Welcome to my office (nook)

I’m very excited to finally show you my little office nook! One of the reasons why I liked this apartment was because of the little space off of the living room. I took one look and decided that it would be the perfect spot for a small office. The nice thing about a small space is that you don’t have to spend too much money to make it beautiful. On the flip side, having a small space means everything has to be compact and extremely functional. I had fun dreaming up how to fill my little space, and it makes me quite happy to sit down and work here.

I’m really proud of how everything turned out because almost everything was a DIY project. I used these plans to build the desk and it was really easy once all the wood was cut. I meant to film the process but I got too excited halfway through and couldn’t find the patience to set up a camera. Creating my own desk meant that I could customize the size to fit this tight space and I only paid about $50.00 including the wood stain for the top. I would never have been able to find anything this size for that cheap, so building my own was the perfect solution!

I also built the fabric mood board that is above my desk! I only paid about $20.00 for the high-quality upholstery fabric and foam, and everything else I already had lying around. It was SO easy and it creates such a beautiful space to lay out pictures and prints that inspire.

In addition to these two pieces, Adam and I also built the shelves lining the wall opposite my desk. I’m pretty sure these cost under $10.00 to make and I still have leftover wood and stain. Having the bookshelves in my office is so important because I have so many books that I like to have out at all times. I have a few of my favourites on the bottom shelf for easy access and I love how all the colours look together.

Cost breakdown

I had to start from scratch when putting this office together because I didn’t have any furniture or storage. So, considering everything I needed to create a functional space I think I did pretty well!

• DIY Desk: $50.00
• Chair: $70.00 from Kents
• DIY Mood board: $20.00
• Lamp: $39.99 from IKEA
• DIY Bookshelves: $10.00
• Desk accessories: $25.00 from Target
• Milk glass pots: $8.00 for both (Picked up at Value Village and Aberfoyle Antique Market)
• File cabinet (not shown): $20.00 on kijiji

TOTAL COST: $243.00

I probably could have spent $250.00 on a desk alone. Making things myself didn’t take away from style or quality at all and I managed to save so much money. The desk chair was the most expensive part, but I wanted to make sure I had something comfy and sturdy. I love the midcentury look!

I’m really happy with my little office transformation. It’s the perfect amount of space and I love having this own little corner of our apartment all to myself. Even with my apartment’s yellow walls (more on this later) I still managed to create a beautiful space that I am inspired to work in.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday!