A determined woman with a tape measure is a formidable thing. Just ask my husband, resident nay-sayer, beloved doubting Thomas, who said it couldn’t be done. Meaning re-purpose our unique ‘closet with two windows’ into an office, from which I now sit writing this blog.

When the house was built, the first Mrs. R. had insisted there wasn’t enough closet space (she was right), so a section of the shower/dressing area in the master bedroom had been made instead into a closet, complete with wide shelves to store bedding and hanging rod for clothes. The room is at the back corner of the house, which happens to have two tall windows, screened and with an extra insulating pane of glass for climate control. When I moved in, I continued using the room as a closet but always kept the windows clear so there was light when I was in there, and because I never could stand to cover up a window. Windows are supposed to be open or if closed to be looked out of.

Last weekend the closet was empty, a fresh coat of lovely Alabaster-tint paint drying on the walls. As I raised the windows I wondered how long it had been since either of them had been opened. Such a shame – one side looked out into trees, the sound of the neighbor’s waterfall feature in the background. The other looked out over my porch swing and into the woods where my beloved birds make their homes. A pity that we never got to enjoy this spot.

In an instant the thought came to me, a revelation, almost divine. I didn’t have to continue using this room as a closet; I could use it as my office! I’d been planning to sell the old, huge desk we’d inherited from work during a move which was way too big for the room it was in. I had already found a home for the futon in that room, working now on a better sleeping arrangement for guests. Why not re-purpose both rooms? The ‘closet’ was about the size of most cubicles in an office but the windows made it seem bigger. The fact that the former closet had no power, no cable to the wall for internet, no room for a desk with pull out file drawers, and limited room for desktop accessories? No problem. My mind began to race faster than a Formula 1 car. For now I could run a 25’ extension cord from the plug on the bedroom side of the wall under the corner of the door, up and over the office door and down to the desk side of the room. Switch out the HDMI cable from the large screen monitor to the laptop and voila, no need for the wireless dock any more. The router could stay in the other room, at the opposite corner of the house, plenty of range for my gear in the new office. Add a power strip and I’d be in business.

I ran to get the tape measure I keep hidden away for myself so that it’s always in its place when I need it. I measured across the floor, up the wall, between door jam and corner edge, growing more excited the more I stretched out that retractable metal edge. This would work, I KNEW it. All I had to do was find the perfect size desk. And of course it had to be beautiful, and affordable, and available this weekend because I was Ready. Anyone who knows me knows I buy and sell furniture on Craigslist, refusing to buy new unless absolutely necessary, choosing instead to participate in the best online, ongoing garage sale ever.

Found it. Three trips to consignment stores, one look at a c-list seller’s desk and 28 hours later I found it. The Perfect Desk: gorgeous wood, small drawers, light enough for me to lift by myself if I had to. And the dimensions couldn’t have been a better fit. Amy and I struck a deal, she helped me load it in the back of my husband’s truck and 20 minutes later my new desk and I were home.

The desk, as I had known, was a perfect fit. Placed in front of the back window with the waterfall sound to its left, it looked like it had been made to go in this space. Across the wall was exactly enough space for the old cedar chest in which I keep my writing things, a small wooden stand with the printer atop and shredder beneath, and just enough space between the chest and the wall for a small wastebasket. Still gathering new desk accessories that will be the best fit for the space, but I love it. It’s beautiful. Perfect. A meant to be. Big smile on my face.

My husband couldn’t believe it. He stood in the doorway, surveying the setup, so amazed he didn’t think to ask how I got the desk up the stairs and into place. (He did, however, think to ask how much I paid for it.) I’ve still got space for a tall narrow shelf piece also, which I now need. And I’ll find it. Just watch me. I’ve already triple measured….