Our office just took a big step forward. After months of thinking and planning, we finally added two tall storage systems that flank the desk, giving us six generous shelves and six extra-long drawers. The space feels balanced and far more functional than the previously bare wall. The soft-close drawers are a small luxury that make the whole setup feel finished.
It’s not completely done — we still want window treatments, a rug, artwork, a ceiling fixture and a floor outlet for the desk — but the room is so much closer to where we want it than it was a week ago. Strangely, having Teddy helped snap us out of our furniture-placement rut and clarified what we really needed from this space. Some rooms come together quickly; others force you to rethink and second-guess everything. This one was the latter.
When we last shared the plan, our idea had been to adapt a free curbside secretary desk into a double-sided floating desk for both of us. That design felt like it would squeeze the most function into the room and create a hyper-efficient home office. But our goals evolved. As our business priorities became clearer, the notion of a multi-tasking craft/photography studio plus two full-time desks started to feel excessive. What we actually wanted was a dedicated desk for each of us and enough organized storage so our work gear and files weren’t scattered across the kitchen cabinets, the dining room buffet, and the upstairs storage room.
With those revised goals, we loosened up and followed the natural flow of the room. Instead of forcing four or five distinct zones into the same space, we rotated the big desk 90 degrees to sit centered in the bay window. That small change immediately clicked. Deep down it had been the right move, but we resisted it because we thought positioning the desk lengthwise would better serve two people. Once we committed to a simpler plan — individual desks plus solid storage — everything aligned.
I’d been working at the West Elm desk in its original spot for over a year and had come to prefer facing the wall. Despite people saying they wouldn’t want to face away from a window, that spot suits me, so I called dibs and suggested we keep the desk where it was and flank it with two storage systems. Sherry was happy not to have to fight for the window desk, and we both felt relief at finally moving forward.
After searching, we chose two Ikea Fjälkinge shelving units with drawers for the storage flanking the desk. They’re sturdy metal units with a high weight capacity, and we liked that you can install as many soft-close drawers as you want. The shelves are wider than many bookcases, which fit our proportions well and made the decision easy.
It was a noteworthy first Ikea trip for Teddy — we even drove farther to a store that had the units in stock. Back home, the boxes included the two shelf frames and multiple drawer packs. Assembly was straightforward but benefited from an extra pair of hands to hold posts steady while attaching the base and top. The drawers were the fiddliest part, with lots of screws, so we built a couple and then completed the rest in one go for efficiency.
We leveled the frames using the adjustable feet and anchored them to the wall for safety — they’re entirely metal and surprisingly heavy. Each unit comes with six shelves by default (top and bottom included) and you can buy extras if you prefer, but we liked the evenly spaced look. We installed drawers in the middle and lower shelves for concealed storage to hide accounting files and piles of receipts that aren’t what you’d call pretty.
Once everything was assembled and cleaned up, the room finally felt right. Letting go of the need to cram in a shared desk, a photo studio, and a craft zone gave us permission to create simple symmetry around the window and the large blank wall to the left. The bookcases echo the height of the tall windows across the room and provide a mix of open and closed storage, which keeps the space feeling organized without being overbuilt.
This setup is a lighter, more flexible take on the full wall-to-wall built-ins we considered earlier. It feels airier and can evolve if our needs change. We still have the magnet boards in place, and moving the file/printer cabinet across the doorway prevented the bookcases from feeling crowded while keeping our files and printer accessible.
Sherry instantly improved the look by styling the shelves — the white shelving felt a bit stark at first, but thoughtful accessories warmed it up fast. We still have finishing touches to add, but it’s amazing how quickly this room transformed with a clearer goal and the right storage. Over the next week we’ll share how we organized everything — six shelves and twelve drawers (eight in the bookcases and four in the desk), plus the filing cabinet, have opened up a lot of organizing possibilities. For now, we’re thrilled with the progress and excited to keep refining the space.
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