Creating a Study Alcove

I do not like to see space wasted.  If there is a section of "dead space" in my own... rest assured it's days are numbered.   

Over the winter we did an addition to our home which resulted in a odd sized alcove just off of our kitchen. 

 I could not stand that space having no purpose so I decided to design a custom build to fill that "dead space".  

Here is what we did... 

We started by building the wall brace for the desk.

Then we added the custom desk piece and anchored it to the wall braces for support.

Then we added a shelf above the desk for storage and primed and painted the wood.

Which left us with our finished project.  We have added two cubes on the top that are labeled with my son's first letter of their names.  These cubes hold their school supplies for easy access.  The dry erase board on the wall has lists of mom approved websites they are allowed to visit during their earned computer time.  There are trays on the desk (one for each student) that hold current spelling lists, homework to do, projects, etc... 

My latest Project

One of my biggest organizational challenges in my home has been my four year old's bedroom because it was in serious need of some added storage.  I designed a custom built unit for her room and began planning for the project weekend... anxious to transform her space.

         
Before the Project Started...

I made a list of all of the categories of her toys that I would need

fabric storage cubes for so that I could purchase the

right number before the project started.

I went shopping for fabric storage cubes on a budget. I was finding them for around $3.99-$6.99 online and at local stores; however, I knew that I needed 15 or more cubes so I wanted find something a little more budget friendly.  I can not tell you how excited I was when I found all of these cubes and baskets at... THE DOLLAR TREE!!!!  That is right I got all of this for only $18.00!!!!

 

Project Day

We got started by clearing EVERYTHING out of the room.  I took all of the toys and boxed them up and moved out the other furniture so we could get the unit built.

After they were built:

I moved the bed back into the room and began sorting all of her toys into the different cubes and baskets while also purging out old toys, books, and other items that we not going back into the space.   I bagged up four trashbags of things to donate from her room.  

Putting it all together

My daughter LOVES her new space and so do I!!!  She has been doing a wonderful job of only getting one cube out a time and clean up has been a breeze.