How to arrange &organize home office in 8x10 room, 1 window. wide door

Bonbon
by Bonbon
3Bookcases 7 ft tall take up 1 wall, Love to read daily.,,Retired primary teacher 27 yrs. What to do with all wonderful folktale books now out of print? Papers by the cart load.
HELP !!!

  13 answers
  • Sunny C Sunny C on Aug 22, 2017

    Hello Bonbon; I too Love to read, and I too have too many books!!

    (Cook Books, in my case)

    If you are looking to downsize, I would suggest that you try to sell Some of your books.

    Some out of print books are quite valuable.

    Look on EBay, and see prices for older books.

    If you have Antique books, it would be worthwhile to take them to a Dealer, for prices.

    You can sell items at a Home sale, (Yard Sale), online, and also by posting on Craig's List, and at Grocery stores on Bulletin boards.

    Papers.....You will have to go through them, and sort.

    I would suggest that you only keep what is revelant to you at this time, and what will be needed for the future.

    I hope that this helps you!!! If you feel overwhelmed, or need help....Please contact a trusted Friend, or a Family member.

    I wish that I were closer, as I would help you!!!! Take Care!


    • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 23, 2017

      Sunny , great encouragement. Now I'm motivated. I need to select what really stays and find town volunteers tutoring kids. I'll gift not sell where kids profit. Personal books go to elder care homes. Then Do it. I am ready to let Go, need Push. My Great Grand kids are in US services. I'm finding family doesn't want my saved stuff. Tech replaces print. Thanks Sunny.


      NOW TO FACE ALL THESE PAPERS . But meanwhile I need to arrange the room to Help with sorting etc.

    • See 2 previous
    • Dysko7710 Dysko7710 on Aug 25, 2017

      So glad!! Good luck!

  • Barb Barb on Aug 22, 2017

    Can you post photos for room make over placement?

    • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 22, 2017

      Barb, thanks, Great idea, I would if I knew how. I'm one who was passed by as tech generation began.

  • Kate Kate on Aug 22, 2017

    More bookcases would be the first guess, but you are going to feel boxed in.

    I'm thinking some kind of a boxy footrest. Short, with a soft cushion on top. Maybe made out of cut-off shutters or kitchen cabinet doors that open for storing your papers? There are directions for making magazine containers out of cereal boxes, they could go on shelves.

    • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 22, 2017

      A footrest storage top could come off and file folders hung inside. Thanks a workable idea!

  • Dfm Dfm on Aug 22, 2017

    have you considered donating books to a local library? Keep the fav's and share the rest? Have you looked on line at the freebookspot? Read books for free? There are other free sites to read from as well....project Gutenberg is one. I can get them on a desk top computer...have' not tried tablet yet

  • Emily Emily on Aug 22, 2017

    Could you have a friend take pictures of your room and send them from her computer to yours? A picture of each wall is most helpful. You mention folk tale books, are they hard copy or soft copy? You also mention papers. What kind of papers? I do a craft that employs many images on paper. Christmas tree shoppes have a wonderful 6 drawer stand on wheels that is small and holds an awful lot. I also collect a lot of ephemera, but I do have a storage room in my basement. So you have either a wall 8'wide of bookcases or one 10' wide. Here is one of my bookcases undergoing a purge. the little stand is what I was describing. If you organize (and maybe yours are) books by genre; biography, history, literature, poetry etc. You may find copies you can discard. Definitely keep those precious fairy tale books but make sure someone knows their value. A comfy chair, good light and footstool, should serve your reading needs.

    comment photo
  • Kim Kim on Aug 22, 2017

    BobBon, an idea I use a lot is to make your room out of paper.

    What you do is draw your floor on the cener of your paper to scale. Then draw each wall perpendicular to its side of the floor. Cut out doors and windows.

    Make your furniture out of paper. If floorspace is the only problem, you only need a top view of your furniture to scale. If looks matter, make the top view connected to the front view, fold at top and face edge and use tape to attach to walls.

    Now you can arrange your stuff in all sorts of ways and see what works best. You can also try out color schemes!

    : )

    • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 23, 2017

      Kim, a very creative idea. I know I should not say this but I know it will work for some, but it won't work for me. I can't envision that way.


      I can only see a project if I stand in the center of the space and slowly envision each wall as to what might work and what won't work.


      THEN LOOK FOR IDEAS FROM PICTURES OR DISCUSSIONS . I love the

      Hometalkers , so full of ideas and detailing.

  • KatAych KatAych on Aug 22, 2017

    Sort through your books...maybe you could add one of those "little neighborhood libraries" in your area? For papers, if you could keep at least one shelf in one cabinet free, use baskets with lids to store unsightly papers until you get a chance to really sort through them. Good luck! https://littlefreelibrary.org/

    • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 23, 2017

      KatAych, Your comment concerning setting aside at least 1 shelf in these bookcases may be my answer. I'll be working on that idea . I do have my file which I'll clear and between the file and shelf I believe I can work something out. I Try to keep all current year tax deduction papers filed quarterly so the drawer works for that. I'm Widowed and must be ready for the tax man and it took me a few yrs to discover what works for me . So with the shelf for other papers I have a plan.

  • Emily Emily on Aug 22, 2017

    read some of the other comments and came back to share my experience trying to sell some of our books. I called a renowned book store in our area and the dealer told me how they work would be to come to my home, select books from the shelves, make a pile of them and offer a flat fee. We took some books to a nearby new venue that sells c.d.'s, dvd's etc as well as books, they basically paid by the pound. Not worth our time for the wait for the books to be processed. Our town has a wonderful facility for accepting and giving books. That is better than a library which also has yearly purges.


  • Sunny C Sunny C on Aug 23, 2017

    Hello Bonbon; You are most Welcome.

    I am shocked that Your Family does not want any of the Awesome sounding books!!!

    It is so nice that you are going to help others!!!

    I hope that everything works out well for you!!! Take Care!


  • Bonbon Bonbon on Aug 24, 2017

    Sunny C It seems all who are readers in my family have turned to e books. I admit I have too, I have archived over 400 that I've enjoyed reading and deleted a few . I have a selection of Historical Novel writers that I know I will read again.

    The family does want items kept to remember grandmothers and fathers, like WWI and WWII shells and flight records etc. Keepsakes I am sorting for the girls and the guys. Well now I guess we know how all my paper work got into such a mess. I read instead.. Thanks for your good wishes.

  • Janice Janice on Feb 26, 2024

    Hi BonBon, so interesting to read your post and further comments. I admire teachers so very much. Thank you for the years you invested in our children....it's amazing to talk with my children sometimes and they mention teachers who really impacted them in different ways. My advice would be to decide at the beginning of each week what time you spend "working" in your office and schedule the time to sort through. Allow time to be able to enjoy the process as you look through papers and items you've not seen for a while. Be sure to include a really comfortable chair to read with good light. After getting into the habit of "working" a few times a week (maybe even setting a timer), reward yourself with comfort drink or food and relax in that comfy chair. Maybe turn on some nice music. I'm really talking to myself right now as I have lots of years of momentos and paperwork to sort through myself! 😁

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Feb 27, 2024

    A local store has a container in the front entrance, people put the books in it when they are no longer useful. That is what I did with my college books, a few at a time.