I have an “actual” home office, you know. Or…I did have an actual home office. Now I have a nursery-in-progress, and a corner of my attic where the desk that used to sit in that room is now wedged underneath a coat rack that also used to sit in that room.
But it doesn’t matter: I don’t love working at desks, anyway, and on a day to day basis my dining room table functions as my primary workspace. The only problem with this: the dining room table is right there smack in the middle of our house, clearly viewable from both the kitchen and the living room…and mess makes me crazy. And yet work yields mess (papers, pens, random to-do lists, et cetera).
What to do?
Add a tray. (This one is a cowhide T.J.Maxx find.)
I never really “got” the whole tray thing before – they seemed kind of unnecessary and like they’d add clutter rather than taking it away, but in recent months I’ve started popping down trays all over our house to corral disorganized spots, and I have to tell you: amazing. Even all piled up with remotes and little candies and camera equipment and that ticket that I got the other day and tore up in a furious rage because: hormones…they just look so pretty. And neat.
Trays for everyone!
This melamine Cynthia Rowley tray was purchased ages ago for a segment, and I honestly didn’t think I’d ever use it because it’s not really my color scheme…but it turns out trays aren’t just good for organizing the small stuff; they’re also great for helping create “spaces” for larger appliances (like my SodaStream).
My vanity is a total disaster zone of products, and the antique tray that I spray-painted Depression Glass Red is a great way to keep them all in one spot.
And finally: cake plates (like this one from T.J.Maxx) make an excellent alternative to trays, adding height and visual interest to pretty much any surface (they’re especially pretty for storing perfume bottles).
