Get Rid of That Ugly Filing Cabinet!
Styling your home office is easy with a creative take on storing your files
It doesn’t matter how much time and effort you spend getting the look of your home office just right – if you have an ugly filing cabinet, the whole room tends to sag in disappointment. But it needn’t. Rather than being a bulky, unattractive eyesore, the right filing cabinet solution can not only fade into the background, it can also be a valuable home office addition that does far more than just keep your affairs in order. These ideas are sure to inspire a change in yours.
Extra seating. No need to clutter up a sleek home office with extra chairs if you only need them once in a while. Add a cushioned top to a filing cabinet on wheels, and you’ve got an extra seat for guests whenever the occasion arises. Coordinate the colour of your cabinet with your desk and other room elements, and it will otherwise go unnoticed – just slide it under your desk so it’s out of the way.
Lamp table. If you can squeeze a sofa into your home office, do so at once. It not only cosies up the space and makes it a far more inviting place in which to work, if it’s a sofabed, your home office can double as a guest room. Place a lamp on a filing cabinet by the couch and it acts as a lamp table by day, and as a bedside table whenever guests are staying over. Brilliant.
GALANT drawer unit on casters: Ikea
GALANT drawer unit on casters: Ikea
Packed up. Portable, expandable filing systems are just as functional as those in more substantial filing cabinets, but their real advantage is that they can be stashed away out of sight. These old suitcases could hold all your important papers but in fabulous eclectic style.
Old cabinets and chests of drawers are other handy places to stash cardboard or plastic expandable filing systems. Once you consider the alternatives, a traditional metal filing cabinet is unlikely ever to enter your home office again.
Old school. Nothing adds more warmth and charm to a room than a relic from the past, and when it’s in natural timber form, the effect is multiplied. Look for industrial-style or antique filing options in second-hand stores, or get the look with a reproduction. This one packs in a lot of filing space, but manages to charm the pants off this otherwise simple home office.
Star attraction. Sometimes it’s better to make a highlight of your filing cabinet rather than pretend it’s not there or try to hide it out of sight. The fact is, we’ve all got important papers and records we need to store, and it takes space to do that. A bright colour can be enough to make a filing cabinet a showpiece, and when it’s set against a wall that helps it shine, so much the better. This chalkboard backdrop is just what this orange filing cabinet needs to make it really pop.
See more of this office and home
See more of this office and home
If you’re thinking of having some shelving built into your home office, why not factor in some filing cabinets. When they’re as colourful as these, they’ll add instant zing.
Boxed in. Got an old toy box the kids no longer use? Measure some lengths of timber and use screws and simple brackets to fit them inside, and all those files will hang happily out of sight.
The same approach can apply to old chests and trunks you have at home or uncover in a second-hand store or antiques shop.
Go industrial. Home offices are all about work and getting things done, so are well suited to an industrial look. Find a metallic or rustic black filing cabinet and you’re one step further to creating a work space with this kind of edge. Next steps? A chair and desk that sing along with it. Think leather, aged timber and function over form.
Read more: So Your Style Is: Industrial
Read more: So Your Style Is: Industrial
If you need to tame your chaotic home office into a more ordered haven, consider this creative method. Label your files from the outside, and you’ll add style, a sense of fun and a new level of organisation all at the same time.
Read more: How to Declutter Your Office Space
Read more: How to Declutter Your Office Space
Lying sideways. A filing system with multiple drawers removes the need for your files to hang vertically, and can be far less imposing in a home office. And when it looks as good as this filing cabinet, there’s no reason not to make a change.
Take a look around this creative home
Take a look around this creative home
Colour charged. Two shorter filing cabinets rather than a tall one that seems to tower over the room will be all the more appealing when they’re in a colour that ties in with the other hues in the room. In this case, orange and blue punctuate the workspace with aplomb. A worktop set on top of two filing cabinets is all that’s needed to create a funky and functional desk with plenty of storage to hand.
Wall space. If you find yourself going back and forth from your desk to the filing cabinet several times a day, it might pay to use the wall above your desk for the files you access most often. A system like this is also sure to stop papers from piling up on your desktop.
Kvissle wall magazine rack: Ikea
Kvissle wall magazine rack: Ikea
Window seat. Can you imagine a boxy metal filing cabinet in this elegant workspace? Of course not! Then why should it uglify yours? Tucking filing drawers under a window seat could be just the solution your home office needs.
TELL US
Have you found an alternative to the traditional filing cabinet? Share your ideas in the comments.
MORE
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TELL US
Have you found an alternative to the traditional filing cabinet? Share your ideas in the comments.
MORE
Home Office Helper: Where to Put Your Desk
How to Work a Workspace Into Any Room in the House
Feng Shui Your Home Office and Take on the World
In the Zone: Home Offices That Fast-Track Your Success