Working from home has become a new normal for the last couple of years, though not by choice. With the pandemic raging outside, working at your usual workplaces was impossible. Some people realized that they preferred this way of working during this time. And it makes sense. Getting up early every morning and dealing with hectic traffic on your commute to work can get very tiring and frustrating. Many people decided to keep working this way even though the pandemic slowed. But working from home requires an appropriate working space/home office. The only issue is that many people live in small apartments that don’t have that much space. In this situation, getting creative and working with what you got is necessary. To help a little bit, we will share some tiny home office ideas and tips with you.
Pick an appropriate space
First, you must decide where you want your home office to be. We will give you some ideas later, but it’s important to share a few tips with you first. When deciding on a space, keep in mind that it needs to be somewhere where you can work and concentrate. Not somewhere with many distractions, like a living room. If you have a small apartment, that can be a little complicated. But you can always find a small corner of your bedroom or hallway to set up a little office.
Keep it clean and organized
Whatever space you choose, make sure you utilize every inch of it. That means eliminating all the unnecessary things that are taking up space. Keep your office equipment organized instead of letting it be scattered everywhere messily. Categorize and label things, so you know where everything is at any given moment. And office equipment and supplies that are not necessary or essential on a day-to-day basis should be put away. There is no reason for them to take up space if you can work without them. You can always go and get them when you need them. Your office is in your home so they won’t be far away. A tidy working area will give you an impression of a bigger, more open home office.
Find the right furniture
The issue you are dealing with is lack of space, which affects what type of office furniture you need. Planning a home office layout is not easy with limited space. You can forget those huge office desks and shelves. You need to have the right setup. When looking for appropriate furniture for a small room, you need to focus more on vertical furniture pieces. So long vertical shelves are what you need to keep an eye out for. But the best solution would be if you can find multiuse office furniture. A desk and a vertical shelf combo would make the most use of your limited space or a folding training desk that you can easily fold and store. When it comes to chairs, you should find a good ergonomic chair that will make sitting for long periods easier. But try to find one that will fit your desk and the space you have.
Go easy on the decoration
Small home offices don’t leave much space for decorating. And you shouldn’t take up your limited space with unnecessary decoration. It’s better to make that space functional instead of ornamental. In this case, less is more. Limit your decorations to one or two things: a lovely potted plant or a family picture. Also, when it comes to the color scheme of your home office, go with lighter tones. Dark colors will make your office look even smaller, while colors like white or beige make it look bigger and more appealing.
Some of the tiny home office ideas
Now we will give you some tiny home office ideas to help you and inspire you.
- Under the stairs
- Hallway
- Closet
- Bedroom
- Garage
Home office under the staircase
There’s a place you might never have thought would be an excellent place for a home office. And that’s under the stairs. That place is a perfect corner for a small home office. Of course, for someone who has a staircase in their home. It is very easy to make your office here. You will only need a table, a laptop, and a chair. The only problem you may have is a lack of light. In that case, get a slightly stronger lamp or a few of them so that you can work more comfortably. Here you will also have enough space for office supplies and equipment. You just need to put in a little effort to organize and label everything.
Set up an office in a hallway
This is one of the rare ideas when you need to make maximum use of horizontal space for a tiny home office instead of vertical. In this case, you are not limited to an ordinary office desk. You can also get a console table that will go along the length of the wall in the hallway. You will also be able to place the necessary office materials in marked containers and put them in a corner in the hallway. So they will be close to you, and you will always be able to take them when you need them. If you have a window in the hallway, it would be an ideal place to place a desk. If not, you will have to get another light source again (table lamps, wall lamps, etc.)
Tiny home office ideas – Office in the closet
When you don’t have much space in your apartment/house, sometimes you have to use one room for several needs. You can use your closet if you don’t have extra room for a home office. If you have a little bigger closet, it could be an ideal place for a tiny home office. You will just need to organize and declutter it beforehand. This idea has become so popular in the last couple of years that it even got a name: cloffice.
This advantage is that you will not have to buy new shelves to hold office materials and necessities. You can use some of the shelves and drawers you already have in your closet. This will give you greater privacy as you can always close the door while you work so you won’t be distracted. And then, when you are done, you can close the door again and separate your living and working spaces.
Bedroom home office
If you don’t have any other room where you can work without distractions, the choice falls on your bedroom. Find a small corner of the room where you can place a table and a chair. It would be best if it were next to a window so that you always have a natural light source. The office in the room has a significant advantage because it is more comfortable and you have your privacy. Just make sure that the office blends in with the rest of the bedroom and doesn’t spoil the overall look.
A garage is a good place for an office
A garage may not sound like a pleasant place to work, but it can be great with a little effort. You will need to clean thoroughly and declutter. Find a small corner and set up your office. The good thing is, here, you will not have to worry about the home office looking good and stylish. After all, it is a garage, not a living room or bedroom, where you want everything to look exemplary and seamless.
Depending on how much space you have, choose appropriately sized furniture. Since it’s a garage, you will have enough storage space for all the supplies and equipment. But you should add some details to make the working environment a little more pleasant. A couple of potted plants, flowers in a vase, pictures, maybe some scented candles. A garage is a great temporary solution until you find somewhere more pleasant and permanent to set up your office.
In conclusion
These were just some of the ideas for small home offices. But with a bit of creativity, you would surely find more suitable places for a small office in the house. It is essential to be aware of your limitations and work with what you have. No one knows your apartment/house as well as you, and you will know best which place is suitable for an office. Just remember, in this case, less is more. You should be as organized as possible and use only truly necessary things. That way, you will make the best use of the space you have.
The most important thing is to be creative when creating your tiny home office. For some places (closet, hallway, under the stairs, etc.), you might never think they can be turned into a home office, but the opposite is true. Hopefully, this article inspired you to try and get creative in your home. Good luck!