Let’s give a big welcome to this weeks Inside Tips From The Pro’s guest contributor, Ellen Delap! Thank you Ellen, for giving us a peek into a professional organizer’s home…

Every professional organizer needs access to her office supplies! We have deep cabinets and more office supplies than Office Depot! The solution was to bin the products in clear bins by categories and label the bins. It is the simplest solutions that make the most difference! Happy organizing!

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Ellen Delap, Certified Professional Organizer and Family Manager Coach works in the greater Houston area helping busy people create order and sanity in their lives. Learn more about Ellen at her website www.professional-organizer.com, email her at edelap@professional-organizer.com, follow her on twitter , link to her at Linked In or join her Facebook Fan Page.

I keep seeing these metal serving trays around and it reminds me of a few my grandmother had when I was younger. Some of these vintage trays have really lovely designs on them. The metal serving tray would work great as a bulletin board on your kitchen or office wall. Since the tray is metal, magnets will work to hold your papers in place. The tray will add a little extra color to your space and help you get organized at the same time!

[photo: Good Housekeeping]

I consider our style pretty contemporary but I love adding a touch of vintage every once in a while. When I see vintage suitcases I envision ways I can use them around the house but have refrained from buying any just yet without knowing exactly where they will go. Here are a few ways that people have used vintage suitcases to get organized:

1. Stack a few vintage suitcases on top of each other to create a side table next to the bed or couch. They can double as storage as well so you get two uses in one.
2. Organize your craft supplies to take with you on a craft night with your girlfriends.
3. Etsy seller VanityCase created a medicine cabinet …
4. As well as a liquor cabinet from a vintage suitcase.
5. Stack suitcases at the end of your bed to store extra blankets and pillows.
6. Daniel and Devon created an office organizer with this red suitcase.
7. Speaking of office supplies, Grace uses her vintage suitcase as an accordion file! Now that is creative.

So tell me, how are you using your vintage suitcases? Have any other ideas?

[photo: by Uncleweed

I’ve already mentioned how I would like to take an old door and turn it into a desk to add that vintage feel to my workspace. I think the main thing that keeps me from tackling projects like this is the little bit of fear that I have that it might not look so good when I get done.

Here a a few examples of door to desk projects that turned out beautifully.

Meredith’s office at & Unlimited is just divine with all of it’s green hues. Her desk is a prime example of a desk done right. With a vintage look it’s not supposed to look perfect but with all of the other elements tied into this room it definitely looks like a great place to work.

Don’t you just love her awesome doggy photography! Makes me want to get some pictures taken of Hope.

Matt has a well put together door desk as well. I love the uncluttered look. As with the desk featured above this desk also has sawhorse type legs which I think adds a nice architectural element to the design.

Here are a few more doors made into desks from around the web:

How To Build A Desk From A Door

Door Desk With Faux Leather Top

Minimalist Desk

I have to admit my husband and I sometimes take the pricier way out by buying new furniture to get the look we want. I’ve always had a desire though, to give old items new life like taking an old door and transforming it into a desk. When we went antique shopping recently I found myself entranced by all of the old doors and windows thinking of ways you could use them around the house.

When I saw those doors I remembered an article I saved in my archives about this fantastic office makeover on a small budget.

For $1000 Donna Talley transformed her NYC office and the end product looks anything but cheap. Here she gives herself an open work space by attaching a few table legs to an old door giving it a new life as a desk.

Donna took oak veneer filing cabinets and painted them to match the room and create a long credenza.

Her budget even allowed her to completely organize the closet as well. I am impressed! Just goes to show you can make it all happen on a small budget if you are willing to do a little work yourself and shop for those bargains!

[photos by Ann Stratton for Better Homes & Gardens May 2005 issue]