A Home Office Makeover

After: Clever Office Solutions

1. A storage wonder wall. Untapped vertical space is maximized with adjustable shelving. Easy-to-grab matching boxes bring uniformity to once messy paper piles.

To buy: Customized Elfa freestanding study, $1,213 (as shown), containerstore.com. Canvas media boxes, $10 each, bedbathandbeyond.com.

2. Dual workstations. Yalan shares the desk with her oldest, Tabatha, or gives it over to two of the kids when they need it. Tabatha uses the upper-right-hand shelves to keep valuables safe from the little ones. (“They used to draw on my journals,” she says.) Bright, open office chairs add color without crowding the tiny room.

To buy: Wrap office chairs, $199 each, westelm.com. Nyfors work lamps, $50 each, ikea.com for stores. White magazine/file holders, $20 each, crateandbarrel.com.

3. A tough but pretty rug. The office is steps from the Connells’ front door. A wipe-clean indoor-outdoor rug can handle traffic and helps rolling chairs stay put; the lively pattern adds energy to the space. Under the desk, pullout mesh baskets act as a divider, delineating workstations and staving off sisterly discord.

To buy: Diamond Sprout/White rug, $134, dashandalbert.com. Three-tier mesh rack (part of Elfa set, details above), containerstore.com. Uno paper bin, $48, velocityartanddesign.com.