Although it hasn’t changed much for my family, I know a lot of people are working from home a lot more these days, so I thought it would be fun (and an opportune time) to share my home office must haves. Now, before you go thinking I have a room composed of four walls, with a door that shuts for privacy, dedicated as an ‘office space,’ let me remind you my house is 1300 square feet. I do not have an office. But, what I do have is a dedicated space with a desk and all the things I need to do “office-y” things.
My desk is located near our front entry, so it can become a catch-all for a myriad of things. It does take regular decluttering to keep it operating at peak efficiency. Although its open at the bottom, the 6 drawers and 1 cabinet are super deep, so they hold a good amount of office and craft supplies. And yes, my yoga mat lives on the bottom rails of my desk. I often stream at-home workouts on my computer so this area doubles as my home gym (#smallhouseproblems).
So, here are the things that keep my *office* organized and functional.
- We bought this Sony mirrorless camera after our first child was born and I learned how to use manual mode about 2 years after that. Its much more petite than a DSLR (so its much easier to travel with and/or store) but takes the same high quality photos. And the feature I love the most is you can send pictures from the camera straight to your phone without having to upload them to your computer first.
- I’m a paper and pencil person, so these greenroom notebooks are perfect for jotting down ideas and making to-do lists, and bonus, they’re super cute!
- I love a good drawer organizer and these three inch wide mesh organizers fit perfectly in my six inch wide desk drawers. I love the varying sizes and their modular nature so you can mix and match based on what supplies you have.
- My very favorite thing about my office space is my drafting desk. It was my grandfather’s (he taught high school drafting & woodshop many moons ago) and I remember watching him work at this desk in his shop growing up. Its the perfect height for a standing desk, or I can pull up a counter height stool when I’m in the mood to sit. Although mine is an antique, I found a similar one here.
- Much like my paper lists, I have to have a physical calendar. I prefer a monthly view (its a preference I picked up from my teaching days) so this Blue Sky calendar is perfect for me. Each layout encompasses one month, when the calendar is open it lays flat, and it has space for me to keep my monthly to-do list. I usually scoop one up at Target at the beginning of the year.
- I’ve shared about my cricut machine before. Its my ultimate crafting tool. I use it for making stencils, birthday party banners, and everything in between. They even make machines that cut fabric. It’s definitely an investment, but the possibilities are endless with what you can create.
- Another favorite I picked up from my teaching days are these Papermate flair pens. They are the perfect felt tip pen (in my opinion) and I love all the bright colors. These are the only pens I use anymore and you can usually score a jumbo pack at Sam’s Club when the school supplies come out in August.
- Who doesn’t love getting mail (like real mail, not junk mail)? So why not send your mail with a personalized return address stamp? With endless options of fonts and style, these are truly unique and give a little extra love to the card you send. I actually prefer the old-school style that you dip in ink yourself (this allows me to choose a fun ink color based on the card or package I am sending) but there are plenty of self-inking options too. These make great housewarming gifts also!
- I know we are all trying to cut down on paper clutter and this acrylic file holder keeps all of my must-keep papers accessible and organized. I love the sleek design and since its clear, it almost looks as if the folders are floating in space. The different sized dividers allow for storing different sized papers and the file sorter can also be used as a bookend!
- Okay, I don’t have this pictured, but the last things I love to put in an office are architectural prints. We have a whole gallery wall of drawings my husband and I did while in architecture school that I framed myself using economical frames from craft stores. And I always think its so neat when people find old blueprints of their house and frame them as art. I’ve even framed the inside of a greeting card that a friend of mine hand drew a Jayhawk on just because it was such a sincere gesture and sweet card. Don’t have anything like that lying around? Antique shops, garage/estate sales, and 2nd hand online shops are great places to look, you can always change the frames.
What office favorites do you have? I’d love to hear about them. Comment below or connect with me on instagram @elleandjaydesign.
And you can always find a running list of my favorites on My Favorites page.
