Cheap Home Office Guest Room as a YouTube Mom

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As a mom of two small kids, finding a quiet and secluded space to work from home can be a challenge.

That’s why my husband and I decided to convert our guest bedroom into a home office.

Not only does this give me a designated workspace, but it also serves as the perfect filming setup for my YouTube channel.

In this blog, I’ll share how we transformed our home office guest room and how it’s helped me balance work and family life.

This post is all about my home office guest room.

It’s funny when I look back at my past jobs.

For some reason, I was [usually] considered “essential personnel.”

I’m not sure why the retail and car rental industries consider themselves the same level as hospitals, but no matter the weather, I was still forced to work.

Fast forward as we wrap up another week in quarantine, how many of you have been working from home?

And honestly, how’s it been so far?

Pre-apocalypse, my skin would crawl and every tiny hair on my body would stand on end when hearing:

‘Oh you do YouTube? That must be easy. I wish I could work from home!’

Now if you were nodding your head while reading the last quote, I won’t hold it against you.

If you rolled your eyes while nodding, well — judge on.

So — how does it feel to work from home and pants are no longer mandatory?

Regardless, we can all agree that every job on Planet Earth has its pluses and minuses.

Let’s take today, for example.

Today was meant to be my “off day” because, after three bruises and an aching spine, this mom needed a break.

Amongst the constant laughter, screaming, squeals, tantrums, and elephant-like breakdances, I quickly reminded myself: MOMS DON’T GET A DAY OFF.

If you want to be REAL real, I’m editing this blog post [while rocking my crying five-year-old] which was scheduled to be uploaded Monday from three weeks ago.

Despite our circumstances, we’ve all been spending more time at home.

Trust me, having worked from home for nearly three years, I know your cozy bed [or even the dining room table] doesn’t exactly exude productivity as you may have expected.

And let’s not add: the refrigerator, kids, and/or Netflix as the everlasting distractions that were once limited to after “normal business hours.”

It all began with a cube, literally.

I thought I would share my home office, or workspace, to hopefully inspire you to get creative and make the best of this beloved global pandemic.

Currently, I’m about 80% finished with my youtube setup, and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram since we built our home, the guest room sat vacant for six months until I added a console table and my filming chair.

Still visionless, I polled my Instagram stories for advice, searched Pinterest, rewatched filming room tours on YouTube…and nothing.

Like you may have guessed (or questioned), my filming room still serves as the guest room — and occasional upstairs office for my husband, who conveniently calls this home more than I do.

Since we downsized from a five-bedroom home, I did not want to sacrifice space when friends and family visit (more on that later).

At Ikea, my husband saw EKET Shelving dimensional cube units in an entertainment room setup.

Without hesitation, we purchased what we could find in the warehouse, and I put hubby to work.

Suddenly the room was coming to life.

Making my home office guest room “mom-friendly.”

Originally, I didn’t want a desk in my office because I wanted it to be a seating area.

I was going for a zen reading room vibe.

That didn’t pan out, so I decided to repurpose my Alex drawers (they were starting to collect dust in my closet anyway).

I sold my Linnmon tabletop when we moved, so we repurchased another 59×29 ½.

Because my desk would be in the middle of the room (unlike the last youtube setup with the desk against the wall), I added double sided tape to avoid the tabletop from moving.

From being a YouTube mom of one, I knew I wanted to avoid as many “legs” as possible.

It gives me such anxiety having camera stands and cords easily accessible for jump rope, “how low can you go,” and overall tripping hazards.

A year ago, I finally purchased the Diva Stellar ring light [to condense my two box lights], but I decided to mount it this time.

I removed the legs and had my husband drill the mount to my tabletop.

Mariah (our one-year-old daughter) loved moving my camera stand around, but it’s out of her way (major mom win).

From there, the decoration was seamless. I added my favorite books on the shelf and in the cubes above.

I finally became a plant parent (rest in peace to Bamboo plant #1).

Oh — and the canvas portrait on the wall was a gift (although I do need to practice more self-love).

Basically, their custom artwork memorializes the now and then you as a reminder always to take moments to celebrate yourself, wherever life takes you.

And I couldn’t have picked a better motto for 2020.

About the guest room…

Now to explain the home office guest room conversion…

It’s easier than you think.

Initially, I wanted (and honestly still do) a Murphy bed to serve as my background staple piece.

If you’re foggy on the item, the Murphy bed is the hideaway bed that (in my case) would act similar to my console table when not in use.

This would be perfect for my space because we don’t have to accommodate a year-round bed that is only used a few times a year (or daily if the girls jump on it).

Because we had just purchased and designed a new home, I tried to save money and opted for a console table.

When we finally purchase the Murphy bed, the console table will move downstairs into our family room beneath our front windows (already measured to ensure it fits).

When family comes to visit, my desk will return back to three separate pieces and can easily be moved into the closet.

If you’re wondering about the double-sided tape, my girls have already managed to loosen it.

It’s still safe and sturdy enough to be mom approved, but it can still be moved out of sight, out of mind.

The final piece in my YouTube setup is my editing desk.

I’m honestly not sure what purpose the builders designed this for because it’s actually quite thin to host a PC or iMac.

At any rate, the close proximity is fine because I’m usually up close and personal with my iMac anyway.

As this desk is in the walkway to the guest room, I strive to keep the desk itself minimal.

I aim to mount the iMac beneath my degree and make it “command central,” similar to the surveillance wall in The Purge.

My chair was a random find at Homegoods, and everything sitting on my desk moved with us from our last two homes.

It started from the bottom…

Overall, I am so grateful to have an immovable space to film finally.

I began my YouTube channel with just the webcam on the original Macbook Pro.

I “upgraded” to an old Sony and a makeshift desk with many college desk lamps.

After upgrading yet again to filming in a closet, it’s nice to finally have my own dedicated space that I don’t have to set up every time I film constantly.

This post is all about my home office guest room.

I hope that sharing my experience of converting our guest bedroom into a home office has been helpful to those of you who are struggling to find a quiet and productive workspace at home.

Whether you’re a parent or not, having a designated area to work can make a huge difference in your productivity and overall well-being.

If you liked anything I shared in this post, please share it with a friend, colleague, or loved one who might find it useful, insightful, or inspirational.

Or, if you took away a few nuggets, pin the image above as a keepsake to make it an easy reference.

Remember, creating a comfortable and functional workspace is key to maximizing your time at home.

Thanks for reading!

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