(This is just a note to say that I’ll probably be keeping posts short this week because of the site outages. We apologize for those, and we want you to know that it’s just a server issue that should be resolved soon. Manolo for the Home isn’t going anywhere!)

I have this obsession with small-space decorating because even though I now have an entire house worth of rooms to play with, I once subletted in tiny New York City apartments in which only one room was mine to decorate. One solution to the problem of where to put all that stuff we acquire as we move through life is to fold it into a wall.

Ikea sells a fairly useful wall-mounted desk space that could work as a home office if your particular business doesn’t require you to store a great deal of paper. At the end of the work day, your workspace — laptop and all — folds right into the wall, giving you more space for things like doing yoga, throwing parties, and putting together all of the other flat pack furniture you bought during your Ikea adventure.

Photo by Futuregirl_LeahRiley

Yesterday’s post about pretty, dainty, and feminine home offices made me feel a little covetous. Whereas I ought to be thinking about baby furniture, I’m window shopping for stuff for my office. Hey, I spend a lot of time in here — more so now that I’m working on a project that takes up a LOT of my time. I’d say I’m staring at these four walls all day, but I’m really just staring at one as my desk is up against a wall. Though much of my office is behind my back, I cannot deny that there’s room for improvement. So let’s go shopping, yes?

Here we have a Provence console desk that really is totally not practical for someone who actually keeps stuff handy on his or her desks. At least it has a drawer!

(more…)

I’m sorry to say that neither of these home offices is mine. No, my home office is more of a chaotic space than a soothing floral refuge of femininity.

Instead of a simple writing table backed by pretty green and white wallpaper, I have writing desk with a drawer stuffed with tax info and invoices and lip balm. It’s flanked by a big old-fashioned filing cabinet and the whole works is framed by fire engine red paint.

Asked to describe this home office in one word, I’d choose “pretty.” Asked to describe my own home office, I might call it “overwhelming.”

On one hand, it’s partly my fault — I have a lot of papers and magazines and sewing supplies and hatboxes piled everywhere. That said, does anyone have a home office that looks like the spaces shown in magazines? If so, I have to know: Where, exactly, do you hide all of the materials you need for work?

(photos via)

The technology that allowed people to store food in tins was developed in the early 1800s. Nowadays, food isn’t the only thing that comes in cans. You can get a carnivorous garden in a can, a t-shirt in a can, or a baseball card in a can. You can even find karma in a can, though I’m not entirely sure how they get it in there.

Lekker is currently offering a few more things in cans…on sale no less! Eleven bucks will buy you a candle in a can featuring colorful retro labels and no-mess high sides. For $7.50, you can get paperclips, mini-candles, or creative pins in cans with slick vintage-look labels. Yes, the appeal is in the packaging, but it’s a small price to pay when you need a little fun in your life.

I found this pic via the Uncluttered Workspaces pool on Flickr. This particular space belongs to Timothy Andres, a master’s student and composer with a real flair for color and design.

As you’re going to discover, I have the serious hots for sparse interiors, which probably explains my sudden inclination to rabidly exorcise my own cluttered office after scrutinizing this pic.