I upcycled my home office. Over the past few months I’ve wanted to add some much needed shelves to my desk space. I gathered the scrap wood and like many projects, the wood just sat there. Finally I upgraded my desk to be the creative space I’ve wanted.
Using scrap wood, I turned the drab into fab!
I live in a small space surrounded by huge spaces in Dallas, Texas. I transformed part of my dining room into a creative reuse office space. The desk and chair were headed for the landfill when I jumped in ecstatic to make them my own. The wood for shelves, mason jars and extra white filing sleeves were all things I had at my house.
Here is the before picture of what my desk space used to look like. With no storage shelves I ended up with lots of items in boxes under my feet. I longed for shelves.
My arms got a good workout this day. I only had my trusty hand saw to cut pieces to length. The plywood shelves were already the size I wanted for deep shelves.
I consider myself creative. That also means, I cannot follow a perfectly laid out pattern. If there is a pattern involved in which I have to follow precise measurements and directions, count me out. I’ll figure it out and make it work without a pattern. It’s kind of the same way I cook. I like to read a lot of recipes to find out major ingredients and processes, but when it comes down to it, I enjoy the freedom to just make things come together.
There was lots of trial and error. Finding studs, breaking drill bits, and figuring out how to stabilize the bottom of the shelves. I pushed through and made it all work.
These mason jars took me forever. Making a hole in the metal to attach to the wood became a nightmare. For anyone thinking about doing this, my final strategy was to get a big thick nail and hammer it through, creating enough room for the screw to go through. I love how they turned out.
The final outcome. I love the big blank empty desk space. When I work, I spread notes, pictures and articles all over to accomplish a task. Having an empty space to take over is awesome! Ah, the little things.
My small office mate somehow snuck into the picture too. Find that sneaky devil.
Next time you need something for your house, think about making it yourself. You end up with a product you could never buy and the pride in re-using materials to make a great space.
Now, to get to work in my upgraded space!