3 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Home Office Desk

BEFORE: OFFICE 

Jennifer’s office in their 1958 Mid Century Modern home was in need of a major upgrade. She enlisted Kirsten to help bring her vision to life by infusing A1000XBetter’s design magic.

California modern with a woodsy coastal vibe was the ask. “We wanted to stay true to the style of the house but inject a nod to elements that would be found in a wood-clad Big Sur-type home,” says Kirsten.

AFTER: OFFICE

Kirsten’s team renovated three spaces that flowed into each other – an office, bathroom, and laundry room.

Storage was a “must have” for all three rooms, as was a bathtub, a generously sized shower, and a laundry room that wasn’t the size of a tiny closet.

Kirsten designed custom millwork for all three spaces to maximize the storage. They reworked the layout in the office space to swap an old built-in closet with a whole wall of storage behind the desk area.

“We also added storage and shelving on the adjacent wall and designed a custom desk that looked out to the pool area,” says Kirsten. This created an L-shaped area for Jennifer's workspace.

Kirsten used Jennifer’s collected vintage art collection that she thrifted throughout the years wisely throughout the space. “It was a great way to be able to incorporate some personality and mix some soulful vintage items with the new remodel."

The result? “The space is an earthy, organic, and moody space with a whimsical 70s-inspired design," she says of the overall design.

BEFORE: BATH

The former bathroom featured dated tile that didn't suit the mid-century modern home aesthetic. It had to go.

Kirsten opened up the bathroom to grant her bestie the wish of a bigger bathtub. She also incorporated rich green Heath Ceramics tile and terrazzo flooring into the bathroom, which creates a perfect juxtaposition against the warm walnut wood walls.

More storage in the bathroom includes cabinet towers on either side of the bathroom vanity.

BEFORE: LAUNDRY ROOM

The laundry room before is pretty sad aesthetically with barely enough room to move around.

AFTER: Laundry

Kirsten created a galley space that mimicked the rich tones and moody hues that makes the whole space feel unique and effortlessly cool. Zak and Fox wallpaper adds an element of nature and whimsy, from wall to ceiling.

In the laundry room, Kirsten used a stackable washer/ dryer to maximize the space and bring in a sink and full-sized utility cabinets.The aesthetic is effortless and breezy with a vintage-inspired feel, and we love it!

VITTSJÖ

The VITTSJÖ desk is ideal for working in small spaces. It’s only about 14 inches deep, but reaches nearly 40 inches wide, providing a fair amount of space to arrange books, cords, accessories, and the like.

The frame of the VITTSJÖ desk is crafted from steel, and features one large glass panel that spreads across the tabletop. There’s a small hutch on the right side of the desk that's helpful for stowing clutter (or less frequently reached-for items) away. You can buy it in white or dark brown colorways.

B+C team member Meredith's work set-up packs pretty light (sometimes, just a single laptop), and this IKEA desk is the perfect host for what she needs on a daily basis. A laptop stand, bluetooth keyboard + mouse, and IKEA’s TOBIAS chair make her WFH desk feel more comfortable and professional, but what this IKEA desk really excels at is fitting into her small space.

There’s not many places in Meredith’s apartment that fit a full-size desk, leaving the living room as the only option. Since the VITTSJÖ desk boasts a slim size, it was one of the only IKEA desks that made sense. Additionally, the clear glass and white accents don’t hold much visual weight, so the desk isn't a distraction from the rest of her living room.

The VITTSJÖ desk costs $69.99, so it’s an amazing affordable option if you don’t want to spend a ton on a new WFH arrangement. Meredith’s had her VITTSJÖ desk for over a year, and it’s held up amazingly well. In fact, more than half of her apartment’s furniture is from IKEA!

LAGKAPTEN / MITTBACK

This trestle + table top duo keeps the creative juices flowing for B+C team member, Theresa. It mimics a traditional drafting table, except you can adjust the height with ease – let it slant or sit flat! It’s super artistic and looks gorgeous even when it’s not being used for WFH purposes.

At its highest, the LAGKAPTEN / MITTBACK desk stands about 38 inches tall. The surface measures about 55 x 23 inches, providing ample space for a sizable computer monitor, work notes, drawings, and much more – even some colorful desk decor!

The trestle segments that hold this IKEA desk up are made from solid birch, so you can count on its durability, no matter what position you put it in. They also feature a small shelf space for miscellaneous goods. The table top is responsibly crafted from 70% recycled structured paper filling, fiberboard, plastic edging, and acrylic paint. The natural finish on each piece allows you to easily match it with existing furniture.

For those searching for IKEA desks that’ll fit into a proper office space, the LAGKAPTEN / MITTBACK design offers a sleek sitting space for simply getting stuff done!

MICKE

The IKEA MICKE desk is such a sleek and solid choice for a more permanent home office space. B+C team member Ali enjoys the vast amount of storage space that this desk has to offer in its discreet pull-out drawers, and has taken her skill for decorating to every corner of her WFH set-up, wall art included.

MICKE measures about 29 inches tall, 41 inches wide, and 19 inches deep and is suitable for practically any screen set-up, from a single laptop to double monitors.

If cord organization is top of mind for your WFH space, MICKE features a convenient cable outlet near the back of the top surface that tidies things up.

There aren’t too many bits and bobs associated with this IKEA desk, but it’s still super practical. Its design leans on the cleaner side, so it can match any interior, from a dorm room to a home office. Given its minimalist quality, you can dress it up any way you want!

MICKE currently comes in four different colors – white, black-brown, black-red, and white-anthracite.

The delicious Whole Foods hot chocolate is only $2 a cup.

The Whole Foods hot chocolate (officially named Organic Milk Chocolate Flavor Mix Hot Cocoa Mix. Fancy!) is from the 365 by Whole Foods Market brand, and features 10 packets in a single box. Not only does that mean it's $2 a cup, but it's also easier than ever to whip up a late night beverage. My favorite thing ever is curling up with hot cocoa and a book or TV show in bed!

Instead of a pot or saucepan, all you need is a mug and a microwave. Just heat up your water or milk and mix a packet in! I'm pretty bougie when it comes to hot chocolate, and use equal parts water and soy milk, then add a splash of eggnog. Trust me, it makes the cocoa even richer and more flavorful than it was before.

The hot cocoa packets include organic cane sugar, organic nonfat dry milk, organic cocoa powder, and some sea salt among other ingredients.

You can enter your zip code to find the Whole Foods hot chocolate near you, but you can also order it on Amazon for a quick delivery. And if you're not a fan of the packets, opt for a 12 oz container instead!

One Amazon reviewer says this product is "such a treat," and that it "dissolves without any issue," which is a huge challenge when talking about instant cocoa. "You can control how much of the flavor you want which we like since you just scoop it into your cup from the container," they continue. "Good size for the price. Container seems to last a while too."

"I'm a REALLY PICKY hot chocolate lover," another Amazon review says. "This is good stuff. It blends perfectly and tastes rich. I blend it 50/50 with 365 coffee and a hot cup of milk. Some reviews say it's expensive compared to Swiss Miss. I just checked and this is $6.79 for 12 servings - Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa's cheapest prices is $7.33 for 8 servings. This is a good buy."

"I like it because I can adjust the amount that I use, for myself I use less than is suggested because it is so rich and chocolatey," a third review says. "Price is on point. And product is consistent."

And if you mix it into your morning cup of coffee? Well, that's a mocha for way cheaper than you can find at Starbucks ;).