Neat Features

I’m a sucker for simple upgrades.

Maybe it’s because I’ve got so much going on in my life. Maybe it’s because I hate it when things cost so much. Maybe it’s because I like the simple solution. But for whatever reason, I love a quick, simple, upgrade.

That’s why I love this great tip from apartment therapy on upgrading filing cabinets.

Now there’s no question your traditional, run-of-the-mill filing cabinet is an eye sore. No one really likes “industrial gray” to grace their home office. Fortunately with a little bit of spray paint, an artistic eye, and a dose of elbow grease, you can have something that works and looks great.

Image from Leah Moss at Apartment Therapy

We usually spend our time on Neat Features talking about homes and the neat features that can be found just about anywhere.  But I came across an article talking about office neat features.   Once upon a time office spaces were inspired by manufacturing.  You crammed as many employees into a “cubicle farm” as you could.  These days, many companies are experimenting with something else.  Inspired by Silicon Valley companies such as Google (or if you’re local to Cincinnati, Dunnhumby), organizations are starting to look at office space differently.

The focus is on the unique, creative-inspiring, worker-focused spaces.

Now I’ll admit, some of these spaces are totally wild.  They don’t look anything like a “traditional” office.  These may not be for everyone and there’s nothing wrong with sitting in a cubicle.  But I do have to admit, they have a certain appeal for me.  One of my favorite examples is from Bahnhof (a European internet service provider).  Their whole data center is built in a way that reminds you of a movie set.  They even have a room called the “moon room” which has a distinct Area-51 feel to it.

Maybe it’s because I always wanted to work on a top secret government project.  Or maybe it’s because I saw one too many late-night science fiction movies, but I love the feel of this office space.

Would it make me more productive?  Good question.  But there’s no doubt it’s a neat feature!  For more shots of this great company, check out their YouTube video (warning: it’s not in English)

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

Today’s Neat Features post seems to come just in the nick of time for me.  Just last week I came across two large boxes of 3.5 floppy discs.  (Because back in my day when we were walking up hill both ways to school, we took our homework on floppy discs, and we liked it that way!)  Since I found those floppy discs, I’ve been wondering what I should do with them.  Sure I can’t use them anymore.  I’m not even sure I have a working floppy drive.  But it still seems like a shame to throw them away (yes I realize they are useless).

Fortunately some clever people over at Instructables may have solved my problem.  They’ve created a tutorial on how to reuse old floppies and turn them into pencil holders.

One of the things we talk about here on Neat Features is that Neat Features can be very complex or very simple.  It’s not the size or expense that matters.  It’s whether something has personality and attitude.  Does it make you want to live there.  Those are the three characteristics that make up a neat feature.

And you don’t get much smaller than floppy discs.

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it. Image courtesy Liefehacker Tip Testers photo pool by user vokabre

A while back we showed you a room with a pretty elaborate jungle paint job. Perfect for the 7 and under crowd. But what about older kids. (Or the older kid inside all of us?) I don’t know about you, but as cool as the jungle was, I’m not sure I really want to go with the “Welcome to the Jungle” feel.

Well here’s an office that was painted in argyle.

Neat Features don’t have to be expensive, they don’t have to be complex, and you don’t always need an engineering degree to lay them out. Sometimes you just need some paint and tape.

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.

I like to work.  In fact, I work a lot.  Sometimes it’s work I get paid for, sometimes it’s work I just enjoy doing for a hobby, and other times it’s work I do on a volunteer basis.  The bottom line is, I always have something going on.  And I like it that way.

But being so busy has its own challenges.  Especially when I head home.  Where do I work?  How do I keep things organized?  How do I keep track of what I am supposed to be doing?  Sure it can be nice to have a home office.  But if you’re there, you know there are distractions – TV, cleaning, and the like.  Plus if you have kids, you can’t always guarantee they are going to stay out of your office.  Do you really want your 5 year old to “improve” your newest report for work with Dora the Explorer stickers?

Because of all this, I’ve been thinking about having a separate room or office.  What got me started on this was seeing a shed on a house that was wired for electricity.  I figured a little bit of renovation and I’d have a perfect place to work.  So since then I’ve been looking for better solutions.  Which led me to this house with it’s small studio / room / office / shed.  (OK, so I don’t really know what to call it.)  But something like this would give me all the benefits of working from home (convenience, relaxed atmosphere, ability to concentrate) with a lot less of the “at home distractions.”

That’s what I would use this space for, how about you?

Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.