Making junk room into nice space for work

[greyinganddecaying]

I have a desk in our spare room which is currently also the junk room.

I can't get rid of the stuff, but have carved out some space for my desk, chair etc.

Any ideas what I can do to make it into a nice space? I currently have a neom candle (Christmas present) next to my desk, but that's it!

Can you post a picture to give an idea of the space?

If it truly is junk why can't you get rid of it?

Not easily. If you can imagine a small desk in front of a window. Enough space between desk & double bed for an office chair. External monitor on windowsill, so no room for bigger desk.

Bed has lots of storage boxes etc on & I can't move them for now.

I've also put my work folders in a white wicker basket, which has made me feel a bit better. I would just like it to be a nicer space.

Nice stationery like pens, note pads and storage.

Can you draw a layour of the room? If you can't move the junk out of the room, can you stack it on a wall and cover with a sheet just to hide it?

my office-in-spare-room has a big magnetic whiteboard on the wall. I use one corner of it for my work to-do-list and the rest is covered in nice postcards & photos. I can re-arrange them as much as I like with the magnets too.

I repainted the spare room and put lots of stuff in the wardrobe/under the bed/in the garage to give myself more space. Would that work? It definitely helped me think of it as my work room...

@parietal

my office-in-spare-room has a big magnetic whiteboard on the wall. I use one corner of it for my work to-do-list and the rest is covered in nice postcards & photos. I can re-arrange them as much as I like with the magnets too.

That's an idea, I'll look into that

Is there really nothing you can get rid of? Even if you reduce it by 50% it will make a massive difference. If you haven't used it within the last year you're unlikely to ever use it.

@samlovesdilys

I repainted the spare room and put lots of stuff in the wardrobe/under the bed/in the garage to give myself more space. Would that work? It definitely helped me think of it as my work room...

We just have no spare capacity at the moment, other than the room I'm in unfortunately.

Hoping to carve out a nice space with the boxes out of view on the bed behind me.

Get nice colourful storage boxes, including stackable ones, vacuum pack anything in the room that will compress (I love the vacuum bags so much, it's a wonder DH hasn't found his way into one ) and get as much into underbed boxes as possible. Matching rug, blanket for your chair, curtains.

We are also putting up a high shelf in my office along two walls to put things out of the way.

I have a couple of shelves above my desk for books, there’s also a nice lamp, a candle and vase that was a gift from someone important to me. It’s nice to have nice things in your work room.

Would you have enough space to use a room divider/privacy screen behind you to hide the boxes? For the desk itself some fresh flowers or plants, a nice lamp?

Do you have a radio in there? I felt quite miserable and lonely working out of the spare room but that has made it much nicer to work in. Also a comfy cushion to make it easier to sit at a desk all day.

What's in the boxes?

Trailing house plants really brighten places up, imo.

Do you have space for a houseplant? Looking at some greenery can make a huge difference to how you feel about your work environment

I wondered about getting some ladder shelves to put my paperwork box on, with space for a plant of some kind.

It would mean getting rid of existing bedside tables to make room, but we're not using them...

Clean the window. If I’m picturing it correctly, you have your back to the room, and are facing out the window? Sparkling windows are really uplifting.
Add in something beautiful for each of the senses:
Candle ✔️
Open window to air the room
Fresh flowers or plant
Sparkling windows
Beautiful containers for your things (good start with wicker basket)
Fluffy mat for under your feet
Comfortable cushion
Background music
Indulgent flavoured tea or a nice coffee.

Got any nice shawls you're not using? Stack the boxes and cover them in a nice fabric (clothes pegs where you can't see them to keep it neat) then use them as stands/tables for pictures, papers etc

I’d second a blanket for your chair, I have a cosy shawl over the back of my office chair - handy when it gets a bit chilly.

@thelegohooverer

Clean the window. If I’m picturing it correctly, you have your back to the room, and are facing out the window? Sparkling windows are really uplifting. Add in something beautiful for each of the senses: Candle ✔️ Open window to air the room Fresh flowers or plant Sparkling windows Beautiful containers for your things (good start with wicker basket) Fluffy mat for under your feet Comfortable cushion Background music Indulgent flavoured tea or a nice coffee.

Some great ideas - thanks!

Blanket for chair sounds like a good idea & easy to do

I've been "making do" with this space all year & it's starting to get me down now, so loving all the ideas to make it better - thank you 🙏