Stash to Study

Forget the omnipresent junk drawer in the kitchen -- I had an entire bonus room full of junk.  Boxes upon boxes of old binders, knick knacks, old picture frames and lamps, outdated comforter sets, broken chairs, my college typewriter, and window treatments I bought but never used found a home in that unused space.  You name it, I stashed it.  It took years to accumulate that much stuff!  I make pack rats feel good about themselves.

Alas, I enrolled in a graduate program and felt the need to have a home office.  My own niche in the house where I could hide and work (or hide and surf the 'net while taking a break from the work -- ha!).  Enter the junk, er, bonus room.  

From stash . . . 

There was an alcove just beside the stairs leading up to the bonus room that was literally begging "save me" when I went up there one evening to rummage through my stashed stuff for an empty binder for my first grad class, and I decided to claim that small space for my own.  After a full day of moving all the junk from that space (as well as that entire side of the room) to the other side of the room, I was able to create my study.

. . . to study!

Being on a bit of a budget, I didn't buy a thing for this space.  EVERYthing you see in this picture (well, except for my MacBook Pro) was already in that bonus room hiding away -- even the shawl on the back of the office chair.  LOL  

While it's not perfect or totally decorated, it is a terrific space for getting work done quietly.  I used a corner desk that my daughter didn't need anymore and backed a bookcase up to it (it's hard to see in the picture but it's right in the front) as well as some knick knacks and pictures.  I didn't hang the pictures as  I felt this space was temporary -- my goal is to totally purge the junk and make a cool family hang out now that my kids are getting older.