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Placing value on a home office makeover
By Jeff Zbar | November 25, 2007
Back in 1994, when our middle child was coming along, the Zbar home office was about to get booted — again — from a bedroom. This time, we converted part of the patio into a home office. Along with that conversion, I paid about $1000 for a custom-built desk designed to my specifications. That piece of office furniture offered all the organization and appeal I needed. More than a decade later, I’m doing a home-office makeover, and trying to find just the right furnishings for my space. What fits — both my budget and my aesthetics — is always a key consideration…
For example, I’m keeping the desk. Its contemporary look of gray mica with chrome handles is both timeless and functional. But to find furnishings to match, I had to search far and wide. Office superstores didn’t have the right feel. Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant, wasn’t the right fit. My solution came in a Sunday flier from — of all places — KMart. They had a series of ready-to-assemble cabinets and shelves that suited my needs perfectly.
Best of all, they were $20 each — as opposed to the hundreds of dollars others would have cost.
I’ve written extensively in the past about home officers who’ve been frugal with their furnishings. One guy used an old bedroom cabinet. Others have purchased used equipment. Even my file cabinet is — or was — a brand-new four-drawer Hon beauty, that had nonetheless been hit by a forklift. The blemish was on the side, near the bottom. The dent didn’t affect the slide of the drawer. And since it was to be tucked into my closet, no one would see the mark. That it was 50 cents on the dollar made it even more attractive.
So as my home office makeover comes along, boosting organization and style alike, I realize I will not suffer a dent — like the one in my Hon - in my wallet.
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Topics: Office Organization, Personal Organizing |