The above photos are of my home office in the house we sold before the tv show. I loved it! It made it to the top 10 DIY rooms in Real Living in 2010. Someone emailed me the other day after they saw me put this photo up on Pinterest to ask if this …
The above photos are of my home office in the house we sold before the tv show. I loved it! It made it to the top 10 DIY rooms in Real Living in 2010. Someone emailed me the other day after they saw me put this photo up on Pinterest to ask if this was really my house as they’d seen it in Real Living. Yep, it is! I blogged about it lots at the time of doing the room. I hand-painted the wall mural here.
Anyway, it was a massive room and now when I look back it was a waste of space. I am all about being practical thesedays. As is a formal lounge room (a waste of space that is) in my opinion.
So, in the new house plans I have incorporated an office nook. I want maximum space to be in the family room/kitchen and the rumpus room for the boys.
Below is my inspiration!
Have a great day! x
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Comments
Emma Durkin
Hmmm yes interesting question you pose there Miss Katrina…
We have a whole room as our study in our house, but we don’t have kids so have a spare bedroom + study + master bedroom in a three bedroom house. In our old house my fiance had a teeny tiny room as his farm manager office which worked really well, and I had a nook off the kitchen for my computer and to run my photography business, also worked really well but I’m not sure we could work from just a nook alone. Although if it was really well designed it could be a goer. I agree the whole room is a waste of space, but it depends what your work is? My fiance is a farmer so people think he wouldn’t need an office but our study is stacked to the rafters with articles/resources/uni notes and text books he constantly refers to, and he spends a lot of time in their doing forecasts/budgeting/spreadsheets for fertisliser and sowing rates and breeding programs. Ok now I’m rambling – anyway, use a space which suits your lifestyle! For us at the moment it’s a whole room, but perhaps when we have kids that will change 😉
Annie@A View On Design
Hi trina, I have a modern day “study nook” in our open plan living/dining/kitchen/butler pantry!! (area) I have bought the child gate to close it off, but to this day – you guessed it – too lazy – maybe today will be the day – roll eyes! I love it, everyone loves it, can be annoying when the littlies see me, clamour over me, etc etc – hence need for gate. I think with your boys, their age, will be much better. I also have a chalkboard, but mine is a calendar chalkboard, me and DH just chalk up things on a monthly basis what we want/need to do, so at a glance, we both know what’s going on. With kids, I think you know what i mean! Good luck with yours mate!
Anonymous
I used to also think a formal lounge was a waste of space, until I had kids. Actually, it wasn’t until the kids were older (about 8, 6, 4) that I started to see the point of them. Our current house has separate rooms for kitchen, dining and lounge, which I also love – open plan is just too hard to keep tidy with a family of 5, at least now I can contain the girls’ mess to just one room (most of the time).
Our formal lounge (“the adult space”) is always tidy and I know if someone pops in and the house is a bombsite I can at least steer my guests into the lounge room and we don’t have to look at any clutter in the kitchen/dining. We don’t have a “relaxed” lounge (for want of a better word!) – rather the kids have their own Toy/Craft/TV/Games room.
Karen Weeks
We just built a study nook in our house by using a wall in our dining area to build it into. I have only had it a few months now but dont know how I lived without it before and think it is a neccessity for every house. Every home has a computer and even if you do not have a business you still need somewhere to store/file paperwork mail etc. Also to take into consideration if you have children is having somewhere public to have the computer so you can still interact as a family and keep a eye on what they are actually doing on the computer. Definately a fan of the study nook as I fear a whole room would be a breeding room for clutter!
Something Gorgeous
I have a study type nock although it’s a bit bigger then a nock, but it’s in the middle of the house so you can see whats going on everywhere. I like to feel a part of the family when working and would hate to go to a ‘room’ to work. My children are teenagers and the space is large enough for 2 to work side by side.
Katrina
I’d love to see a photo of that – sounds good!
Felicity
Love a good nook [!] and I think one of the best bits is if it’s in a cupboard or has a little door attached so that you can hide away and paper/stationery mess.
Just know that whatever you do it will be fabulous K.
Happy day!
Katie
Trina, we built our house last year and decided a study nook was the way to go.I didn’t want to be closed off from the rest of the family when I was tapping away on the computer. It’s quite a big desk which can easily seat 4 people, plus we have built in shelving above it. We also incorporated a massive walk in store room just a few steps away, where the boys keep all their toys, I keep all my sewing and craft supplies and all the office bits and pieces – filing draws etc.
Karla (ironmum Karla)
Hi Katrina, we have exactly the same office nook as the first photo. How funny! When we renovated it was another room behind but we knocked part of wall down and opened it up. It leads also into a bigger room where there is built in for files etc and you can access from other side of house. Was so glad we did it, hides all your ugly computer/ work stuff yet close to all the action in the house. So many options!
Deb
I have a desk in the middle of the family room. I love it, I would hate to be shut away from the rest of the family.
we have an informal/formal lounge. I have a no toys after 5pm rule. It is cosier than the family room and we tend to gravitate there at night to watch tv. I love the nook idea. A friend of mine calls hers “command central”.
Beck Gardiner
I have lived with both the full room study and a study in the old cupboard set up. Both of which worked well for the houses we were living in at the time. Last year we built and I have incorporated a study nook into the formal lounge room 🙂 so when we finally are financial enough to ‘fit out’ the nook and lounge to my champagne taste (I only have a Passion Pop budget at the moment)I hope to make it an adult only area, the kids have a computer set up on a shelf in the family room, but the nook and formal lounge will be mine! To keep clean and organised and presentable at all times!
Deb
I loved tania and rod’s office nook on the block. (as well as your little room of course!) I have dreams to make a nook in our place, but its a poor last to everything else that needs doing!
Cathy
I love your old office…and I love all the study nooks above 🙂 We have a big office but there’s about 3 “work stations” in here! I used to be a teacher (well, I still am – just on eternal maternity leave) and was into craft as well! Oh, and did I mention I’m a hoarder?! Study nooks are soooo cute but they’d never work for me…
Melissa
Hi Katrina,
I LOVE our little ‘nook’. It’s in the meals are, so I can be ‘in the action’ while still getting stuff done on the computer. My boys love doing their art and craft work at the dining table right next to me and so we are all happy.
It’s great cause I’m in the middle of the house so I can easily supervise the kids – wherever they are.
I blogged about it ages ago – let me know if you want the link. 🙂
Katrina
I’d love the link Melissa!
MelissahtmlM
http://greatbalancingact-blog.blogspot.com/2011/03/office-space-revealed.html
Here you go Katrina. 🙂