Studio Office Progress

components in back cabinet:

component attached to back of cabinet:

bulletin boards: left unpainted, right painted

The placement of things is very important. With the entrance to the room on the right, the art wall is to the left so it's the first thing you see. It was hung with the intention for more art to be easily added. 


To the left, the 2 large bulletin boards are homasote (sound board) that come in a 4' x 8' sheet (get it at lowes), which I cut in half to make transporting and installing easier. I then painted it flat white so they almost disappear into the wall...

The cabinet underneath is a mere 8"D but 95"L, with sliding doors not only for easy access storage but a convenient hiding spot for the computer components . The section all the way in the back nearest the printer houses the smaller computer components (shown) as well as a large surge protector. There was one largest piece that I couldn't fit into the cabinet but desperately wanted hidden so I attached it to the back of the cabinet with velcro tape (second to last pic). The huge printer is now on a low rolling cart low.

This is a progress shot; the phones are still being worked so ignore the cords around the printer. The client had the rug so she's trying it for now to see how she likes it. The office chairs are on their way as well as a sofa.


Once it's all in, I'll get more pics!! In the meantime, for more details go here.

The Library: Cable Management

The amount of cables for this television and its components is pretty ridiculous! Though the table top has a hole in the back to allow cable to pass through to the plug underneath (pic 3), it doesn't help the cables that are connecting the components together.

There are a number of products out there to contain and to minimize the look of the cables but I generally try to avoid having to buy any of them. Hiding them behind something usually works just fine.

Here I cut a hole in the back of a black cardboard box (the client already had it, I think a fancy candle came in it) and placed it under the component on the right to tuck the remaining cables in (pic 4 + 5). Most people, including her husband, didn't notice the box until we pointed it out.

Last, I pushed the components as far back to the wall as possible to keep the cables in place and with the television mounted as it is, the cables are really not too visible as you're standing in front of the table (pic 1). Now, if this client wasn't happy with this, I would push it to the next level and maybe make some kind of cover to rest atop of the back of the components to completely hide them. Most likely using a piece of colored cardboard.

The Library: Television

(before)

(after)

The library has a TV hung over a table with an open bottom. They thought of having doors installed below, or replacing the table with a closed cabinet. My instincts lean towards the quick, easy, and inexpensive solution so I simply draped a fabric they already had over the table. The fabric is a bit wide, the excess is tucked behind the left leg (near the bookshelves). I used double sided tape on the right leg to keep the fabric neatly in place.

I draped the fabric without talking to them about it first. Sometimes it's better to show someone something (if it's easy enough to do), rather than having them try to visualize it and find a reason not to do it. I figured if they didn't like it we could do something else, but they not only love how it looks but that it's done and without cost. The money saved will go towards finishing the room; painting and buying an area rug.

The small basket in the second pic holds the remotes. I thought the two figures were a funny representation of this couple, watching them while they hung out here.

Diary of a Move, Cable Management

(before)

(back of console pulled away from wall)

(hole after cutting out damaged area)

(small cable clips keeping cords up off floor)

(after, almost...)

Since this space is so much larger than her last apartment, there isn't such a desperate need for storage so we've sacrificed half of the lower shelf (on the right side) of the console for the modem, power strip, and all cords. The back panel was damaged during the move so we cut that part out to pass everything through.

The only plug on this length of wall is directly behind the left hamper, pushing the hamper away from the wall a few inches, so we're using the plug around the right corner located in the entry. The cord in the last pic to the right will be gone once I replace it with a white extension cord that I can tack along the baseboard to make it less noticeable.

Cord Management

Making cords look good is important to all my clients. Instead of spending $$ on specialty cord organizers, I like to simply hide cords behind something like the TV console. When clients ask for advice on picking a TV console, I recommend ones with a solid back and not something with all open shelves. A top open shelf is fine but all open doesn't work, I mean why make it hard on yourself?

The above shots are from my apartment. The large piece of white acrylic is from a previous apartment that I just remembered I had so I have it leaning against the wall to cover the power strip. If I didn't have that acrylic already, I would purchase a larger piece and have it cut to fit behind the desk perfectly, but this will do just fine. Under the table are removable adhesive cord clips that I've had on there for a while. If I put the piece of acrylic first, I probably wouldn't have used them but they're something I use a lot for this purpose.

If you can't hide your cords behind anything, these work really well.