Repurposed Ironing Board "Desk"

*If you're just joining us, I've been sharing how I'm making a temporary rental home that I had no choice in, work for us.  I'm trying to work with all its quirks and make it cozy without going overboard since it hopefully is very temporary.*

After we bought our laptop and got rid of our PC a year or so ago we found that we no longer really used our computer desk.  It became a messy catch-all for papers, magazines, and bills.  So, in order to make sure we had plenty of room on the moving truck, and since we didn't really need it, we sold it.

Well, once we moved to this house we didn't really have a designated area for all those important papers, bills, and checkbooks.  They ended up on the microwave, on the kitchen island, our bedroom dresser, etc.  I knew we were going to need a solution and quick lest our credit score suffer.

If you remember from my last post, this is the layout of the living room.  The front door is there to the right.

There's a bit of space in that entry way area behind the recliner.  My husband's tool cart sat there for about 3 weeks after moving here waiting on him to take it to work.  If you follow me on Facebook then you'll recognize this picture and remember that I threatened if it sat there any longer I would paint it white and distress the edges.  He took it to work.  : )  

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with that area and I was anxious for him to get his monstrosity out of there!

I have no idea why, just another one of the weird quirks of this house I guess, but this wall is completely mirrored.  

(Notice how the floor boards are separating?  It's water damage from a previous leak in the shower which is on the other side of the mirrored wall.)  :(

What do you do with a huge mirror?

You use an old wooden ironing board (yard sale find for $2 last year!), some hanging baskets, and other "junky" items and turn it into a "desk" area.  The rug is one we brought with us and covers up the damaged floor quite nicely.

I used suction cup hooks that I already had on hand to hang this set of chicken wire baskets I got from pickyourplum.com.  They hold our checkbooks, bills, important papers, and address book.  I also added a clothespin to hold outgoing mail.

On top of the ironing board I added a little divided wooden box that was a yard sale find to hold different little odds and ends.  Another Pick Your Plum basket tray holds more papers, and an old ruler serves as a paperweight on top.  And finally, a cheesebox and some mini-canning jars hold pens, pencils, and scissors.

It has been the perfect solution to corral the paper mess around the house and keep everything "desk related" in one area.

And just for fun, a little before and after.

It bugs me a little that the rug isn't centered with the door, but if I center it then it makes the ironing board sit whopper-jawed so I just do my best to ignore it.  : )

Up next I'll be sharing the kitchen area, so be sure to stay tuned.

                                                                   

Sharing over at:

Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors