The Home Office in the Corner: For Those Who Don’t Have an Entire Room to Spare

We work 24/7. But once you step into your house, it’s hard to open the laptop on that comfy bed of yours. The cosy sofa is an equally uninviting option to prepare for the big Monday morning meeting. What you need is a home office.

So you open Pinterest and longingly gaze at photos of stunning home offices. The views! The rugs! The wall art! The super-organized storage!

But where is the space in your house? You don’t have an entire room to spare.

Enter – the Corner (Home) Office!

With a little innovation and some planning, you can convert any corner of your house into a beautiful workstation. Whether you want to use it daily or in the after-office hours, the place needs to be inviting, functional and comfortable. There are some easy ways to turn a small corner in your house into a beautiful home office –

#1 Analyse and Assess

You have to start with a little bit of groundwork. Look around the house and see where you can set the office up. You have to look for a corner that has electric sockets and plug points and is relatively cutter-free. If you find a place that is quite cluttered and you feel you can clean it up for the set-up, zero-in on it. Explore the usual areas like a rarely-used bedroom or the unusual areas such as under the stairs. Also keep your space requirements in mind. You may be able to set up your office with just a desk and chair or you may need a larger space with a cabinet. This will depend on the nature of your work, so you need to be careful in the assessment.

#2 The Office with a View

Photo courtesy: Lamuslenis

Make use of a large glass window that you may have in any room. Set up your home office in front of it. Not only will you benefit from the natural light, you will also have a beautiful view to enjoy. You can also utilise the window pane and store your work equipment there. If the pane is large enough, you can even use it as a desk and then you will just need a chair to set your home office up. Just ensure the place is suitable to work in and can provide the peace and quiet you need to meet your deadlines.

#3 Maximisation of Space

Photo courtesy: Domino

If you have some space under a large staircase, look to transform it into a home office. Don’t get scared about the cramped space, because with some smart interior designing, you can make it work. Remember how Harry Potter had an entire room under the stairs? Build a low desk and consider some floor seating options, in true Japanese style! If you can make it work, you will get a lot of privacy and can work long hours without disturbing the other family members.

#4 Murphy Desk

Photo courtesy: Urban Outfitters

Even if space is a real constraint and you cannot find a spare corner in the house, do not give up on your dreams of having your own cute little home office. You can install a Murphy desk on any of the walls of the house. You can even have it attached to a closet. Murphy desks are completely foldable and literally disappear into the wall when folded. It doesn’t take up any floor space. You can keep it folded away and simply pull it down at night when there is less activity in the house. This is the ideal solution to have a home office in a small house.

#5 Get the Equipment

Even with less space, you will need some basic equipment to set your home office up. Depending on how much space you have, get a desk, a chair, a lamp, a few shelves (ideally), and a waste bin. Keep it as minimalistic as possible, but give it a formal look. This will make it look like an office and motivate you to work. You can play around with the ideas. For instance, if you are thinking about a Murphy desk, you could get a hanging ceiling lamp installed just above the desk. As you pull out the desk, you can also pull down the light and get your work done. You could also look for furniture that has a double function. An ottoman with a storage compartment can work as a bedroom accessory during the day and you can use it as an office chair when you pull out the desk from the wall.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need an entire room or even a big corner of a spare bedroom to set up a home office. Having a large space is always good, but even in its absence, you can have your own little cosy workstation at home. Be a little creative and look for space utilisation. We hope the tips mentioned here will help you set up your little space and you can work comfortably out of your home office.

Featured Image courtesy: House of Patterns