When we moved to the cabin full time almost two years ago, we had two large armoires we had to leave behind. We had a tag sale and someone gave us a deposit for one of the armoires, but he never came back to pick it up. In a panic, we called a non-profit organization and arranged to donate them along with a few other items. Well, after we called them we ended up selling some of the other items (artwork, rug and small decorative tables), so when they arrived there wasn’t much for them to take other than the two armoires. They weren’t happy.
So…they told us that if we wanted them to take the armoires we would have to pay them around $200. The reason? They said no one wants armoires anymore. Everyone keeps their tv’s out in the open and armoires were no longer desirable.
I think that’s a shame because to me armoires can be beautiful statement pieces in their own right and let’s face it, armoires are workhorses. Their main function is to store items, and who says that it always has to be a tv? Not me.
So why not let the depreciation of armoires work to your advantage? Pick one up at an estate sale, tag sale or craigslist, and turn it into an indispensable piece of furniture for very little effort or money.
This first one is from one of my favorite catalogs, Wisteria. Here they made good use of the inside of the doors with file pockets and cork board, and the baskets are attractive and practical.
Finding an armoire designed for a corner space is like winning the decorating lotto, as corners are often wasted areas in a home. This one started out life as an Ikea cabinet.
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Raise your hand if you love houndstooth as much as me! Why not turn a plain and dark armoire into something special with the addition of houndstooth covered boxes, fabric backing and chalkboard paint (love that quote!).
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Why not add a pop of color to a pull out keyboard, after all, who couldn’t use a little ‘happy’ when getting ready to pay some bills?
I’m a huge advocate of taking advantage of the back of doors, whether it’s armoires, closets or pantries. Convert the inside of armoire doors with the addition of fabric and ribbon for a handy spot to place notes or photos.
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Here’s another example of a fabric covered panel, but this time the fabric was repeated on the inside of the doors for a useful and creative touch of color.
This armoire was purposely designed as a computer desk and even includes a space for a printer, keyboard, file cabinet and hard drive.
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And you don’t have to be limited to using an armoire for office space…
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This armoire, from Brookstone, was designed for bar storage, but why not borrow some ideas and retro fit to suit your needs? We did that with a small upright piano we couldn’t even giveaway, and what was once an eyesore is now a conversation piece. If you’d like to see what I call our ‘pimped up’ piano, click here.
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We had another armoire that we sold to a young lady who was going to use it for clothing storage, simply by adding a bar to the top. There’s really no limit to what you can use armoires for, and the best part is when the doors are closed, all the clutter is gone from sight, so don’t let what you perceive to be a lack of space stop you from having a fully functional office to call your own, because as you can see, it’s not only possible, but not that difficult.
And if you need help hauling it to your house, I got a Fisherman at the ready ;).
P.S. In case you’re wondering, we paid for the armoires to be removed. What we didn’t realize at the time was they also removed a few thousand $ and all our important papers. Looooooong and (very) sad story…
In other news…
We are currently in Rainbow Springs State Park, about 30 minutes from Ocala. This is the first time we have stayed in a state park, and as expected, the sites are more spacious and private than corporately owned parks where the almighty dollar rules the roast. The park boasts a lovely river you can kayak or tube on, three distinctive waterfalls, trails and beautiful gardens.
Although we like the park, the towns surrounding it seem a little depressed so we’re looking forward to moving on. Speaking of which, you might recall when we arrived in Naples in January we had major transmission issues with our car. It was taken care of by a dealer while we were there but on Friday as we were heading back to our site the transmission light came on. I think we bought ourselves a lemon. The bad news is we are in the middle of nowhere and will have to wait until we get to the panhandle to get it serviced. Fingers crossed they can fix it.
Jemma says
Good Morning Doreen!
Aren’t Armoires just amazing pieces of furniture and with so many intricate details they are nearly pieces of art.
Thank you for the inspiration today.
I am thrilled that you continue to have such a wonderful break from Winter!
xx
Jemma
Debbie from MountainMama says
I absolutely love these ideas! Now you’ve got me thinking if there may be a way to turn my big green monster in my guest room into my office….hmmmmmmmmmm…….:)
Kimberley says
Hi Doreen! 🙂
I am still in love with armoires, although I know that they are not so popular anymore. I see them all the time at the thrift stores…and the Salvation Army actually had a handyman in there one day removing all of the doors from a bunch of them and lining them up in a row so that they could use them as ‘shelving’ cabinets to display all the knick-knacks…and there were a couple of really pretty ones that they ruined by removing the doors! 🙁
I love all the ideas in the photos…the one from Wisteria is so pretty! And I love the craft one and wrapping station one! I am not a big fan of a massive tv…so an armoire is perfect for me!
The park you are in looks beautiful! I hope that the next dealership can fix your car right this time! Gosh darn it!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Big Hugs! Kimberley
AnnMarie says
I just love every single idea here for an armoire. I wish I lived near you….I would have wanted to take both of yours! I have one in my living room that holds the TV, my favorite decorating books and precious pictures of my grandchildren. I wouldn’t give it up for anything no matter how “undesirable” it may be. I think every room needs one!
kelly says
I still have my TV in an armoire! I have 2 armoires flanking my fireplace so it feels right. We will probably place our tv above the fireplace mantel in our next house though. I also have our computer in one in our kitchen. I love how you can just close the doors to all the clutter when you’re done. I hope that your transmission gets fixed properly! No fun to have car trouble while you’re on vacation.
