The Jenna Sue Design Co. Studio Reveal!

Another space has been marked off the to-do list...

This was one of the first rooms we started on after buying the house because it needed to be fully functional before we moved in a few months ago.

I ignored it for a while to focus on the kitchen, but now that that's out of the way it was time to add the finishing touches.

Let's take it way back to the beginning with the first photo we ever took in the house...

The room greets you right when you walk through the front door, and it was used as a library/sitting area (I assume?) with built in bookshelves...

The built ins were nice but they took up about 15" of space that I desperately needed if I was going to convert this into my work area...

It also had a closet which was the perfect place for my shipping supplies.

Here's a view looking back at the front door.

We ripped out the built ins, carpeting and gutted the closet...

Added some much needed lighting and window trim...

Built a half wall over the open stair railing and began planking...

And more planking...

Added trim, paint and lighting...

Set up the desks and equipment...

Maximized the storage space inside the closet...

Added shelves & artwork...

Finished off the desk with fabric for hidden storage, and built a large crate for bulky shipping supplies...

And finally, built this storage crate wall for smaller organization.

And now she's ready for her big debut! Welcome to the Jenna Sue Design Co. studio...

You'll have to make it past our kitty guard first.

I was inspired by these and made my own a couple days ago to replace the junky cardboard boxes that were there:

I love the softness the fabric brings to the space—it really helps to balance out all the hard lines and surfaces of the electronics.

But my absolute most favorite part about this space is what's outside the window...

It's such a nice space to spend the day in (and sometimes nights).

And that's my studio!

So, what do you think? It was definitely a challenge to go from my last studio—a larger area where I could spread out—to a room about half the size. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it work, but it just forced me to get creative with the layout and storage solutions. So far it's working out just fine!

If you missed any of the progress, here's a project roundup:

Adding window trim
Planking, adding trim & lighting, painting
Setting up the workspace & adding ledges
New art & DIY floating shelves
DIY wood crate & hidden desk storage
Rustic crate storage wall
File organization

And there you have it, our second "finished" space. By Monday I hope to cross a third off our list—the foyer. You thought it was done already, didn't you? Turns out I have two more projects planned for this weekend, one is something I've never attempted before and I'm nervous/excited about it—you'll have to check in next week to see what it is!

Studio Update: Crate Wall File Organization

Happy Memorial Day! Hopefully you're all getting to enjoy the outdoors today with family and friends. We spent the weekend in Tahoe celebrating our 5 year anniversary...

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The weather (and scenery, as usual) was perfect.

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We even got a chance to get together with family we haven't seen in years and meet new relatives...

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Love that place. If you're ever in Nor Cal, it's a beautiful drive there and a must-see!

Before we left for the weekend I took some time to sort through all of our files and reorganize studio storage wall.

Way back at the beginning of this blog, I did a complete organization overhaul and ditched our old file cabinet in favor of a binder filing system:

I even made these printable binder templates so you could use them too:

This system has been working great for 3+ years. We always know exactly where everything is and it's super easy to file papers/receipts away as they accumulate.

Now that we've moved across the country, bought a new home and undergone some renovations, it was time to update the filing system.

I started by laying everything out and determining what I could purge/combine/reallocate:

Several of the magazine boxes contained filler or things I no longer use, so those were the first to go.

I corralled all of the receipts I'd saved from our current house into these convenient expandable folders:

On our last trip to Ikea, I picked up a few of these wardrobe boxes which I thought would be perfect for storing bulkier papers and items:

Source

I used one for manuals/warranties, one for business supplies, and another for all of our important house documents.

I didn't change up the actual binders much as they were doing a good job already... here's a peek at the inside of our Florida house binder to get an idea of how it works:

I use these page tabs to divide the sleeves into different categories:

Once I had everything organized, it was time to make new binder labels. I wanted to tone down the colors and keep it more neutral/sophisticated, so I opted for a simple striped background with a classic serif font (Bodoni):

Once everything was printed and trimmed, I just slipped the labels into the binder sleeve:

For my magazine files, I picked up these bookplates at Office Max:

They're adhesive so I could easily apply them directly to the surface:

Then I printed out labels, cut them to size and slipped them into the bookplates.

And now this storage wall is good to go!

The top serves as a shelf to store my smaller packaging supplies.

Narrow ledges on the wall above it display charts and prints waiting to be packaged.

The lower profile design works great in this small space—it visually opens up the room and allows for a wider passageway around the desk.

Simple, clean and clutter free... just the way I like it!

Are your files in need of spring cleaning? If you haven't tried the binder filing system yet, now is the time! I'm even offering up my printable templates to help you get started.

You can download the blank templates in both binder sizes:

Click to download BLANK TEMPLATES

Or download these pre filled templates here... use as many or as little as you wish:

Click to download PREFILLED TEMPLATES

Or if you like the old colorful templates, you can still get those here.

The templates are designed to print on 13x19" paper (the label height is 11.375", a little too large for standard 8.5x11" paper)—but if you don't mind them being slightly shorter, you can print them full size on 8.5x11" (you'll have to break up the labels on the pre filled template sheet to print full size—use borderless printing if possible). I recommend either card stock or heavyweight paper for best results.

Hopefully this will keep you busy & productive this week! It's a big time consuming undertaking at first, but once you get a system down and everything filed away into its place, it's such a relief. I promise.

I'm wrapping up with the finishing touches over the next few days, and I hope to have my final Studio Reveal Tour by the end of the week—make sure to come back and check it out!