Dining Room Double Duty
With jobs harder and harder to come by, more and more people are working from home. But finding a place for a home office can sometimes be just as hard to find.
Interior designer Kristan Cunningham shared some amazing ideas with Early Show news anchor Russ Mitchell on how to turn one of your least used, but most visible spaces into your office. And chances are, you'll never know it's there.
According to Cunningham, you can have your dining room do double duty - as a disappearing home office.
Using a "now you see it, now you don't" approach, Cunningham says you can convert one of the least-used, but most visible parts of most homes - the dining room into a home office that isn't noticeable until you need it.
Cunningham's Suggestions:
The multifunction printer/fax/copier/phone ID can be covered with a bottomless basket that is simply lifted off when you need it. It rests on a serving table which can be used to store linens and also office supplies.
The hutch has part of the glass front covered with frosted contact paper, leaving the top part clear to display dishes and serving ware. Behind the glass door are files, books and all the desk top supplies. The desk supplies are on a tray and blotter and simply lifted out an put on the dining table. Cunningham suggests putting a desk blotter under it to protect the wood.
The dining lights are already there and make excellent lighting. The bottom of the hutch holds more office supplies on one side and serving dishes on the other.
Art work can be hung on a rail allowing it to slide to one side revealing cork and black boards underneath.
Although the furniture on the show was from Raymour & Flannigan, Cunningham points out that existing furniture or more expensive/cheaper furniture can be used. The office supplies and containers are pretty standard and any brands can be substituted. The wall track for the art is the only specific item, which costs about $70 with the attachments.
For more information on where these items can be found click, here.