My Apartment Facelift: The Den Office

I’m starting a new mini series here about my home!

My husband and I moved to this apartment in the middle of the pandemic. We currently live in a one-bedroom-and-a-den apartment here in DC. While we didn’t consider this place our forever home, the current housing market has been… discouraging to say the least. So, instead of being sad, we decided to just make our apartment a home and this year, we’ve been making upgrades in our furniture and decor that we’ve been putting off because we were waiting to buy a house to get them. Well, I’m so excited that we decided to do this because as soon as we started to redecorate and beautify our space, I’ve noticed a definite upswing in my mood! I wanted to document the process and share it with you guys, starting with our den office!

About The Den Office

So this space is a tiny windowless room in the corner of our apartment. My husband and I used to share this space, but as my husband has been going back into the office, he decided to move his small desk to the bedroom and I was given exclusive use of the den. Not only did this room serve as an office space, but it was also a bit of a storage unit. And by storage unit, I mean “a place where we would just throw in random crap that we didn’t want to deal with.”

Well, when we decided to redecorate and update our space, this was the first place I wanted to fix up. Being that this was the room that I spent my workdays in, I wanted this space to be cleaner and conducive to productivity. All the junk around me was definitely taking a toll on my mental health and I was constantly feeling unsettled and I suffered a lot of mental blocks - messy space = messy headspace.

The bookshelf

We got a swift kick in the butt to get moving on this process because we had to get rid of the bookshelf in a hurry. This bookshelf actually belongs to my friend who was loaning it to me because it didn’t fit in her tiny apartment. She recently moved to a much bigger space and needed it back. Unfortunately, all my books and art supplies were in there! Still, it definitely motivated us to get the ball rolling. While this bookshelf did a fine job doing what it was meant to (keep books organized), I was merely functional and nothing else. I never loved that the color was something that neither complemented nor accentuated anything else in the room. I was glad to have had it for the last two years because I desperately needed a bookshelf and moving costs left me low on cash. But now that I’m much more settled in, I knew what I wanted to replace the bookshelf with and how I wanted everything on the shelf to be organized.

The Desk

The next thing that I really needed to fix up was my desk area. As you can see, it was messy, cluttered, with wires and cords everywhere. I had a little drawer unit next to me but I had more art supplies on it and the area was starting to feel like it was swallowing me up! There was way too much going on there and I just needed to get a handle on it.

The Updates

The first thing we did was get everything out of the room and do an intense vacuum/cleaning. And when I say everything, I mean everything! I got the bookshelf out, desk, and all the drawer units! I never saw my vacuum look so full after I was done with it in this room, and that’s with regular vacuuming too! I never knew how gross the corner areas were so I felt amazing once the vacuuming was done.

Next, I put together my new bookshelf! As you can see, it’s a bit of a longer shelf unit with dividers and legs that fit a mid-century modern style - a decor style that my husband and I love and want to see more of in our home. I put all my books in there, plus my art supplies. I ended up with some space left over so I put a picture of my husband and me on our vacation to Hawaii (the same trip he proposed to me on!)

Next, I tackled my desk. I forgot to put the picture of the bottom area but I took out all the cords, organized them, and put the unnecessary cords away. This literally made me breathe easier! I also moved my art supplies to the bookshelf so I didn’t have those two giant boxes next to me, making the area feel constrained. I also got a new computer stand with shelves in it so I can put other items on my desk away (including other computers/iPads!) I love coming to work in the den in the mornings now! I feel like I’m really set up to be incredibly productive now!

Wishlist for the future

I want to get some plants or something in here but as this room has no windows, and therefore, no natural light, I don’t know if that would work. My friend suggested fake plants and that is something I want to look into (perhaps a tall fiddle leaf fig?) I also want to find a better place for my camera equipment. Right now, they’re just next to my drawer unit and they look fin, but I just don’t love their placement. Any suggestions are welcome!