Decorating 9 to 5

All that talk of desks made me realize how frustrated I am with my office at work.

I'm stuck in a 10'x10' square with industrial white walls, tacky doors and trim in so-totally-80s mauve, and floors that were just re-carpeted in something close to teal. All my clutter stands out against the white walls. The windows are screen-glare-city. And that extra desk (my fault, I admit) makes everything crowded.



I know I should be happy with the office -- some of the new faculty were placed in cubes -- but it's so ugly it's driving me up the wall.

(Had high hopes for the carpet, incidentally. Very excited last month when I saw all the InterfaceFLOR boxes. The carpet the school chose for the public areas is nice, but it just doesn't work with the pre-existing stuff in the office areas.)

My design strategy so far has been to buy lots of bright, colorful accessories in hopes people get focused on the stuff and ignore the generally sterile fluorescent-lit environment. It's been a workable philosophy, but it's lead to an overabundance of stuff. Also it looks like Strawberry Shortcake's office. Or maybe Barbie's. And since I'm not exactly a Stepford Wife there is stuff everywhere. Clutter central.

Summer is the best time to fix this space, well before the pressures of Fall begin. I've started with my desk. It really isn't a desk at all. It's a small table on wheels with a nice cherry finish. I hijacked it from another office when I discovered my Amisco desk's keyboard tray wasn't big enough to accommodate my laptop. I was typing with my wrists perched about 6" above where they should be, leaving me miserable at the end of the day. The table was the right height, and it's cute, so I'm sticking with it. The desk faces the door so the first thing people notice when they walk in is the scary-looking tangle of cables dangling off the desk. Then, once they're seated, they notice my collection of colorful office supplies in cute colorful small containers, scattered all over my desk.

Change is needed.

Dealing with cables is going to be difficult. I use my laptop and/or TabletPC for everything. Biggest concern is my need to 'plug in' every day. Everything has to be accessible, but discrete. Right no the cables are one of the first things people notice when entering my office. They're all over the floor in front of my desk, serving as a conversation piece and a tripping hazzard.



I'm buying another Bluetooth keyboard/mouse set, so soon I'll be able to get rid of two cables. And I've been exploring cable options. I can't believe how many unusual solutions there are!

I actually bought one of these a few months ago, but since it involved sticking adhesive to the desk (which the school is only renting) I never installed it.



Also found cable fish, cats, and frogs from a store devoted to cable management, CableOrganizer.com. Very attracted to these cute things, but remember, I'm trying to de-cute my space. I'm a college instructor, not an Anime character looking for a sidekick.



Finally found something that would work -- the Cable Caddy, a non-intrusive device that would hold all the cables in place even after I've unplugged for the day. (Right now I'm looping everything through the handle of a coffee mug.) Cable Caddy comes in clear, black, white, red, and blue.



I was on the verge of buying the Cable Caddy when, lo and behold, Levenger decided to hold a sale. IT was on sale. One of the objects of my retail desire. One of the things I don't even THINK about, because I might run out and buy it in a weak moment. And this is the weak moment I've been dreading. The Laptop Landing Pad, normally $58.00, but marked down to $29.95. The cincher is that it's now available in lime green. I almost broke my wrist whipping my VISA out of my purse.




This, combined with duct tape and maybe a few cable turtles, will make the tangle manageable.

Next mission: office supply organizers!!