The different color scheme for the walls versus alcove helps to make the alcove feel a bit more special — and bright. Whereas before, the window in the alcove was always blocked with a shelf piled ...

taking up minimal square footage on your desk. It also comes in hues like blush and dark gray. Just like the decorators and designers we spoke to about dorm-room chairs, Mellen suggests storage ...

and you can get it in either a dark walnut or light maple finish. So you got all this desk stuff, and the wood desk shelf is what helps tie everything together. The largest version, seen here, has ...

Lumber can be pricey, and ordinary wooden shipping pallets are a wonderfully inexpensive (sometimes free) source of wood for ...