Bargain Bin

Bargain Bin: The Stylish Cubicle

I received a comment on the designstiles facebook page asking for affordable and cute ways to decorate a cubicle. I've never had such a request so I was excited about helping out with some tips. Even if you don't work in a cubicle, this could be helpful for you too, so read on, read on.

Unless you reaaallly love your job, most of the time you're just wishing you could go home, so why not make your confined space just a tad more tolerable and fill it with items you love. We should be inspired by our environment and if you're at work for most of your day, you should really surround yourself with meaningful items and pieces that reflect your personality. One of the easiest ways to bring some life to an otherwise drab space is with office accessories. Anyone could go to Staples and buy generic filing folders and pencil cups. This is a great opportunity to bring some pattern and color in without spending a ton of money. Look for office accessories with some pizazz, some oomph. Give yourself a budget and spend on items you love because you can always reuse them at home when you get fired quit. And maybe even bring in some items from home to make your little cubicle more personal. Cool frames with pictures from travels to remind yourself to work hard for that vacation time.

Below are some items I picked that could distract you from that constant counting down the go home minutes.

create a mood board or inspiration board for yourself. You can buy corkboard (I used artists canvas) and fill it with images, quotes, pictures you like to help bring some color and interest into your cubicle. You can just rest it beside your computer and notice the life it’ll bring.

one – pencil cup, an affordable way to be playful // two – table lamp, going with a standard desk lamp is typical. It’s expected. Be different and opt for a lamp, lamp. Because, why not? Plop it on top of books for added height // three – mousepad, be bold, have fun with your choices // four – letter sorter  - this polka dot version is so cute. Filing away boring papers just got a little more exciting // five – notepads – next time you have to go into a bored board meeting, take notes on some pretty paper. They’ll be more pleasant to look at once you take them back to your desk // six – frame – buy a frame and place something inside it that makes you go, ha! Some motivation // seven – waste basket – because even throwing your trash out should be stylish // eight – rug – get yourself a cool little rug to define your space and create some visual interest down below // nine – business card holder – because you mean business.

You can also buy yourself some flowers every now and then to make your space feel cheerier. Nothing big, even a few small blooms from your neighbor’s yard (hee) will make a difference. Even buying your own desk chair will make your cube stand out from the rest of your colleagues’. This one is on sale. Again, you’re buying stuff you can later use. Most importantly, decorating should be fun so have fun with it.

Happy Thursday!

by Irene