It’s been a month or two since we installed these IKEA cabinets in our formal dining room-turned office, and today I’m going ALL out sharing the whole process and links to everything I bought to put the space together.

This is the first room you see when you enter our house, and I’m so glad to finally have it completely organized.

Previously, all the papers that came through our house (so many papers!) were stacked haphazardly around the room, and we desperately needed a space for me to work and the kids to do homework after school.

Since the room doesn’t have a closet or any other storage, our budget-friendly solution was to install these IKEA cabinets. They’ve worked out so well and I’m excited to tell you all about what’s inside:

Desk + Office Decor

This is where I work during the day and where my kids sometimes join me to do homework. I love having a neat and tidy space dedicated specifically for this purpose!

• Chandelier: We replaced a lower hanging chandelier with this more modern version from Amazon.
• Desk: We’ve had this World Market desk for a couple years and it’s held up really well. It was fairly easy to put together and has some nice drawers and pull-out side pieces which my kids like to use for homework.
• Chair: These faux leather chairs came in a 2-pack, so I keep one at the desk and one in the corner. Sometimes we pull out the extra chair when more than one person wants to be in the room using the desk.
• Rug: Initially I bought this rug for my daughter’s room but it was too small. I moved it down here and in the process, realized I actually liked the underside of the rug better than the topside. So it’s technically upside down, but I’ve really enjoyed it that way! It’s a great neutral.
• Wall quote: Unfortunately, Letters and Laurels closed their shop, but that’s where I got my “daring greatly” hanging flag.

IKEA Cabinets

We were lucky that these four IKEA cabinets fit (almost!) perfectly along our wall. They came in a set of three, so I just bought one extra one to get that faux built-in look. I ended up having to file off a small amount of the window frame in order to get the last cabinet to fit, but it was well worth it!

Some day we might go back and add molding around the cabinets to make them look more custom. But for now I am happy to have them set up and functioning to make our office so much more organized.

• Cabinets: These cabinets are all put together individually. You can buy them in a set of three or as a single cabinet.
• Hardware: To give the cabinets a more custom-feel, I switched out the hardware. I used these round pulls on the upper cabinets, and matching knobs on the lower cabinets.

Upper Cabinet Organization

I lined the top row of our cabinets with books that I won’t need to be reaching for very often. When it came time to fill the other shelves, I realized that none of our memory book binders would fit—so we ended up drilling extra holes in order to move the shelves around to accommodate the binders. It was a quick fix that made the cabinets much more functional for our needs!

We used the other shelves to store everything from travel gear to art supplies. Here are the details:

• Wire baskets: I use these Home Goods baskets to store Kindles and cords that go along with our electronics.
• Wood crates: These crates from Home Goods are perfect for storing office supplies, envelopes, greeting cards, etc.
• IKEA organizers: These old IKEA bins aren’t completely organized yet, but they’re still great for keeping tape, string, glue, and other small office supplies out of sight.
• Memory books: I’m working on a product for my shop with beautiful, linen-bound memory book binders. I’m so excited about it. But for now you can check out my old post to see how I record memories for each of my kids.
• Rattan baskets: These are another Home Goods find that I use to store old CDs, DVDs, and more.
• Chalk board labels: These chalk board labels are perfect for all of the baskets and bins I have visible in the upper cabinets. I use a white chalk marker to write on them.
• Wood boxes: I filled these wood boxes from Home Goods with notebooks and plastic containers of elastics, safety pins, and other fasteners.
• Fabric-covered boxes: I love these nice-looking boxes from The Container Store. They have pretty leather handles and are great for storing hot glue and tape.
• Wire baskets: I use these wire baskets to store everything I need for shipping, including a shipping scale and packages.
• Rattan baskets: I got these baskets on Amazon and use them to store some of the small things we take traveling to entertain the kids, like little games and art supplies.

Lower Cabinet Organization

I love having cabinet shelves that close (so I don’t have to worry as much about making it look nice!) I use this area to store a lot of boxes that I get related to work, as well as gifts that I have on hand to give to friends and family.

Here are a few other things I keep inside:

• IKEA baskets: I already had these baskets from IKEA, so I put them down here to store birthday shirts and birthday decor.
• Boredom boxes: I love having these on hand for days when my kids are complaining about being bored (especially in the summer!) Check out my other blog post to learn more about what I put inside!
• Metal file boxes: These Target file boxes are great for storing bills, taxes, home paperwork, etc.

Printing Station + Wall Accessories

This printing station has made it so easy to come over and print out a chart for my kids, print shipping labels, or quickly switch out a new ink cartridge. Here’s how I set up the space:

• Wall file: These wall files from Home Goods have saved me! Between school work, mail, bills, etc., have so many papers coming through our house, and this station has given me a dedicated place to put them all. I have one slot for papers that require action, one slot for papers that can be filed away, and a slot for each family member.
• Printer stand: I got this stand from Home Goods—it was affordable and the perfect size for storing our printer, papers, and other supplies.
• Paper file: I store a bunch of different kinds of paper in here, including regular printer paper, shipping labels, and card stock. It’s great to have it all on hand when I’m creating printables or anything else.
• Printer: I have another blog post dedicated solely to my love for this HP printer and ink program! I have saved so much time and money using this program, I highly recommend it to anyone.
• Hanging calendar: I love having my big calendar hanging on a peg board for everyone to see. The kids can come check the calendar if needed, and I can see everything that is going on right from my desk.

So that concludes our full home office tour!

This is honestly the first time I’ve felt like I had this room under control and it has been such a game-changer. Keeping all of the papers, homework, and mail under wraps can certainly be a challenge—but I hope you find this post helpful in your own home organization process!

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