The work at home space has suddenly become a hot commodity in our post-pandemic home.
Quick ideas for your At-Home Student
A lot of us added another unexpected task to our home improvement to-do list in 2020: carve out a decent place at home for our kids to study and work on academics. The global pandemic forced the issue of study-at-home options for many families, ours included.
Our youngest graduated from high school this year. When her school suspended in-person classes we designated a nice study space for her in our home, our oldest daughter’s (who has not lived at home for years) old bedroom. Well, the oldest daughter also unexpectedly returned home for a couple of months as a result of the pandemic. The state where she lives was under a stay at home order which left her unable to work on her PhD research in person, so she decided to work from our home for a while since her city was basically shut down. It was wonderful to have her home, but the temporary move left us scrambling to find another study space for daughter number two.
Our house was built in 1920, well before the phrase “open concept” was imagined, and our old place certainly is divided up into a lot of spaces. Problems occur when we want to have a big group for Thanksgiving, but with all of us working from home, all those enclosed rooms have finally come in handy.
One of the rooms, which has seen more changes over the years than a chameleon in a crayola factory, provided us a workable solution. Our son grew up in this room and used it until he moved into an apartment as a college student. There are still some legos lurking in the closet. 🙂 Next, it served as a guest bedroom. When our son was getting married, the room became a staging area for all things wedding. After that, we put down a big tarp and an easel, and it became a studio for the youngest daughter to work on her art.
This year, our task involved quickly transforming this space into a pleasant and efficient work area. We also wanted the room to be someplace our daughter wouldn’t mind hanging out in for the schoolday. The room exudes a cheerful, upbeat mood with terracotta orange walls, complementary blue accents, and a fun wall grouping featuring a giant multicolored ampersand.
An old enamel top kitchen table serves as a desk for the room.
We upcycled the top of an old china hutch to make the storage unit. The outside surfaces are painted with the Kilz color Chief, a deep warm brown. The shelves were left in natural wood. Organization, critical to any student, especially those who have to study at home, is provided by crates and shallow wicker baskets.
The room also has a cozy study nook with a soft upholstered chair. The fantastic capiz shell orb light is by Pottery Barn. It looks amazing against the terra cotta walls. The exact light is no longer available, but you can get a similar one here.
The ceiling light from Home Depot was a pleasant surprise with the huge difference it made in the room. It casts a shimmery patteren on the ceiling when lit.
Small Details Add To the Vintage Vibe
Of all of the many incarnations this room has undergone in the last thirty years, this may be my favorite! Have a wonderful afternoon, and I hope you find some awesome solutions for your study-at-home kiddos!
Blue Willow Lane 