From paying bills to writing notes to doing taxes, there's no denying life's paperwork piles up, relegated to utilitarian filing cabinets, cardboard boxes-or just stuffed into drawers. Our senior design editor, Nicola Marc, developed these easy wrapping paper projects, and with her ideas you can tame a harried home office nook with your own perĀsonal panache.
File it away
Magazine filing boxes do multiple duty for forms, receipts and more. Nicola added a twist by wrapping them in muted Italian papers to complement the style of the room, then she turned them round and suspended identifying tags on pretty ribbons. As a finishing touch, she papered the lampshade and framed an exquisite piece of wrapping paper adorned with a map of Italy to pull the look through into the room's decor. Console, Grange; lamp, filing boxes, Ikea; sconce, Moutarde; glass, Arthur Quentin; ribbon, Masterstroke.