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This winter I decided to redo my home office to make it work more efficiently for both Madison and I since I’m working full time on the blog from home and we’ve made the decision to homeschool Madison the remainder of this year. I’ve had my office space for years but it was due for an upgrade. With one of the walls and ceiling being log, it made the room darker along with my oak furniture I had in there. I needed it bright and light to make myself stay on task. So, while my desk was usually covered in mail and just a catchall I usually worked in the kitchen. Andrew was all for me moving my “office” from the kitchen peninsula.

Obviously my first stop while getting ideas for my new office was Pinterest. Fortunately for Andrew Pinterest wasn’t around when we build the house. 😉 After looking for office spaces for two people I fell in love with the T-shaped desk style. Madison could have her space, I could have mine and we can meet in the middle when she needs help. Do you know how hard it is to find that kind of desk? Very hard! I reached out to my good friend Olivia who is an interior designer and asked for her help. When I had the children’s boutique she layed out everything for me and helped with placement and colors to put together the vibe I was looking for. Olivia pulled through again and suggested looking at Ikea. We took a trip up [our local Ikea is over an hour away] to get some ideas on the different systems and maybe what we could make work.

I’m not going to lie, I’m super proud of my DIY skills while putting this together. We used the BESTA system for the center section, over on my size we used the Billy Bookcase and the ALEX file storage cabinet. To finish off Madison’s side we used the PAX wardrobe cabinet and the BERGSBO door. This was my inspiration I was working with to make my own. I picked up butcher block from Home Depot and stained it Minwax Golden Oak to match our logs in the house and tie things together with all the white. I grabbed a knoll post and spray painted it satin white to match everything else to use as support under the center section.

The wardrobe cabinet beside Madison I wanted to use for wrapping paper storage along with basic junk that seems to accumulate in the office. I came by the sign on her side and felt it was perfect for her side of the office. We both got the same office chairs, but she opted to leave her arms off. We kept them because I’m sure she’ll change her mind in due time…

In the center section we used the BESTA frame and added a drawer to the bottom. I first thought I’d be able to put files in the drawer but it’s not tall enough. I use if for storing my shipping supplies for when I do my closet cleanouts. The butcher block sits directly on the frame and there are two more frames with doors stacked on top.

Now for my corner… For the past year or so I’ve just worked solely off my laptop. Well, it’s getting a little hard on these 35 year old eyes and I needed a bigger screen. When I bought my new MacBook I was actually going to also get a new desktop also, but they suggested just getting a screen and using my MacBook as my computer. It works great and saved me about $2000!

While trying to balance out everything aesthetically I wanted something taller on my right side, but I didn’t want to lose a lot of workspace. This bookcase worked perfectly!

At first I had my laptop just sitting up on my desk, but I wanted to “hide” it. So, I busted out Andrew’s drill and put a hole in the back of the file cabinet and ran my cords in to the first drawer so my laptop can hide away in there!

When my in-laws asked for ideas on something to get me for Christmas I mentioned a gold full length mirror to go in the office. Andrew couldn’t understand why I needed another full length mirror, but I explained switching up my outfit pic locations would help you all not get so bored with my content maybe. 😂

Good lighting is a true necessity in the office. Not just for pictures, but also to help with eye strain while working on the computer. With the log ceilings in the house and exterior log walls lighting is something I definitely struggle with. I used daylight bulbs and was truly blown away at how well this under $100 light gets the job done. Even at 6am it’s bright enough in the office you think you’re sitting in the caribbean. I definitely suffer from seasonal depression with it being so gloomy here in the winter that it’s made such a difference for me!

Now for my favorite part! I asked Andrew for a Frame TV for Christmas to hang in the office. I’m usually in my office from the time the boys get on the bus until after dinner. Some days, I just need a little background noise and mindless television to help me get shit done!

Andrew first ordered my TV (32″) with the bevel frame from Wal Mart for Christmas. When we opened it we noticed there was a scratch on the screen and for that investment I wasn’t going to just “let it be”. Also, the frame didn’t end up being a goldish I thought it would. I returned the TV and frame to Wal Mart and started searching for custom frames for the TV to get the look I was going for. That’s when I came across Deco TV Frames on Instagram. These frames were gorgeous and pulled off the vibe I was hoping for. I reached out to them and let them know I would be putting a TV and one of their frames in my office so they agreed to work with me so I could share a special discount code with you all! Code FASHIONABLYLATEMOM will save you $50 on your order! It ended up working out even better for us because we got a better deal on the TV through them than we did Wal Mart. #score

I hope you enjoyed a look inside my new space where I possibly spend too much time if you ask my family. At least it’s pretty and just what I was hoping for! Here’s to hoping I stay on top of my creativity and keep getting everything done in the office to make sure you get the most out of Fashionably Late Mom blog!