I’m a full time wedding and portrait photographer.  All of my editing is done from home.  I’m so excited about my new Ikea home office!  I wanted to share some photos and insight incase you could use some inspiration on redoing your own home office.

In May 2018, I hired an assistant.  I didn’t have the time to create an office designed around two people.  I also wanted to be sure she wouldn’t get sick of my singing and leave me, haha.  So since she tolerates my singing and busy season was over, I knew it was time.  I had been wanting to fix the office for so long.

I did a lot of looking online and was trying to decide which desks to go with.  I had searched Wayfair, Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, Ethan Allen, etc.  I read a lot of reviews, took lots of measurements and ultimately decided on IKEA.

IKEA checked all the boxes I was looking for.  Budget is one of the main reasons people turn to IKEA and it was definitely a huge factor for me.  However, I’m happy to spend more on better quality.  My research just wasn’t leading me to believe the options were any better in quality.  We has used IKEA a ton over the years and have never been disappointed.  I also wanted something that felt like me and fit my style.  This set up sure does that.  It also gives us a ton of storage that we desperately needed.  And look at all that surface space!!  It’s heaven!

Let me break it down for you.  The walls were already Light French Grey by Sherwin Williams.  My whole house (except bedrooms) is this color.  Grey is my favorite neutral.  It is hard to find a gray but I love this one.  The dark wood floors are throughout my main floor.  So those things were already done.  Let’s talk about everything in the room!

Desk

I used 4 Alex drawers and used legs for the rest of the desk.  I didn’t put more drawers on the right side of my computer because the heat vent is there.  The top is made of one corner piece, two 39″ pieces (under collage) and one 47″ piece (on right).  I could have done one long piece under the collage, but I wanted the versatility of two smaller pieces.

I was worried about the desk not actually attaching to the drawers.  So far, I haven’t had any issues and I’m not worried about my computers on them.  I wouldn’t stand on these desks, but I’m not worried about equipment.  My silly cat has also been on them without fail.

The drawers are the perfect size for my needs.  I wanted one with a filing cabinet, but reviews said it would drag on the floor and I didn’t want to risk it.  So I kept my old filing cabinet and skipped it.  The drawers are nice and strong.  One drawer is full of batteries and it’s not struggling.  I also love that they are a true white, not cream or antiqued/yellowy.

Collage

I get asked a lot about my collage.  I’m so happy everyone likes it.  The running joke in our house is that I work to support our Disney habit.  Okay, I work to support a bit more than that, but we definitely wouldn’t have Disney if it wasn’t for my job.  We try to go once a year whenever possible. So I wanted to showcase photos we had taken while there to always remind me one of the reasons I do this.  When I’m stuck in the office for long hours during busy season missing my family, I remember we will have time.

Sizes: two 20×20, three 10×20 and one 10×10

The Details

No office is complete without some details.  I’m sure I’m not done with everything yet.  My assistant and I will spend time feeling out this space as it is now and adjust as we go forward.  I’ve added little decor touches to make it feel homey and inviting.  I don’t want the space cluttered, I love clean and simple.  I also don’t want it to feel cold.  The rug is from Rugs USA.  It is more cream than I wanted, but it will do.  (I have a thing for true white.)

Organization is huge to us.  I was feeling so overwhelmed in the old setup.  I do this full time and busy season can be stressful.  We need to be able to keep track of so many things.  I have hung three clipboards on hooks I purchased on Amazon.  One is for tracking weddings, one for portrait sessions and the third for anything business related that we are tracking.

We have a wall that was designed around a different piece of furniture that we no longer use in the office.  This wall may get adjusted later, but for the sake of holes, we are leaving it be while we think on it.  There is a calendar that we use to track what session or wedding is due to be delivered that month.  This is really helpful to see at a glance.  There is also a chalkboard that doesn’t get used a ton but we have it if we need it.  Right now it has our focus word of the month on display as a reminder.

I’ve started using a Happy Planner this year.  That sits on my desk along with my gratitude journal. Rachel Hollis recommended it and I have really enjoyed using it.

I’m in love with my new Ikea home office for two.  I hope you found this useful.  If you have any questions, leave a comment.  I’d be happy to answer.