Emily says
Hi Doreen, We moved our big armoire up to the upstairs landing. We put a television in it for our grandson to watch his movies when he’s here. He seldom does watches tv so it is also family office area and we use it to store supplies and a large portion of it is used by my husband to store some of his things. They are workhorses. We enjoyed using ours for years, I loved closing the doors on the television when not in use. I love the armoire you show for crafts and ribbons. I love that, wish I’d though of that before. Sorry you are having car problems, you should be able to find someone to work on it in the panhandle, a lot of car dealers there. If you need help finding someone let me know, I can ask my son. Love this post………
Cecilia says
It’s funny, Doreen. Long before armoires were popular, Bruce made one to use for the computer. I regret we got rid of it when we moved into this house. We actually found one big enough to hold our flat screen tv so we can close it off. I plan on picking one up to repurpose in the art studio..I’ve been wanting to do that for some time. You showed some great ideas for them.
So that’s how your papers got stolen. How awful. Good luck with your vehicle. I hope you make it to the repair place and they can fix it. Have a good week.
Hugs
Cecilia
tammy j says
oh I hope your transmission makes it until you can get it serviced in a good place!
and…
as a minimalist…
I LOVE the idea of an amoire! can you imagine a time when people’s whole wardrobe fit into a beautifully made amoire?
they had enough clothes and a glorious piece of furniture!
but the glimpse of your “sad story” just made me catch my breath. oh my.
take care dearest bean! God speed! xoxo♥
Kim says
I found one at the thrift store for $94 and it was amazing. It’s now my craft “room” and I just love it. I guarantee that whoever donated it paid waaaay more for it. It was an office armoire, but now the desk holds my sewing machine and the printer tray…well it still holds a printer! 😉
Amy says
Well, now I kind of wish I had an armoire! I do have a small one that has been relegated to the basement, and I have all of my wrapping paper, etc. stored there, but I wouldn’t call it attractive, like all of the beauties you’ve shown here! Sorry to hear about your transmission woes, and that company that ripped you off? Despicable!
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
I love armoires, some old ones are so pretty and you have a nice collection of inspiration here!
Red Rose Alley says
Oh, what a cool idea to use armoires as home offices. Never thought of that. I did have an armoire at one time that I used as a TV space with videos, etc. We moved, and I ended up giving it away. That’s too bad that you had to leave your two armoires behind as well. Sometimes, we look back and say to ourselves, “why did I give that away?” hehehe. Your picture of Rainbow Springs is beautiful, Doreen.
~Sheri
rue says
I really regret getting rid of my armoire. It was an antique that I turned into a tv holder and I could have reversed it, but sold it instead. I have a lot of furniture selling regrets.
It certainly looks gorgeous there. I hope you make it to the panhandle without any break downs. I’ll cross my fingers for you!
hugs,
rue
Marilyn @ Pink Paper Cottage says
Love your new blog name… I kept wanting to go look at House Honeys but never seemed to get an inbox notice of your posts! Guess you were changing things up. I did get an inbox notice for this blog post, so must be on your list again! My old antique computer couldn’t for some reason, scroll on your House Honeys blog.. it would just get stuck and not go anywhere. This one seems to be working fine and I can even comment! I love all of the armoire ideas. We have a big beautiful wood one that we’ve tried to sell many times as it’s so huge and heavy.. but no one is interested… but I’m glad we’ve kept it (not by our choice!) and I now have it in our living room and my hand made quilts are stacked on top and inside are all of our blankets, and in the lower drawers are my flannel sheets. Now I want to take it and use it as an office space for hubby as he needs some sort of computer work area. Right now he’s using a card table! Is your House Honey blog still up? I’ve meant to go back and look at more photos of your cottage as want to see the progress. the park where you’ve been looks gorgeous!
Vickie says
I loved our armoire, and if there was an empty spot in our small house to place it, I would have kept it. The gal who bought ours is using it at her lake cabin to store bedding. I’m glad I didn’t have to pay somebody to take it away!!
The park you’re staying at has breathtaking views!! I hope you didn’t buy a lemon and your car is worth fixing. Good luck!
Valerie says
I have an armoire as my office. I love it. Need to get it organized though lol.
handmade by amalia says
This is a great idea and so prettily organized. I like the idea that you can close the doors and forget about work.
Amalia
xo
Julie says
Hi Doreen, I love armoires and what great inspiration with all of these! Hope you are having fun! Enjoy the weekend.
Julie
Feral Turtle says
I love all the mini offices people have created! Such a good use of space. Thanks for all the inspiration pics!! What a gorgeous place Rainbow Springs State Park looks like! Hope you can get your car fixed properly this time and that the rest of your journey is as beautiful as that place. Did you kayak?
Mary-the boondocks blog says
Doreen I’m sorry to hear that you lost all of your papers along with getting rid of the armoire. I thnk they are so beautiful and so practical at that, as you have shown us in y our photos. What I wouldn’t give to have one. Stay safe wherever you are I’m guessing still in Florida someplace and get back to civilization.