Help me with this eyesore

[boogiemonster]

Please!

We have this space in our great room (main floor is open concept and has living/dining/kitchen areas).  There is this nook under the stairs which is obviously meant for an entertainment unit (all the plug-ins are there).  There is also an air vent along the lower right side that you can see that needs to be left relatively unobstructed.

We have no TV, but we do need an area for our computer and all its related equipment.  I would like some space there for files, office supplies and DVDs (we don't have a ton of this stuff, but we have no storage space for any of it right now).  And, um, the packing boxes have to go.

FIL has offered to do a built-in unit of some sort, but we can't figure out what to build that will fit our needs.

It is quite a deep nook, but I can't measure it exactly because I'm too heavy with child to get down in there with a measuring tape.  The top of the nook above the monitor is ~2'1", the widest part at the bottom is ~4'10".  There is more than enough space behind the desk for additional storage, but we can't figure out a good solution to make it accessible.  The mister wants to have a desk on castors, but I don't think it would roll out far enough with all the cords plugged in to the wall.  Plus, it sounds ugly.  *I* would like things to be hidden away as much as possible, behind doors maybe?  I hate looking at all that equipment every day.

Oh, and I would love a sewing area, maybe a little dresser or vanity against the wall where the toy chest is (it holds fabric right now).  We also need some vertical storage to keep things away from busy little hands.  The wall between the nook and the door (which is the bathroom) is ~3'8" wide.  We have one teeny coat closet, but no other hidden storage on this floor, so anything we build or buy has to look good enough to keep out all the time.

This is the room where we do all of our LIVING, so it has to be functional and attractive, and I'm totally uninspired.  Help!  Please!

[AtYourCervices]

I'd probably use the space for a quiet area for the kids. I'd lay down a large square pet bed, and use curtains for privacy. I'd place a basket of quiet toys, stuffed toys, books, etc. I'd find a different area for storage space, the computer, sewing, etc.

[boogiemonster]

There isn't any other space for the computer.  That's where the cable outlet is in the room.  The girls share a bedroom and use the third room as a playroom, so I'm not quite as concerned about a space for them to play as I am about somewhere practical to house the computer.

[ChristyMarie]

How do you use the computer now?  Do you drag a chair over to that area?  How often is it in use?

I think your husband's idea of a rolling desk might be worth looking into.  There are a lot of compact computer stations on wheels.  You could then have built in shelves along the back wall for storage, leaving enough space for the computer to roll in and out.   You could do cabinet doors to completely close it off or use fabric/curtains.

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie 

How do you use the computer now?  Do you drag a chair over to that area?  How often is it in use?

Yes, we have an old-fashioned wooden desk chair that we use at the computer.  We turn it around to face the room if we need extra seating for visitors and it also fits at the end of the dining room table to accomodate more people.  It's a vagrant chair. 

The computer gets used a lot, really.  I use it in place of cookbooks and reference books, we webcam with grandparents, DH plays games or I read blogs in the evening...  Plus it's where we watch movies after the girls go to bed.

[Aeress]

What about making a L shaped desk off of the area, and use the space inside to store things? I wouldn't like working in that space, too tight.

[zebra15]

Just because the cable plug is there does not mean the computer needs to go there. You can get a wireless modem and move the computer anywhere.  A wireless modem is about $60-75 (maybe less now) and a total lifesaver!    I really dont think that space is good for a computer or other adult workspace.  I would feel very claustrophobic (sp).  If you dont have a TV I would probably use the area as storage, but not put up anything permanent.  If you ever go to sell the house potential buyers will probably have a TV and want to use the space as intented by the builder.

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by zebra15 

Just because the cable plug is there does not mean the computer needs to go there. You can get a wireless modem and move the computer anywhere.  A wireless modem is about $60-75 (maybe less now) and a total lifesaver!    I really dont think that space is good for a computer or other adult workspace.  I would feel very claustrophobic (sp).  If you dont have a TV I would probably use the area as storage, but not put up anything permanent.  If you ever go to sell the house potential buyers will probably have a TV and want to use the space as intented by the builder.

There really isn't anywhere else in the house that we could fit a computer desk.  Honestly.  It's really a matter of making the most of the space we have, which is the space above.

[Callimom]

I'd do roll out shelving units in there for your sewing stuff and  front them with lightweight MDF that  follows the line/shape of the nook and that you can paint to match the wall so it disappears with the exception of  the handles.  You could even match your trimwork on the bottom. If you make two roll out pieces which go back into the space along the depth, you could make the taller one a sewing table and the other storage.

Then I would purchase a small armoire/cabinet/desk to store your computer and put it where the chest is now assuming that works for your space. I would run the wires out the back and perhaps under some molding into the sewing space to make it less visible.

Good luck.

Karen

[ChristyMarie]

Ok, I don't know how handy you are but what about building a custom flip-top desk in there?  Drawers on the bottom, flip top on top that would then fold out into a useable work area.  Computer and cords tucked back.  Or, instead of drawers, could be more of a cabinet with shelves on rollers to roll out for easy access to use the full depth of the space.

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie 

Ok, I don't know how handy you are but what about building a custom flip-top desk in there?  Drawers on the bottom, flip top on top that would then fold out into a useable work area.  Computer and cords tucked back.  Or, instead of drawers, could be more of a cabinet with shelves on rollers to roll out for easy access to use the full depth of the space.

This is kind of along the lines of what I started thinking: shelves with doors along the left side, and more shelves on the bottom with the monitor/speakers/webcam on a desk surface on the top.  If those bottom drawers had doors too, we could hide the printer and computer tower and have only a small amount of stuff on the top part of the desk.

I would like to have the sewing machine set up and accessible so that it's easy to sew a quick seam if something gets ripped (instead of the current solution to toss it in the mending box and forget about it, ahem).  I'm going to look first at the possibility of tucking a sewing table into the closet of the girls' playroom, since we won't need it as a sleeping room for a while yet and that way I could just close the door on any mess rather than worry about having it out in the middle of our living space.

Thanks for the suggestions, mamas!

[OkiMom]

Have you thought about asking your FIL what he thinks? If he is handy he might have some ideas/suggestions you haven't even thought of.

[crunchy_mommy]

You could fit a small desk where that toy chest is -- which would be much more visually appealing than the computer cramped into that small nook. We have a desk about that size but we found in on the side of the road after lots of searching -- so you'd probably have to check thrift stores or have something custom-built because the desks they sell nowadays seem to be massive. If you have something custom-built, you could put doors and/or a fliptop on it to keep the equipment out of sight. Then you could use the nook for storage, put up some shelves (with doors) & a file cabinet... 

I could also picture a L-shaped table top coming out of the nook & extending across the toy chest wall. You would have just enough tabletop area for the computer and a sewing machine (though may be a little cramped, but not moreso than it is now!) and underneath some really deep drawers that would extend all the way from the front of the desk to the back of the nook.

I wish I had time to draw up a picture because I'm not sure I'm describing this well!