For Writing and Storage
People have asked me how to find furniture for such a small home. When we were building The Little House, we had planned on using it for weekends and vacations and eventually, a guesthouse. We needed something functional, but we wanted it to be cute as well.
We found two foutons that looked like they belonged in a cabin and fit our woodsy décor. We used one in the bedroom, where I was able to fold it up when not in use and use half the bedroom as an office. The one in the living room was eventually moved to The Belle Writer’s Studio and we took the one from the bedroom and placed it in the living room of The Little House so we could still sleep a guest there if need be.
Another of my most favorite finds is this desk above. Before we lived here full-time, it was a good place to store our documents for the house, bills, newsletters from the fire department and magazines.
After we built The Belle Writer’s Studio, all of those documents were transferred to the office.
Still, it’s nice to have this little desk in the living room of The Little House. Right now, it is kind of a catch-all that needs to be cleaned out, but there are times when I need stamps and envelopes and stationary in the house. As well, the drawer is a good place to keep the small telephone book (yes, in a rural area, we still use the old fashioned phone book!)
The bottom of this tiny desk can hold my purse, more reference books and the corded telephone, which is needed when we lose power.
We found the lamp sitting atop this little desk at a log cabin show in the city and this is the light we keep on for the dogs if we’ll be returning after dark. Dale’s dad and stepmom found the little bears in a store in their part of the Ozarks near Lake of the Ozarks.
On Friday, I’ll continue the tour of my favorite things in The Little House!
What do you use for a desk or storage area for mail, magazines, etc?
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[…] For writing and storage […]
Have you considered building any furniture? With a tape measure and some graph paper (though I'm partial to my now 15 year-old CAD program), you can get a good idea of how to build something simply.
With just basic hand and power tools, my wife and I designed and built a coffee table with drawers that's strong enough to dance on (long, drunk story).
LOL, Mat! I bet that is quite a story! I've never tried woodworking, but I might one of these days!
Just like any of the old trades, it's easier than you think to start and your results get better with practice.
Recently got my grandmother's secretary desk. It's going to be MINE (bills, but also my projects– knitting stuff, etc will be stored there). Sadly, I haven't really "moved into" it yet. Hopefully once taxes are finished…
Ugh. Don't even remind me of taxes!
I'll have to send you a photo. My mom has this child's size roll-top desk that's been in the family a while. It's completely useless, except for a very small person, but it's pretty cool.
I would never survive with a small desk. I like having lots of space to spread out interview notes and such. So my latest desk, that I got in 2008 is essentially a big table, with a few small drawers … kind of like the ones you see in hotels.
But, I also like to keep it tidy, so I have a basket on the floor with an upright organizer to hold project files.
Oh, this is not my work desk, just the one that keeps the extra stuff in the house. My work desk is a lot bigger!
I enjoyed seeing your desk. It's so cute! I have my computer on mine. Papers are spread on the daybed behind me, because my office is so tiny. Seems there are more and more papers .… Do you ever get exasperated with it all? I certainly do.
Definitely get frustrated with the amount of paper, but mine is confined to the office now. I still take notes old-style-journalist way with pen and paper so I have lots of paper floating around.
I have a counter top that I use as my desktop. It's about 7ft long and supported on the sides by 2 walls. My old desktop computer and printer take up nearly half the space. One of these days when I have plenty of cash..I'd like to replace it with laptop. The other side of the counter holds 2 small files for folders. I have gone almost completely to online billing so I rarely have a need for stamps and such. My main filing system though is one of those small desktop letter files. I clean it out monthly as keep it current. My favorite thing is my dry erase board. It's placed on the wall beside the computer and it's great for jotting down reminders and to-do's. I've been accomplishing more by having it to remind me.
I'm also pretty bad at stacking up magazines thinking I might use them for inspiration..so I'm working on paring the pile down and I'm in the process of notifying those companies to stop sending them!
All in all, I just want to declutter, recycle and reduce the junk mail/magazines! It's a work in progress!
Love dry erase boards, one of the best things ever invented!
I like your sweet little desk. I use a basket for magazines and a file box for my bill keeping. I try to sort through the mail as soon as it comes, throw out the junk and put the kid's mail in an entry table's drawers assigned to them. My husband has a P.O. box so he brings the household bills for me to pay online and then I file them in my file box.
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I'm a recovering clutter junkie, She Bear. So far, I'm on my 14th day of immediately sorting the mail and keeping my kitchen table clutter free.
As a rather digital person, my stash of print magazines is nil, and the ocasional catalog is all I see, which end up in the bathroom in a small stack that gets cycles (new in, oldest out).
As for mail, right now it reeally just sits on a pile on the counter top next to the side door. I really want to create a nice wooden holder with three slots, incoming bills, outgoing letters, and "supplies" (check book, stamps envelops).
I have very little use for a proper writing desk.
A smaller wooden holder would be even more efficient, Grant!
I love Kathleen's comment. Some of the most affirming things from our partners are things that they purchase or build to support our interests or avocations, not the jewelry or flowers. I think Kathleen and my husband must be cut from the same cloth.
We are both lucky women Kristi!
Kristi and Kathy, My husband's big investment was my writing studio. While we both help support the finances, we've had a lot of financial disappointments and upheaval with jobs in the past 1.5 years and he has never once said, "Well, if we hadn't built the studio," he is just as supportive today and so I think we're all lucky women!
For sure Kerri– though I've never met Dale, I feel I know him from your posts. How lucky you were to find someone so special, at such a young age!
That is an adorable little desk. For years I used an old desk of my daughter's for writing. But,a couple of years ago, we remodeled my office, complete with a brand new roll top desk with lots of cubbies, cute little drawers and plenty of space for filing and organizing. I love my desk for all of its efficiency, but mostly I love my desk because it represents my husband's belief in me, and willingness to invest in my dream of being a writer.
That's fantastic, Kathy. It is such a great thing to have a partner invested in each other's dreams.
I like little and efficient…and this desk fits the bill.
Yes, it is, Babette! When in such a small space, little and efficient is the only way to go.