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May 10, 2006
Back in December when I completed what I then called Office 2.0 (now referred to as Ryan’s Orange Simplicity by the Lifehacker folks), I did a short write up about it and included some details about what I used to put the office together. In light of emails asking about paint color, desk type and other items, I thought it might be useful to write up an inventory of my workspace. This is by no means complete and I’m only offering the items that I think would be helpful to you (my old dusty beige computer speakers won’t be on the list. Go get something better. I need to, for sure.).
- Paint: Island Orange, American Traditions. I purchased this paint and Lowe’s at about $25 per gallon. American Traditions is a special paint color series from Lowe’s and only available for purchase there. I’m sure you can easily get the color matched and reproduced at your local paint store.
- Desk: Z-Line Monterey Glass Desk & File. I looked a long time for a desk that fit the budget, my tastes and the style of the room. Ultimately, I settled on a desk from a very unlikely place - Staples. I’m not usually a fan of their selection of desks, but this one just fit. I also picked up the matching file/printer stand and it sits to the right of me.
- Chair: I’m currently shopping for a new chair. The one I use is older and need of replacement. Recommendations are definitely welcome.
- Computer: I use a Mac Mini, 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 named “Orange.” It’s running the latest and greatest version of Mac OS X and all of my favorite software.
- Display: The display is important in this room because I used its design in other places. I view a Apple Cinema Display 20 inch. Yum.
- Lamp: I’ve had my desk lamp for several years and I don’t recall where I purchased it - most likely at Target, if I had to take a guess. The lamp is actually a brushed nickel, so it doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the brushed metal in the room.
- Poster frames: My two Edward Tufte posters are hung from the wall with great care using PosterHängers. Recommended to me twice (I had to doublecheck his satisfaction right before ordering) by Dan, these are the only way to hang posters in style and without damage. The metal hangers are rounded brushed metal and mimick the style of the Cinema Display.
- Sofa: The sofa is actually very old and we’re hiding its retina-burning fabric with a white cover. Eventually, the sofa will be replaced with something new, but for now the fact that it’s a sofabed comes in very handy for guest overflow.
- Wall shelves: It wouldn’t be modern workspace without a few things from Ikea. The shelving is an Ikea find and is called Dirigent. I bought 3 shelves, two uprights and 3 sets of brackets. The rounded fronts of the shelves match nicely with the with rounded top and bottom of the Cinema Display.
- Whiteboard: You can find whiteboard almost anywhere. Mine is a cheap one from Target. My next one will not be a cheap one.
- Window shades: Originally, I was skeptical about the shades I purchased from Ikea. My wife suggested these translucent-y window covers, called Enje and I wasn’t so sure. I had in mind a nice set of minimalist blinds, but I’m glad I didn’t do that. The shades allow light in even when they’re closed and look great in the room. The bottom of the blind has a round brushed metal bar that ties into the running theme of mimicking the design of the Cinema Display.
- Switch and outlet cover: In every room of the house that we’ve decorated (all of them, now) we’ve installed new covers for all of the outlets and switches. This makes a big difference in the design of the room and bringing it up to a modern style. For my workspace we choose brushed metal covers and installed them on every outlet and switch. They give the room that final touch and makes it snap together. I purchased these at Lowe’s and they were just a few dollars each.
Is there anything left to do? One thing. I want to rip up the carpet in there and install hardwood floors. This will happen when we do all of the upstairs to match the hardwoods downstairs.
Well, there you have it. Orange Simplicity broken down into 12 bullet points.
I highly recommend the Herman Miller Mirra chair. Spring for the fully-loaded version—it’s a steal at $749 (compared to other high-end task chairs).
I really love the style.. very clean yet bright and warm that is usually lacking from more modern designs.
I second the Mirra chair. I was hesitant to shell out that kind of money, but after having it for a few months, I have no regrets.
Nick & John, thanks for the chair recommendations. It certainly is a lot of coin for a chair, but I agree it is probably worth it. I know this because I’ve been using a less-than-spectacular chair for too long now.
Herman Miller Mirra Chairs
Ben, yeah, the whole idea behind orange was to make it bright and vibrant. For some people this causes uneasiness, but I love it and even my wife has come around to it (or at least got used it!). The most important thing is that it’s a space that I created piece by piece for myself, so everything in here is here for a reason.
Ryan, congrats on your award. I really liked your office pic when you posted it earlier, and now I’m even more envious of your clean, uncluttered workspace.
“retina-burning fabric” - man that must be bad considering our walls :P
The room looks great. I love the desk. I’ve seen it myself at Staples. However, I’d be paranoid about scratching or breaking the glass. Especially if I were moving hardware around on it (or on/off it).
I can’t help but notice you spent more on your monitor than you did your computer though....
Scott,
No problems at all with scratching, breaking or chipping. I don’t use it for heavy duty stuff, just paper, a beverage, etc. One thing it does do a lot is smudge, so I have regularly keep it wiped down with glass cleaner.
“retina-burning fabric†- man that must be bad considering our walls :P
It’s all perception, I suppose. ;) The sofa fabric is a red floral something or other. Horrible.
Love the set up. I have the same lamp and I got it at my local Wal-Mart.
Hi Ryan… loved your workspace and was going to post my office pics, but when I saw the competition, I declined! :)
You had a great space! Can we see more pics of the whole thing? Or did I miss the links? Where is your sofa and chair?… the brushed metal outlet covers?
I’m always curious what others do in their house. I put a gym in the “dining room”. It has hardwood floors with area carpet and big plants, and 3 huge windows.
Looking forward to new pics…
I can’t help but notice you spent more on your monitor than you did your computer though….
Priorities, priorities. ;)
Hi Ryan, congratulations on winning the contest! I just bought a new house and wanted to paint the office orange, and then this contest came up. Now I’m really excited to get to work!
One question: I’ve been shying away from glass-top desks because I’m afraid the surface will be cold to rest my arms on. Do you find this is true?
Do the shades provide privacy? I need shades that will block out inquisitive eyes but let in light.
Do yours work well?
Jenn: I’ve haven’t noticed the glass desktop being too cold to work at. Perhaps first thing in the morning during winter months, but even then it wasn’t that bad.
Jared: The shades do provide privacy from what I can tell, but I haven’t tested them out. They let light in during the day for sure.
Interesting you use a Mac mini. I’ve been debating whether to upgrade to the 20 inch imac or a Mac mini with luxurious 23 inch screen (because the 30 inch is so outrageously expensive). Any thoughts?
I have one of those shades, and while it works well in daytime, you can pretty much see right through it at night, with the light on inside.
Scott, thanks for the extra info on the shades. I haven’t gone outside at night to test them out, so I wasn’t completely sure. Plus, my office is on the second floor and the windows are obscured a bit by trees.
Jared, that should help you out a bit with your question.
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I recently bought a Steelcase Think chair, and it is just great. I tried it at a friends working place and knew right away that I _needed_ that chair.
http://www.steelcase.com/na/products.aspx?f=11845
Great minds think alike; check out my aluminum + orange workspace:
http://leblog.exuberance.com/2006/11/ikeas_dirigent_.html