I’ve been wanting to do a home office makeover¹ for the longest time, and it was last month’s termite invasion that pushed me to finally do it. I’ll tell you why later.
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First, let me show you what the soho used to look like.²:
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Ugh, is that a mess or what. Believe it or not, we worked in this kind of environment for close to three years. Arn later relocated to a breezier section in the house since he likes working closer to nature so this office is essentially mine now.
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The makeover idea was sparked when I decided to lose the highly under-utilized green couch (on the right, behind all the clutter) and replace it with a table I found sitting in our compound’s common garage. I decided that I needed a spot to do my art and paper crafting, especially since I already had the supplies but just did not have the space for it. I was actually fine with that slight change for the meantime… and then we discovered that the termites had eaten into the built-in wardrobe³ that housed a lot of our files! Eep! Obviously the best only solution was to tear it down.
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It was a beautiful piece of woodwork but unfortunately, it’s just not meant to house “office” files.
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Obviously the next problem was where to put all the stuff that was in the cabinet. (And what a whole load of stuff that was!)
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Dear oh dear. Just looking at that photo makes my head hurt.
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Three major criteria we considered in buying new storage supplies were (a) termite deterrence; (b) sturdiness; and (b) pocket-friendliness. The industrial shelving and plastic containers we bought all met what we were looking for, and it really helped much that the SM in our area had a 3-day sale last weekend.
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The office taking shape slowly but surely. Yes that’s a Print Gocco PG-5 Abbas is sitting on! Bought it for 6,825 yen at a Tokyu Hands in Shibuya a couple of years ago. See I couldn’t even use it before because I didn’t have a proper work surface.
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Suddenly there was so much space and I excitedly put everything in order once the paint dried up. It took about a week and a half for everything: construction, cleanup, and sorting/deciding what went in and out of those boxes and shelves because there were just too many things to go through.
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Looking good, looking good… now, everything’s within reach unlike before when they were stuck in the depths of that gigantic cabinet.
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And oh, I also found a way to save the handsome narra cabinet doors – we saved what we could of the wood and then had them built into a book case for all my magazines and reference materials.
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This way, those slabs of wood can still live in their “home”. 🙂
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Here, now, are the token “after” shots of my improved soho. I can definitely see myself working more efficiently in this space… well, granted that it stays neat and orderly. 😉
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Now to buckle down and work, work, work.
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Cost breakdown:
– Carpentry work: P400/day for 7 days= P2800
– Zen floor tiles (10 pcs) = P465.12
– Paint, primer, paint remover, cement= P545
– Varnish (for bookcase and table)= P190
– Industrial shelving: P2,200 x 2 = P4,400
– Plastic containers (on sale) = P3,000
TOTAL: 11,400.12.⁴

1. Whatever for did I watch all those episodes of Merge, Clean House, and Design Remix when we still had the Lifestyle channel?[ back]
2. Before you label me a slob though, can I just remind you that — ahem — Creative Minds Are Seldom Tidy.[ back]
3. This office space used to be a bedroom and the cabinet was meant to house clothing, hence the size and depth.[ back]
4. I would’ve wanted to stay below the P10,000 mark but we wanted to invest in sturdy shelving and storage and I think that decision will save us more money in the long run.[ back]

Anyone who has the time and patience to make anything handmade is definitely a hero in my book, and as some of you know, I’ve been posting about everything-DIY for years¹ so I thought, ok, for once I’ll show (and not just tell).
Project #1: Purse organizer

A 2003 issue of Real Simple² featured a Purseket, an organizer that you can transfer from bag to bag and I thought “what a brilliant idea!” since I, just like every other girl, switch bags whenever the mood strikes me. (And I hate being out on the road and then realizing that oops, my license is in my other bag!)³ It looked fairly easy to make too so I rummaged for unused fabric and proceeded to make my own version… tadah!

There’s a pocket for everything I need when I go out: my cellphone, palm pilot, wallet, license holder, hairbrush, powder compact/tissue/blotting paper, and pen. The best thing is that it can conform to any size bag.

Here’s how to do it, it’s as easy as 1-2-3!
You will need two sheets of fabric (any kind but ideally, the stiffer, the better⁴), approximately 25″ x 6″; needle and thread; and velcro fasteners.

Get the measurements of each of the items you want to put inside the pockets.

Plot the layout and then cut the fabric to size, doubling the height so it can be folded over. Baste to hold the folds in place. Make two of these sheets and then form pockets by stitching them together along the lines according to your measurements.

Stick velcro fasteners along the edges and voila, you now have your very own purseket-a-like.

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I also did some spring cleaning and found an old pair of jeans that I don’t wear anymore⁵ so I fashioned it into a vest for our dear little kitty.

It’s a bit crude since I got too lazy to hem the edges but Abbas seems to like it anyway.⁶ The red satin ribbon “belt” is from a gift we received last Christmas and the button is from one of Arn’s old shirts.

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And finally, I also want to share with you my humble attempt at graphic storytelling — in fact it’s so far been my only attempt. The comic appeared in Ramon de Veyra‘s Hey Comics! anthology that came out in 2004. Um… hope you like it. 🙂

(It’s only 3-pages long, click here.)

1. Maybe even before the term DIY caught on locally[ back]
2. One of my all-time favorite magazines — I hound Booksale outlets for back issues at least once a month. 😀[ back]
3. It’s actually happened to me a couple of times. When it does, I just drive ever-so-carefully and pray that I don’t run into violations.[ back]
4. Mine’s kinda flimsy as you can see, but hey, it does its job.[ back]
5. Well, they don’t fit anymore, sigh. Besides, it’s baston.[ back]
6. Abbas: “Lies! All lies!”[ back]