Wednesday, May 28, 2008

From Roll Top Desk to Gadget Center

One of my goals this year was to try to get every inch of the house perfectly culled, decluttered, organized and beautified. Quit laughing. I'm serious. In this process I've discovered a new principle of organization. At least to me. It's kind of a variation on the "bloom where you're planted thing." Ready for it???

Organize your reality.

For years I've tried to set up systems and then get people to use them. I've finally come around to looking at what people are using and then organize that. Rather than fight the tendency for shoes to get left in the front foyer, organize the reality that that's where people leave their shoes in Alaska. Rather than try to get people to put away keys, receipts, and spare change, deal with the fact that it's always going to get dropped on the foyer table and organize that spot.

And that's what I did with this desk below. It had become a magnet for electronic gadgets and their respective chargers, batteries and accessories. I am sooooo not a gadget person. I have let the sight of those gadgets and tangled mass of cords drive me crazy and finally realized that I was going to have to go with the reality. That desk is where it is most convenient and likely for them to get dropped. So organize THAT spot. I turned this roll top desk into a gadget storage and charging center.

First, I removed the back of both the desk and the shelf insert. I did this without ruining them and stored them so that they could be replaced when we wished to use this piece as a desk again. I also stored one of the drawers as its spot was needed for one of the larger gadget chargers. I then ran the plugs through the back of the desk. I mounted a power strip to the back of the desk and plugged in each charger (and a pencil sharpener).



Each cord and charger has its own cubby so that there are no dangling cords, no jumbled mess. They get tucked into their holes until a gadget needs charging. Then its simply pulled out and the gadget plugged in.



The whole mess then gets covered by pulling down the rolltop. There are no cords showing beneath the desk because the outlet is just above the center of the desktop, hidden by the plant. So you'd never know anything electrical is going on.



The drawer holds extra gadgets and batteries. No more mess. And all those ugly electronics and cords are out of sight!



Now on to solve the next problem. There are plenty to choose from!

15 comments:

Keely said...

What a brillian idea. It looks so tidy now and I love the way you can hide it all behind the rolltop.

Anonymous said...

Sweetie, could you make your way over to my house. I won't be home for a few days yet, would love to see what you can do over there! :) LOL!! Looks great! Keep it up.

Love,
Pamela

AllisonC said...

Brilliant, I can't stand clutter either! There is no end to your talents.

Blessed Mama said...

Hum Charity.................You are a genius!!! We have an area in our master bedroom that holds our three cell phones, 2 iPods, cameras and battery chargers. I am going to be a copy cat and make something to organize them as you did.
Oh, and I have the same goal for this year, to get every square inch of our home decluttered in perfect tidy order.........See, now I am laughing at myself! hahahahehehehehe

Bunny said...

This so appeals to my anal side. I can't stand disorder and this is such a cool way of organizing the wall warts and their friends. Thanks for the inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Charity, have you read "Organizing from The Inside Out" by Julie Morgenstern? NAYY, but this book has seriously changed my apartment for the better. She talks about this very concept--don't try to fight people's habits, it's a losing battle. But if you can work with the habits instead, you're much more likely to be successful. You go, girl! The new cubby looks great.

Unknown said...

No, I haven't, but it sounds like something I would definitely enjoy reading. I'll look for it at our library! Thanks for the recommendation. I've heard of the author and think I stumbled on her website a few years back.

Anonymous said...

I like that idea! I do the same thing. when dh and I first got married, it drove me crazy that he had to empty his pockets when he walked in the door,leaving all his stuff all over whatever counter was closest. Finally, I made him a cute little basket area to put all his stuff in. I've moved it with us as we've changed houses, and it still works. :-)

You have such creative ideas!

Leah
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/lcourtneymom/

Gwen said...

What a nice approach to dealing with clutter - work with the flow, instead of trying to fight it and swim upstream... This sounds like the kind of principle that could really make a difference - not just in organizing stuff, but for dealing with life in general! Thanks! :)

Ann said...

Good thinking! I hate to see gadgets and I hate to see tvs' hifis or anything like that. Love the desk.

sweetiepie said...

Such a great idea! We always have something recharging, and it always seems to be happening on my kitchen counter. Thanks for sharing. Joyce in Iowa

Cindi said...

What a great idea! Thanks so much for showing this.

Miss Rhea said...

Looks great !! I need to do something about our entranceway. My Hubby thinks it is his own personal closet and shoe rack. lol !! I love your new header. :)

Vicki said...

Clever! Decluttering is always on my list. But what to do about school bags, blazers, that get dumped on the kitchen table? Maybe a chocolate in each DD's bedroom to entice them to walk that bit further before dumping!!

Anonymous said...

Good idea, Charity....nothing like a good rolltop to hide the cords..it looks good...