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Deuce Cities Henhouse


Hey! I’m back for part two of my office refresh. Redesigning my office space was part of my plan for a fresh start to the New Year. I wanted to start 2020 on the right foot, and for me a big part of that was getting my office space whipped into shape. I had given it an update a few years ago, but I’ve learned since then that the functionally the space wasn’t working for me, and it wasn’t inspiring. There was a lack of storage and things I used on a regular basis seemed to pile up. It was necessary that I create a system to keep my office clean, uncluttered and inspiring.

I started with updating my desk, clearing off my work space, organizing cords and adding an inspiring plant shelf. You can check out that facelift in this post in this post.

Today I wanted to share the other side of my small office – the business end of it. This is the side where all of my stuff stacks up. I had added two Ikea cabinets with doors a few years back, but they weren’t being used to their full potential. They were overflowing with samples and magazines. It was stuff that I never ever looked at or needed. What I did need was a place to stow away all my camera equipment that stacks up and spills out of the space and into our adjoining master bedroom. Since I had installed the older Ikea cabinets (circa 2014), Ikea had come up with a whole new cabinet system. The new system is way slicker and offers a lot more configurations. I decided that I wanted to reuse the same concept of floating shelves. Also, as to not get ahead of myself, I’m using floating cabinets because our floor has a slope – the space use to be a sleeping porch and the floor was sloped to allow for rain run off, anyway it makes it super tricky to set furniture on top of and floating cabinets provides me with the storage I need.

I removed the old cabinets and replaced them with deeper and longer cabinet boxes. Ikea’s new system allows for drawers to be inserted into their Sektion wall hung cabinets, this was not possible with the old cabinets. I decided on a drawer configuration that would allow for a deep set of drawers on the bottom, and a more narrow drawer on the top. The bottom drawers fit all of my camera gear and the top drawers allow a space for all my day-to-day office stuff that typically would find its home on a pile on the sofa.

Before


Just as I did on the desk side of the room, I covered a piece of lumber in faux marble contact paper. It elevates the look without costing me a fortune and looks better than raw plywood. It works for me. I also hung a favorite piece of large artwork by my friend Isaac Gale on the framing of the windows. I hung it right in front of those windows! There are so many windows in this room, nine to be exact that I didn’t mind covering up the windows that looked out on the second story of my neighbors house.


I am one of those people that actually really enjoys putting together Ikea products. I’m always fascinated with how well designed it is, and how much planning and effort goes into make each piece multifunctional. I think that the cabinetry is pretty straightforward, you’re basically assembling a box that hooks onto a rail.

Ikea Cabinet Hack
Hanging Cabinet Boxes
My office floor slopes because the office used to be a sleeping porch. It has been long since closed in and insulated, but the floor still slopes. I needed storage for all my stuff and since I couldn’t set a piece of four legged furniture on the floor, I decided to improvise and turn Ikea wall cabinets into a floating credenza with drawers!
Installation
Hanging the cabinet boxes is pretty simple. Ikea has designed a system that mounts onto a rail. As long as you take the steps to get the rail properly mounted into the framing of your wall your good to go. I used long 3″ screws to attach the rail to the studs inside the wall. Once the rail is installed the cabinet boxes hook right onto the rail and then lock in place.
My cabinets cover up an outlet so I cut out a small hole in the back of the cabinetry so I could access it. I also drilled a 1 3/4″ hole in the top and bottom of the cabinets so I could run cords for a light and a charging hub. I installed drawers into my cabinets, but you could also install doors if you prefer. The drawers come with mounting hardware that are attached with screws to the corresponding holes.
I installed drawers into my cabinets, but you could also install doors if you prefer. The drawers come with mounting hardware that are attached with screws to the corresponding holes.
I used this Kreg hardware jig to quickly and easily add some hardware to the cabinets to give it a custom look. These drawer pulls were from Ikea, I just spray painted the copper to match the plant shelf hardware that I installed on the desk side of the office last month.
A Peek Inside my Drawers
Organizing all my Stuff
The main reason for this credenza was to have a place to keep myself organized! I had made a bad habit of having camera gear and other stuff scattered all over my office. I didn’t have a place to put it, so what was I supposed to do? Now all of my stuff fits nicely inside my drawers, even my tripods!
Yes! I have a spot for all of my camera gear – my tripods fit perfectly.
This top right drawer is equivalent to a desk drawer. It keeps all my stuff that I might need any given day. The felt inserts are all from Ikea – they help keep all the little stuff in its place so it doesn’t roll around the drawer.

 


That wraps up the office makeover, onward to the kids’ bedroom! As always, thanks for being here!

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in Around the House, DIY, Office Space, Organization, Reveal

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  • Susan March 4, 2020

    I love how you show a way to tweak a space to make it work without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The refresh has the same vibe but much improved. I also love the plants. What is the name of the plant on the new floating credenza with the round leaves? It looks like a succulent but I’ve not seen one that trails like that. Love it all and wish I had that space

    • Scoops March 4, 2020

      Hi, Susan! Thank you! It is a succulent from Morocco! It’s called the Xerosicyos Danguyi or Silver Dollar Plant. I found mine a few years ago at tonkadale greenhouse in the twin cities, however they can be hard to come by in a nursery. There are a quite a few options on etsy if you’d like to order a plant through the mail. I typically don’t have very good luck with succulents, but this plant has been very happy here. I have it in a south east window and I water it about once a week – although it doesn’t mind if I skip a week every now and then. Hope that helps :)

      • Susan March 5, 2020

        I’m in Duluth, and we hit nurseries when we go to the cities. Our favorite plant place is in Tangle Town. Thanks so much for getting back to me! :)

  • Brittany W March 4, 2020

    Hi! Can you share the marble contact paper you used? Thanks!

  • joni March 4, 2020

    This is just lovely. What a great place to work. What kind of countertop did you use on the new drawer system?

  • Amanda March 5, 2020

    Looking good sis! I’m feeling inspired to whip mine into shape. I’ve been working in it a year now and still have boxes to sort and walls to paint. It’s time!

    • Scoops March 9, 2020

      Thanks, buddy! You should finish it up, it feels so good to get everything organized. Your space is so magical, it will be even better when you finish it.

  • Felicity March 5, 2020

    This came together so nicely. I’m so drawn to the plant in the white pot. Do you know it’s name? My space needs one. :)

    • Scoops March 9, 2020

      Hi Felicity! It is a succulent from Morocco! It’s called the Xerosicyos Danguyi or Silver Dollar Plant. I found mine a few years ago at tonkadale greenhouse in the twin cities, however they can be hard to come by in a nursery. There are a quite a few options on etsy if you’d like to order a plant through the mail. I typically don’t have very good luck with succulents, but this plant has been very happy here. I have it in a south east window and I water it about once a week – although it doesn’t mind if I skip a week every now and then. Hope that helps :)

  • Christopher Reed June 30, 2020

    I must say,,,, I love the simplicity..

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