Back to School season is here! As the local area is starting virtual learning today, I’m sending all the prayers up for a successful and blessed school year. While this virtual environment is not the most ideal learning environment for our babies, they’re gonna be alright and we’re gonna be alright!

Prior to the pandemic, the loft in my home was my work from home bunker. Now, that I’m sharing that space with the kids during the work day, I made some changes to ensure it’s a functional space for them to learn, me to work, as well as for us to lounge when it’s break time. Both of the kids have headphones for their computers, so that will help with us all working in one room. They need me nearby, just like they would have their teacher in a classroom, so the main goal was a space where we can all thrive together, without distracting each other.

I’m not one to go out and spend a bunch of money for the sake of spending money, so I maximized as much existing stuff already at home as I could, and reserved purchases for essentials items and school supplies. So here’s the rundown of our new learn and lounge loft, and I hope some of these simple ideas are helpful to you if you’re still working on your virtual learning space. I’ll also share some other things we want to add that we didn’t get around to yet.

Sectional Couch with Area Rug and Accent Pillows

We’ve had this sectional for awhile. It used to be downstairs on our main level, but when we added hardwood to our loft a year or two ago we moved it upstairs. Sectionals are great for families of 4 or more giving ample room for everyone to sit back and relax. As we take breaks from learning this is the perfect place for us to lounge. We even have movie nights here, where we end up falling asleep on the couch.

Multi-functional coffee table

I’m super excited about our new coffee table! It has space for my books on the bottom, storage room inside for magazines, school supplies and more, and the best part — the top can elevate to the perfect height to make working on the laptop a breeze. Total Win!

Ladder Desk

I’ve been wanting a ladder desk for awhile and finally found one in stock and for a good price, and paired it with a blue chair to match our rug and accent pillows. This will primarily be the desk for my son, so I added his writing utensils and a few motivational things like his cookbook, Because of Them We Can Lanyard and friendly reminder from President Obama and Pete Souza to dream big dreams! He loves his new workspace, and I’ll be switching out the message board with new sayings for him.

Reading Nook with Game Chest

Reading and fun are everyday essentials, so I created this little corner with that in mind. I simply put a collection of books in a basket for the kids to grab and read at their leisure. I added a small family pillow I was gifted and a throw, so they can get comfy on the ottoman to relax and read. Then, inside the ottoman lies the fun — games, puzzles and more to enjoy during break time.

Traditional Desk

I’ve had this brown desk for a while, which is where I primarily work. I love how all the natural light can shine in when all the blinds are open. My desk will however probably end up being Cassidy’s learning space during the day, and I’ll take the coffee table or my lap desk and work on my laptop. I’ll switch back to my desk when they’re finished with their school day. That’s the beauty of this space — it’s functional and allows us to move around.

Art and Supply Storage

We also moved the kids easel into the loft, so they can paint when they’re ready to be creative. For their school supplies, we put some in the coffee table and the others on top of and in the drawers and shelves of our media console, which is right below our TV. We also have a dry erase board from one of Cameron’s Because of Them We Can boxes, to highlight the goals of each day. Again, with this, I just maximized what we already had so I didn’t have to break the bank.

What’s Next

The next thing I want to add in this space is wall art. I honestly need wall art all over the house, but one room at a time. I’m thinking a mix of black girl magic and black boy joy art, family photos, and some abstract pieces. I also want to add some valances. for the top of the window in lieu of curtains, because I still want all that natural light to shine in. Lastly, I’ll be getting a new floor lamp for the corner by our tv, which will be good for the evening when we’re lounging.

How do you guys think I did with the space? What are some things you’ve done with your virtual spaces? Let me know in the comments. Again, I’m praying for an amazing school year for our children, educators and all of us parents. We gon’ be alright!

Have a glowing day!

Xo,

Shalyce