repulse you. Choose furniture that fits your design aesthetics and your home interiors. However, choose an ergonomically correct office chair because the kitchen chairs will be pain inducing and backbreaking. You can also go for a stand-up desk to save your back because sitting down all day can cause strains and injuries.

Remove the Clutter

Keeping the home office tidy and clutter-free is one of the main pre-requisites of making the place functional. A cluttered workspace is depressing. Remove your desktop clutter and create storage space by adding shelves next or above your desk. Save the place from being messy by storing small bits and pieces in attractive storage boxes.

Image via: Apartment Therapy

Your home office should be comfortable but not so cozy that you cannot be productive. The amount and placement of the furniture, accessories, equipment, and technology items should be adequate and proper to create a functional and convenient workspace.

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.