Have you ever wondered what a NEAT girl's home looks like? Many of our clients predict that they are impeccably organized… and they are! BUT, even the NEAT girls have their house challenges that they need to solve. NEAT's Co-Founder, Molly is sharing how she makes her home office a productive space during the week and a cozy place for guests on the weekends. We interviewed her to get all of the scoop!
NM :: Okay Molly, let's get straight to it. How did you go about combining an office and guest room?
MG :: As soon as we moved into this house, we knew we needed a great office where both my husband and I could work from home, but then also realized we needed a space for guest when they came to visit. We decided to hire Califonia Closets to help make a custom and cozy wall bed, but we wanted to make sure when the bed wasn't in use, the space still looked amazing. With that said, I had a blast working with NEAT's favorite California Closets guy, Steve to come up with the perfect solution. We opted to have walnut shelving on the sides and then lacquered cabinets in the middle with brass knobs. Here's what the final result ended up looking like….
NM :: Wow! It looks great! Let's talk details! First, how is it to put the bed up and down?
MG :: Honestly, it is really simple – I can do it alone which is ideal when we have a last minute guest! In order to make it work though, I do have to move my favorite chair. I like it next to the shelves when the room is an office. That way, I can take calls and enjoy the view out the window. When the bed is down, I have to set it up at the end of the bed (which, honestly, is harder than getting the entire bed down!)
NM :: We can't help but notice that the shelves are quite simple. Tell us how you chose what to display.
MG :: I am not big into "knick knacks" which I am sure you are not surprised to hear! The pieces I have displayed are mostly images of special family moments.
NM :: Tell us about what's on your desk…
MG :: I have been obsessing over the pages of, "The Complete Book of Home Organization" which we were asked to be a part of. My desk MUST have a notebook for me to create all kinds of "to do" lists – I am addicted to making them! I also picked up the Nate Berkus desk organizer for matching pens, pencils and business cards of people I want to follow up with.
NM :: Okay, but what about all of the office supplies that you need for an office? We are talking about a printer…ink…paper…
MG :: I have all of that! I keep it on an acrylic cart that I got from CB2 so that I can roll it into the closet when guests are using the space. I, of course, purchased a basket from the Container Store to keep the ink and paper in so I didn't have to look at it. I promise, it's all there!
NM :: We are loving your simple space. Any tips for the readers on how to create something similar in their space?
MG :: My biggest suggestion is to pare down as much as possible so the space can easily change from one function to another. My favorite part about creating this space was really being mindful of what would be inspiring to have in the office for me BUT fun for guests to look at as well – I opted to share some of my favorite books from Jay Jeffers and Nate Berkus. Also, if you have the space, consider investing in the proper storage solutions. I have taken advantage of the shelves and drawers of the wall bed to make a room exactly what my family needed.
NM :: Thanks so much for sharing, Molly. For all of you looking to make a space that has dual purposes, share the end result with us on instagram today!
xx
the NEAT girls
