This is my current home office which many of you have seen, what you have not seen, is the closet – scary!
In January my fabulous Design Associate, Irene, decided that I needed to get organized! When I first moved into my office I have no idea what came over me that I simply installed random hooks into the wall to hang miscellaneous fabric books, etc. It looked so bad, and because the fax machine/copier was in the closet, most of the time, the closet doors were open!
It was filled with a lot more stuff when we started unloading it and realized we needed a before picture. You can also see all my fan decks on that little black shelf that I use for on-line consults.
When we were finished going through everything and throwing out stuff I ended up with about 5 bags of garbage. Since we are in a townhouse and are allowed two garbage cans but most people just put out one, I distributed the extra down the street. I guess I should have asked because I got an earful later from one of my neighbours. Then I spoke to another friend who said, ‘We do that all the time, if it’s the weekend we are bagging leaves and we are only allowed 6 but we have 12 bags, we just move them all around our culdesac.’ I didn’t feel like as much of a criminal after I heard that, haha.
Photo by Jennifer Houghton
This photo Jennifer took when she was in my house a few weeks ago. I painted it yellow one evening to coordinate with my office. Irene took the closet doors off and arrived with 2 white shelves and 2 smaller filing cabinets to create a desk area inside the closet and now I feel like my office is so much bigger. Don’t you love the matching pantone boxes?
This is my Kate Spade inspired colour scheme for my files, I’m so organized now it should be easy to do my taxes next!
See more organizing inspiration on my Pinterest boards here.
What’s next on your list to organize?
Related posts:
Inspiration and my Tiffany Blue Office
Maria’s Guest Room: Before & After
Need help with your colours? Download my eBook, It’s All in the Undertones.
If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.
To make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!
If you would like to learn to how choose the right colours for your home or for your clients, become a True Colour Expert.
One of my favourite spaces you’ve showcased, Maria! Then again, I have a thing for converted closets.
Where did you snag those Pantone boxes, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve seen the notebooks, but the boxes are new to me and, honestly, I want ’em!
I got them from a shop in Park Royal but they are definitely available on-line!
Thanks for your comment, Maria
First.. I love the color scheme of your office. It looks so peaceful there. I love the 2 parsons desks … think I need to change up my home office a bit! The new closet space is beautiful..looks like a little secret jewel!
Wow. It looks so much better!!! What an organized assistant you have. I need her. I always notice the signature yellow color you have in each room. I wonder if you’ll keep that color in your new home.
Looks awesome, Maria! I feel so much more productive in a pretty, organized space!
Beautiful file drawer with all-Tiffany Blue files and all-Hermès orange folders. Très très chic, Maria!
Hermes orange folders, I like that even better!
Thanks for your comment Ellen!
Maria
Gorgeous. It’s a shame you’ll have to pack it all up to move it. Do you have an office space that will hold all this beauty in the new place?
Beautiful! Wish somebody would come do mine….!
Super fun. And inspiring. My closets are scary at the moment too — but with the move, I’m hoping to start fresh in the new space!
Where did you get the pantone boxes?
😉 T
Love this! It’s so cheerful. Thanks for the inspiration!
love love love the sunny yellow wall in your converted closet. If we weren’t moving in two years, I would redo my home office.
Love it!!! Who shouldn’t feel good when at work!!!
Your closet is perfect!! There’s nothing better in this world for the creative mind than an organized office/closet space. 🙂
PS…The pic’s in this post look terrific and are no longer tall and skinny.
OK, now we know “What lurks in the drawers and closets of women” :-). There’s something so wonderful that happens inside of us when we organize even the closed (secret) spaces of our lives. Doesn’t it feel GREAT!!! This is an ahhh space. Congratulations!
Should be easily translatable to the new space.
You & Irene have inspired the rest of us! Thanks.
The room is an inviting office,I really like the little painting,this is giving me ideas ,I would really like to see the room in full view,very pretty Maria,
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
You can get the tour of the whole office in this post: https://mariakillam.com/2010/08/inspiration-and-my-tiffany-blue-office.html. We couldn’t get a good photo of the entire closet without moving the desks. Thanks for your comment! Maria
What a happy office! I have never much liked yellow until I started following your blog Maria – it must be how you use it as I am getting rather fond of it now. I don’t feel confident to use it in my home yet but I’m sure the day will come!
Thanks so much for the inspiration…Cheers!
I love your office and wish I had room for one of my own. Right now I use the dining room table. I laughed about your trash situation. We live in the country and only get one can. It’s large, but when it gets too full, my husband gets up on top and jumps up and down to pack it in for more room. We can get a lot of trash in there! 🙂
It looks great! I laughed so hard about you moving your garbage around, we used to do that all the time in college!
Irene is the best! My files definitely aren’t Kate Spade-inspired!!! Your office looks beautiful. xo
Wow–just what I needed this morning to feel motivated to clean out my filing cabinet. Thanks, Maria!
Love the new closet, I have to move my office and share with Linda again this coming week… not sure neat and tidy will come into it though… lol not right away anyway…
did you see my large condo presentation I posted the other day? I have another one to do this week, I measured a 7 room home yesterday, I will be busy all weekend doing floor plans
I have been using my blog to do presentations for clients out of town and it’s working amazingly.
Have a great weekend.
Maria, your closet looks so fabulous now. love seeing the before and after. As for the bags of garbage, most people do scatter extra bags around without a problem but there’s always that “one”. lol
You are no criminal however, if you were, I’d love to see your cell. haha
Great makeover! It looks wonderful. I have a converted closet and it actually houses my main computer plus lots of other stuff. (Doesn’t look this great…I think I need a dash of color.) I have two full size french doors on mine so I can hide it if I want to….mainly because it is in my bedroom.
I love this closet redo! Hopefully, Irene can work her magic in your new place.
PS I took your advice and finally got a bigger chandelier for the dining room. 🙂
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/my-precious/
All I can say is THAT TRANSFORMATION IS AMAZING! Makes me want one for my own closet! Thanks for sharing, Maria!
wow am I jealous! Kind of makes you not want to move right?? Well maybe no,t but boy is that a nice closet. I give it a 10+
I love your office and now your closet makes it look even more fabulous! Exciting about the new home – an Yarrow is such a neat and quaint place to live! My parent’s live out that way and I just love how serene it is there.
I love the orange and tourquoise vase in your new desk closet. Can you share where you got it. It would be a great touch to my kitchen family room area!
I picked it up at HomeSense!
Maria
Hello Maria, very nice post as usual. can you please tell me the name of the yellow paint you used. I love it.
Thanks
BM Honeybell
Thanks Maria, I will go check it out today. Your blog is such an inspiration. All the best