DIY Life

While I was working on another post, this double-desk project, a workspace for two, caught my eye. A bookshelf with file baskets hung on its side separates two desk surfaces. The overall effect is like those library study carrel tables that you may have used in high school or college. You can download the instructions for the Two's Company desks at DIY Ideas.

Not much is ever really new. If you like this project, check out Christopher Lowell's wonderful book Seven Layers of Organization, which has several similar desks built with bookshelves and doors. (Why a door? Because they're commonly available, usually pretty inexpensive, and the hole for the doorknob is perfect for wrangling the cords and wires that proliferate at the back of most desks.)

The May/June 2007 issue of Blueprint also had a pair of desks which were placed back-to-back, as these were, but with a sheet of colored Plexiglas between them. This set-up is perfect for a shared home office, or for siblings who have to share a bedroom. If you'd prefer to use the Plexiglas, it shouldn't cost too much more than a sturdy bookshelf. It should be the same width as both desks, 28" or so taller than the desks' writing surface, and should be 1/4" thick with polished edges.

Clicking through the other ideas in the DIY Ideas: Get To Work gallery, you will see an artist's studio that uses shelving with standards/anchors and brackets, as well as hanging shoe bags. There's also a basic desk whose top has been livened up with rectangles of peel-and-stick vinyl floor tile, and some ideas to make your home office more relaxing.

[via Apartment Therapy]

We are constantly looking for more storage. Trying to hack together anything we can to hide the overflow of shoes at the door, old winter jackets busting out of the hall closet, or extra bedding that doesn't fit in the linen closet. We are not alone in needing more storage. I never would have considered using the steps of my stairs as drawers, but it's a great idea. All that unused space so brilliantly discovered.

Based on Kaiden-Tansu, an old Japanese step chest used for storage and to hide from tax collectors, Unicraft joinery, an Australian based company brought us these stair drawers. Each stair transforms into a drawer, hugely increasing your storage space.

If you're building a staircase, consider adding in drawers for extra storage. I love projects that find another use for what would otherwise be wasted. In this case, it's space, and we could all use more space. Now your problem won't be where to cram all your shoes, but where to buy all the new shoes you'll need to fill the drawers.