Home-Office Storage That Brings Comfort And Order

SOME OF US have never committed to properly outfitting a home office, pressing into service random hand-me-downs and college leftovers. But if, as seems likely, the future of toil includes some form of working from home, the need to store suffocating piles of work-related ephemera more elegantly can’t be ignored. Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, an architect and interior designer in Rio de Janeiro, finds that clients prioritize calm in their home workspaces. So we found cabinets with soothing good looks, most of which can tuck under your desk and replace the anarchy of folders and envelopes stashed there.

A Plum Job

Originally designed in 1994, Kartell’s Italian-made rollable storage features drawers of recycled plastic for eco-conscious home-office workers. Its painted-metal hardware and frame limn a chic, monochromatic silhouette, while three new colours help you escape the grayscale doldrums of standard-issue office furniture: pale blue, pale green and this rich, jammy plum. “Orange, red and other warm colours will bring comfort,” Ms. Vasconcellos said. Kartell Matte Mobil 3 Drawer Storage with Wheels, about $829, Kartell.com

A Sturdy Supporter

The boxy utility of Room & Board’s file cabinet is offset by its earthy hue and on-trend matte-lacquer finish. “This is an elegant colour. I think it would be beautiful in a room with a lot of wood,” Ms. Vasconcellos said of the Copenhagen File Cabinet in sage. The case, made of medium-density fiberboards (MDF), can be furnished with casters or a steel base. Jenon Bailie, director of merchandise and design at Room & Board, said, “My daughter just got one that she uses at college as file storage and as a nightstand.” $972, RoomAndBoard.com

A Natural Selection

Ms. Vasconcellos’s favourite of the bunch, this Indonesia-constructed file cabinet, with its oak veneer and grasscloth-fronted drawers, brings nature back into the home, an aesthetic move desired by many of her clients today. Sebastian Brauer, vice president of product design and development at Crate & Barrel, praises the “casual, laid-back look” of the cabinet. At 30 inches tall, it might not fit under a desk, but its finer proportion lets it easily double as a living-room side table. Granger Small Natural Oak File Cabinet, $694, CrateAndBarrel.com

Oaky Add-On

Ms. Vasconcellos advises pulling colours and textures from other rooms into the home office; if wood textures your home, this 90-pound, oak cabinet fits that bill. Exposed end-grain on the edges of drawer-fronts and at the top’s joinery adds a rugged Scandinavian flavour, as do the cut-out pulls. Soft-close drawers, a bonus for those who seek calm in the midst of family chaos, ensure that the cabinet is thoroughly of its time. Tygan Filing Cabinet, $1788, LuluAndGeorgia.com

Primary-Colour Cubby

The director of merchandising at MoMA, Emmanuel Plat wanted the museum’s store to offer an organizer that could “integrate really easily into people’s spaces, something that didn’t come across too office-y,” he said. With elementary-school ease, the powder-coated-steel components—azure body, clear-white drawer faces and RYB handles—brighten any decor, all while stowing your pesky desk-top detritus. Bonus: Each drawer’s pull coordinates with its interior, a win for colour-coding fiends. Poppin Stow 3-Drawer File Cabinet, $415, Store.Moma.org

Reprinted by permission of The Wall Street Journal, Copyright 2021 Dow Jones & Company. Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Original date of publication: Feb 25, 2022.