Excited to share a small office update with you – just in time for back to school! I got the kids all set up with a great new desk – on a budget and it’s organized!

In my ongoing quest to figure out my side of the office (I can’t make a decision – help!!), I knew at the very least I had to get the kid’s desk set up before the school year begins (this week and next week – wow!). I already knew I was in love with the Alex desk, but when I was scrolling Ikea’s site I found a few possible cabinets for my side. I wanted to get an up close look at the items I was falling for because I am not too familiar with Ikea’s quality. So I headed out on a field trip last week.

No joke, it had been more than 10 years since I stepped foot in an Ikea showroom. Last time was when we lived in Orange County…and that was before 2007.

I came home with both the desk and a shelf I had my eye on. Could not be happier with the outcome!

This desk is perfect – 2 roomy drawers with a generous desktop for lots of open workspace. I love how clean and crisp the lines are too.

Another feature I love is the hidden cord storage on the rear portion of the desk…

Love it! The desk was easy to assemble – I did that one evening after everyone went to bed.

( mousepad )

But I know you want to see inside those drawers, right?!

( silicone square organizer | accessory trays | stapler )

Yes, I’m in love too!

As you can imagine, the pro organizer in me couldn’t help herself. For now I have items they tend to ask for the most. But the contents will change once I know the tools required for homework.

Worked in my favor that Poppin is on sale right now at The Container Store. And will work for you if you’ve been waiting to buy Poppin as well – Yay!

I measured the drawer first and then designed a spot for everything with a variety of drawer organizer sizes.

Ultimately I moved the lined paper to the second drawer. Figure there will be construction paper and other things in here eventually…

Could not be happier with the desk. The kids love it and have been using it daily. I really really love that as I am working at my computer, I’ll be able to keep an eye on them while they use their computer. My plan is to have my desk facing this wall, so it all works!

On to my next budget-friendly Ikea office purchase, I grabbed the shelf I had fallen in love with…

Can’t wait to share what I have planned for this beauty. You’re going to love it!

The shelf frame is assembled, but I later decided to purchase the set of 2 add-on drawers….which I installed today with a bit of a tweak. They are awesome! Here’s a shot of the shelf with the drawers to give you an idea of how the shelves incorporate…

And an idea of how this classic shelf can be styled without drawers…

The shelf comes in 2 widths, but I chose the wide version that’s 46″. Love love it! So roomy and now I finally have another spot around here for decor and framed photos. Looks great next to the kid’s desk…

What I love most about this shelf is how useful it’s going to be AND that (once it’s decored-out, etc) the view as we walk up the stairs has much improved. Previously I had a random chair sitting in this corner. It’s going to be very pretty when completed!

I’ll share the shelf again soon. In the meantime, here’s the current state of my side of the office…

Most of this had been in my bedroom lined up along a wall, so this is a bit of an improvement.

And when I say “improvement” I mean I purged through everything yet again – what you see is what needs a home. Part of my delay in choosing furnishings is that I want to give myself a good amount of storage…but I had to know what I was storing. Pulling these items into the office again gave me a chance to go through it and really have a good eye into how much storage space I actually need. Am excited to make a decision soon. I’m a little worried because my top contender suddenly isn’t available…and it always is. I’m wondering what is going on and will be doing some investigating in the coming week. I want to get it purchased soon because it will need to be hand-delivered and assembled.

I know some of you have already sent your kids back to school, but for us public school heads back tomorrow. Hard to believe! One of my 3 is on his way tomorrow, while the other 2 return to school next week. Going to be a busy couple weeks with fun times and a few tears…they are growing too quickly!

If you’re also in the throes of searching for a nice desk, don’t forget about the Alex desk. Really can’t say enough good things about it and its price point!

Happy back to school organizing!

*some affiliate links were used for your convenience