With 4 kids in school this year our family needed a central spot for homework. Last year I would send the older boys to their rooms where each boy had a desk we made for them. However, it didn’t seem like much homework was getting done and everyone always wound up in the kitchen anyway :). So Jason and I made a plan to create a desk and homework station in the kitchen. We decided we needed to add a kitchen desk for a computer the kids could do homework on and we could keep an eye on.
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Below is a picture of what this spot in our kitchen looked like soon after we moved in.
We also added 2 bookcases on either side of our sliding glass doors for extra storage and to hold arts & craft and homework supplies. There were hanging doors in this spot before but they were too big to close and we almost never used them. The bookcases we added are almost identical to the bookcases we created in our son’s room. You can see that DIY post here.
The bookcases do a fantastic job of adding extra storage to the kitchen without taking up too much floor space.
We still have our DIY cork board to hang all our kids artwork, homework, and school papers. I love that this corkboard keeps our fridge clutter free. I still want to add a wood frame around it but that’s a project for another day!
With all the homework we have planned for the kitchen we decided to take out the leaf of our oval table to make it round.
We hope to have most dinners in our dining room now. Even though the table is a bit smaller we still have enough room to share a meal and do work together.
As you can see I have plenty of room to work on my blog posts here as well :).
You can almost always find me working in here since I spend most of my day in the kitchen doing laundry, making dinner and washing lots of dirty dishes!
I love having a dedicated place to work now with my new kitchen desk :). The bonus of an extra computer in the room is that I now have a screen to catch up on my shows while I am making dinner! Here is the link to the monitor we purchased, ViewSonic VX2452MH 24-Inch LED-Lit LCD Monitor, Full HD 1080p, 2ms, 50M:1 DCR, Game Mode, HDMI/DVI/VGA, VESA
To read the DIY post on how we created our entryway table you can see that here.
We added a matching Pottery Barn rug under our table as well. I found it on Ebay for 1/2 the price. It really grounds the space and I am sure it will help our hardwood floors to feel a little cozier in the winter since there is a dirt crawl space under our kitchen eat in area. (this room was originally the back porch to our old farmhouse)
With all the changes we made to our new kitchen desk and homework station we made a few more changes to the kitchen too!
I finally painted the walls Sherwin Williams Kestral White in a matte. One thing we learned about old homes and plaster walls is that glossy paint shows every imperfection and matte or flat paint goes a long way to hide that.
Jason helped me take down one big upper cabinet to the right of the sink. Removing that cabinet helps open up our kitchen and gives some much needed counter space. The kitchen is brighter now too with that cabinet no longer blocking the light.
Jason and I both said that it’s amazing how these changes help us to like our kitchen so much more now! I hope this post about our new kitchen desk and built in bookcases gives you some ideas for your kitchen or homework space. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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DIY Built in Bookcases & Window Seat
Love it all and what a fantastic idea for the work station and those bookcases too.
Thank you so much Marty! We are all enjoying the extra storage space but I am definitely crossing my fingers a lot of homework will be happening here this fall!!!
Gorgeous kitchen space!! Love your stuff as always Tara!
Thanks Christine! That is so sweet!
This is grand! Our children have long been out of the house, but I can see exactly why you’ve done the work to bring them all into the kitchen and work at the table! Love your desk with the screen too!
Brava and well done – enjoy! MMR
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Margaret! It made a lot of sense to add our homework zone into the kitchen since we were all in here anyway :).
Tara, it is such a warm and inviting space. And if you have to be there for so many hours you might as well make it just the way you want it. Our workspaces should be pleasant.
I totally agree that our workspaces should be pleasant Mary! Thanks so much for stopping by and take care!!!
Looks like it is a very efficient space. Wonderful idea to keep the family together! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments Lynn!
Love the light in your kitchen and the wood is amazing. Looks like a great place to write 😀
Thank you so much for your sweet comments about my kitchen Debbie!