5 Design Tips to Make the Most of Your Small Home Office
Working from home became the norm in 2020. While some people are going back to work at the office full time, many of us are planning to keep working from home or adopt a flexible work schedule of flipping between work and home as needed.
Whether you’re a full time remote worker or just working from home 1-2 days a week, you’ll need to get a home office set up to stay focused at home.
Even if you live in a small apartment or don’t have much extra space for a home office, You can still create an inspiring workspace!
In this post, we’re sharing our top 5 small home office ideas to make the most of your workspace!
1. Create an Office Nook
In the digital age, you don’t need a lot of space to create an effective home office. It’s also just not practical for many of us to have space for entire-room offices in our homes.
Even if you’re planning on making the switch to full-time remote working, don’t stress over having a lot of space. Instead of creating a home office room, create an office nook!
An office nook can be any type of small space in your home that’s dedicated to work and houses all of your work materials. As little as 2-3 ft of space can house your office.
If you can, try to look for spaces in your home that are currently unused and are in distraction free locations.
Office nook ideas:
Spare room closet (aka Cloffice): Clear out your clutter and create a cozy closet workspace.
Multipurpose room: If you have a multipurpose room or family room in your home, consider using a portion of this space for working.
Unused corner of your bedroom: Your bedroom mostly gets used at night, so why not use that space to work from during the day?
Dining room: If you’re really short on space, work from your dining room table! Simple add some office storage so you can stash everything away when the workday is over and you’re good to go.
2. Keep It Simple
Simplicity is key when working in a small home office because with limited space you just don’t have room for everything you might have in a traditional office.
There’s no need to invest in trending furniture or supplies that sound awesome but that you don’t really need. Instead, I recommend going for a minimalist approach.
Spend a week or so observing what items you use every day. You probably use a lot less than you think! After you have a list of the things you use every day, declutter your unused items. You can simply store away items like notebooks and extra pins for later use.
I also recommend taking a minimalist approach when it comes to designing and decorating your small home office. A busy design can feel chaotic and distracting in a small space. Try using just a few design elements, limiting your use of materials, and adding just one focal point if you want a pop of color or pattern.
We created our own minimalist desk called Desk A (pictured above) to help keep your home office clutter free.
3. Get Organized
Clutter in a small space can feel exceptionally overwhelming. When you have a small home office, you’ve got to keep it organized so things are easy to find and you always have a tidy surface to work from.
Ways to Stay Organized:
Get file storage: You probably need more than you think. Invest in a small file cabinet or file folders to keep your papers organized and your workspace clutter-free.
Give everything a home: It’s so much easier to keep your space organized if everything has a place to be put away at the end of the day.
Organize your gadgets: All of our small technology items like phones and earbuds not only take up space on our desk, but they can also be very distracting. Stay focused by giving your gadgets a home with our office organizers and charging docks.
4. Make Use of Vertical Space
When you don’t have a lot of horizontal space to work with, go vertical to add more storage space to your home office. Even 1 shelf can make all the difference between a cluttered desk and a clear one.
Vertical Storage Ideas:
Closed cabinets: Closed storage is best for messy workers who need space to hide their clutter.
Open shelves: Open shelves give your office a modern look and allow you to display fun items like plants and your favorite books.
Pegboard: Make your shelves a design element by using a pegboard like this one to display your office supplies.
Memo board: This is the perfect way to keep your to-do lists, memos, and inspiration images within arms reach but off of your limited workspace.
5. Use a Standing Desk Converter
We love standing desks! They can help reduce back and neck stiffness while improving focus and overall workday wellness.
Many standing desks are quite bulky and you may not have room for them in your small home or apartment. Instead of a traditional standing desk, try a standing desk converter to transform any existing desk or table into a standing desk.
We make 2 standing desk converters in our California shop that are perfect for small home offices. Both are made from durable wood, can be assembled in seconds, and fold flat for easy storage.
Alto is Our smallest stand designed for working on your laptop. This is a great option if your space is very limited or you move around to different workspaces throughout your home.
Alto X is designed to give you more space for additional screens and workspace. If you have a little more space available in your home office, we recommend this desk to convert your existing desk or built-in into a standing desk.
We hope this post inspires you to create an inspiring home office no matter how small it is! To find more inspiration, check out our other blog posts, our entire line of desks, and our home office accessories.