7 Practical Small Home Office Ideas Perfect for Any Home

Now more than ever working from home has become a requirement for countless individuals all over the world. As a result, home office designs have really taken off. 

However, many of us don’t have the luxury of a full home office, but you’ll find it surprising how easy it is to set one up without four walls as well. Home office ideas can be complicated and fancy but they definitely don’t need to be. When there’s not much room to work with, you should prioritize functionality over grandeur. Regardless of how limited your space may be, there’s always a way you can create something that’s nifty and stylish. Here are only a few small office solutions you can try out.

1. Living Room Corner Office

The Perfect Small Desk Solution for a Living Room Corner

Even the most cramped studio apartment can offer enough room for a small home office. It doesn’t need to be anything special. A little corner or nook for you to place all your work or study materials on is all you need. Being set up in a corner will also give you the impression that you’re in your own room and help concentrate.

You might not need any extra furniture besides a small corner desk either. Add a living room chair and a good table lamp and you’re good to go. It is important, however, to use a chair that’s comfortable to sit in. Most living rooms have standard wooden dining chairs which are fine for a short period of time, but if you’re expecting to work longer, then consider using a more comfortable one.

You could also make a DIY office desk inside one of your living room cabinets or drawers to save on space. Your makeshift desk may require some remodeling, so getting a professional carpenter could really help you out.

2. Bedroom Workspace

Bedroom Desk Solutions for Any Amount of Space

If you’re having trouble finding a working space in the common rooms of your house, there are some great small office ideas that you can try out in your bedroom as well. 

Setting up your office in the bedroom might require you to rearrange some furniture because, especially in the bedroom, it’s a good idea to have the desk receive a lot of light from a window. It’s also best to face the window, because if your bed is your line of sight it may cause you to get sleepy as you’re working. In case there is not enough room to put a standard-sized desk, makeshift small desks for bedroom setups can also serve you very well. For instance, a modest Trestle table can fit in pretty much any room.

However, there is a small downside to bedroom offices for certain people. The bedroom can be a little too cozy and cause you to get tired faster. If you’re the kind of person who is liable to doze off in a cozy setting and the bedroom is your only option, consider adding partitioners or painting the office portion of your bedroom a different color.

3. Divide and Conquer in the Garage

With a little cleanup and decluttering, you can turn your garage into the perfect spot to relax. Organize it more efficiently and you may even be able to fit a little office in there too.

It may seem impossible at first, with how messy it can get in there, but with a few additions, you’ll be able to see how much potential your garage has. Try putting a few big partitioners around the space for a small study desk, and you have yourself a home office setup in your own garage.

One of your biggest challenges would be to keep the workspace clean, as garages are very dusty. All it takes to fix this, though, are some tall room dividers and a few curtains. Put them up and try to make the area as air-tight as you can. If you’ve recently remodeled your garage and it is not too exposed to the elements, then it may be easier to create and maintain a tidy space without too many separators. Since your garage doesn’t need to match the interior design of the rest of your home, there's no risk of clashing styles. You can have your room divider serve as a pleasant visual distraction as well with color, patterns, or textures.

4. Make the Most of Your Basement Office

Basement Office Design for the Win

Much like the garage, a basement can also be a great place for your WFH setup. In fact, it might even be more convenient to set up a small office here — basements are usually easier to access than a garage and often already have heating, electricity, and ventilation installed.

The hardest part about making an office in your basement is reorganizing it. Boxes and old furniture will have to be moved around. Unless your basement is in dire need of maintenance, you should have enough room for a spacious office. Make sure to have ample lighting and choose lighter colors in designing your basement office. Hiring a licensed contractor to fix up your basement or a professional decluttering service to help clear the space could be investments worth the while considering the awesome workspace you can achieve.

Basements tend to be a little drab at first, but regular ventilation and cleaning will turn them into a very functional workspace. It will also be easier to disconnect from your domestic life from the basement. 

5. The Attic Office

Accomodating Your Attic for A Small Home Office

You can either see this as a desperate attempt at creating a space for yourself in your home or as one of the trendiest remodel conversions in 2021 nationwide. Natural lighting and seclusion make this a number one pick. Even smaller attics can have just enough room for a great work-from-home setup. Most attics are used for storage, but if yours is more spacious or doesn’t have as much clutter, you can turn it into a quiet study. 

An attic used solely for storage and collecting dust is simply wasted potential. Why not use that potential to make a more ergonomic work environment for yourself? Small office design ideas for attics are plenty. You can have a wall-mounted desk along the entire length of the room, perfect for more than one user at a time. You can have a plush armchair to take a break without having to go downstairs. And the best tip for attics, although perhaps the largest investment, is to install a skylight if you don’t already have one.

If you’re already considering repurposing your attic, make sure to get a tiler to inspect or fix up the roof before setting up your study there, unless you want your work drenched in rainwater. Also, remember to get all the right permits before installing any additions to your attic.

6. Step Into My Closet

Solutions for Small Office Spaces

It is always easier to get creative and make the best of what you have than t recommend making use of what you have. In the case of smaller homes that don't have any room to spare, you can even consider making an office for yourself inside a closet.

You can get really creative with the space when turning a closet into an office. It’s all about making more with less. Since you have less horizontal room to work with, use the verticality of the walls. For example, if you normally organize your things in the workplace along the width of your desk, try putting everything on a vertical plane above it instead by installing plank shelving. If you need more complex adjustments done to your closet, have a carpenter come by and work your desk into the wall like a puzzle piece. 

A closet office is not going to be spacious, however, it will be very practical. You may feel a little claustrophobic at first, but with the right furniture choices, you can find that a closet office can be quite cozy instead. Small spaces like closets are also a breeze to decorate. Even if the office clashes with the rest of your home’s interior, you can just shut the closet door and keep it hidden when you have guests over.

7. Use the Stairs

Using the Stairs Is Not Only Good for Exercise

If you don’t mind the regular clunks of people going up and down the stairs, you could use the space under the staircase as a little office. The space may seem to limit at first, but once you start setting up, you’ll see how adorable it can be as a small office design.

The layout under there is actually perfect, as the back of the stairs can act as shelves for you to place your books and files on. A few extra additions, like a whiteboard for reminders and a plant to freshen the air, could really help you make the most of this added space. You’ll be amazed at how much bigger that tiny corner of your home can get once it becomes functional..

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