Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have started to work from home. Prior to the pandemic, many did not think that they have enough space in the home to set up a small office. A little creativity goes a long way in creating more room for the small office space in the house. This article will take a careful look at the most creative ways you can use to make a decent small home office.
Amazing Small Home Office Ideas That Will Inspire Your Productivity
1. Change Your Living Room Layout
If you want to get the best in your search for the best small home office, you will need to make a few arrangements in your living room. When you arrange the living room afresh, you create the much-needed space for the workspace. Decor experts advise that placing the sofa against the longest wall in the room and putting the desk directly in front of the window is the most functional way. When you do that, you open up a square footage in the centre of your living room space that makes the room airy and spacious.
2. Choose A Comfortable Workstation
Spending the whole day seated is not good for your health. You will need to choose a comfortable workstation that will ensure that you do not spend the whole day squatting on your desk. To achieve this, you will need to search for the best workspace ideas on Pinterest and other home office ideas' websites.
Your ultimate goal is to have a desk set up that is comfortable, modern and stylish. You will not need to use a lot of expensive wood to achieve this; as a matter of fact, you can use recycled wood and shelf brackets to turn an unused wall into a modern desk that you can use while standing and at the same time, while seated on a high chair.
3. Turn Your Closet Into A Home Office
If you lack enough space to place an office desk and you have a closet that you are not using, you can easily transform it into a small home office. You will just need to be creative with your space and choose a narrow low profile desk. Also, you will need to choose the best colours for the closet so that you transform it into an illuminating workspace.
The best colours for your workspace are bright colours like orange since it is a bright one. The most amazing thing about turning your closet into an office is the fact that when you stop using it, you will just close it and continue using it for its original purpose.
4. Using A Room Divider Curtain As Your Home Office
If you are a creative mind, you will make use of every available space in your home to get a working space. You can easily carve out a nook for your home office using curtains and achieve not just an aerated space but also a colourful one. The curtain acts as the wall when closed and separates the living room from the home office.
If you decide to stick with this method, you should be careful not to use dull colours on the curtains since they will not light your small home office properly. Your curtain colour choice should be able to light not just the work area but the living space to an extent.
5. Create A Clever Office Nook By Maximizing On Your Unused Space
If you have an unused space that can be converted into a small home office, do not be afraid to make use of it. All you need to do is customize the space to look good to you and place your desk. For the table, you might need to make a DIY shelf. This idea works pretty well for small corners in your living room or any other room. The only thing you have to do is make sure that the space is well ventilated and lit.
6. Making A Small Home Office Using A Floating Console
You can use a floating wall unit to make a small home office. To make this idea work, all you need to do is make sure that the wall unit surface is comfortable enough to be used as a working surface in terms of height and width. If it is, you can go ahead and plan for the space by placing your laptop, your paintings and books in their respective right places. You can use framed prints on the workspace since they will make the space less obstructive since they draw the eyes upwards.
7. Make A Family Home Office In The Hallway
As this article has been insisting, you must be creative when thinking and ultimately designing your small home office. This one happens to be among the best small home ideas that every homeowner can take advantage of and achieve the best-looking home office ideas. To have a functioning home office in the hallway, all you need to do is take advantage of any unused space and optimize it. Using your creativity, you will find the most appropriate spot to place your working desk and chair.
8. Using Storage Spaces To Create A Home Office
If your house is full to the brim, you will find it appropriate to use any available space for your small home office ideas. Storage spaces are, in most cases, not utilized fully and, therefore, can provide you with the much-needed space for your home office. All that you need to do is make sure that they are in a well lit and ventilated space and maximize every available space. The end result will be a comfortable home office with plenty of legroom.
- Magnetic strips - These help keep paper clips and other small metal objects that can easily be misplaced.
- Cable box- Keeping your cords organized and out of the way is a great and simple way to boost your office efficiency.
- Storage trays- Organize your files in properly labeled storage trays for easy retrieval.
- File cabinets- Invest in a file cabinet to store old files.
- Wall-mounted shelves- Maximize storage in your home office by installing wall-mounted shelves that you can use to store office supplies or for showcasing office decor.
9. Using Small Space Furniture For Your Home Office
Bulky furniture makes a tiny room feel a little bit cluttered. It is therefore advisable to make sure that you use tiny but comfortable furniture so as to avoid eating into a lot of space. The end result will be a neat place that looks classy and not cluttered at all.
10. Using Wall Mounted Furniture For Your Small Home Office Needs
Your home office will definitely take advantage of wall-mounted shelves to act as the desk space or writing table. When you use wall-mounted shelves, you are able to take full advantage of small spaces and turn them into productive home office spaces. Your wall-mounted small home office should be in a well lit and ventilated area for your optimum performance.
Factors To Consider When Looking For The Best Home Office Ideas
When looking for the best small office home ideas, it is important that you take the following considerations seriously.
a) Your Office Needs
Do you intend to work in your small home office full time or just part-time? If your plan is to be working full-time from home, it is important that you think of a lockable small home office. On the other hand, if you need just a small space for a working desk, you can set aside space in a large room within the house.
If you intend to create your home office in a shared living room space, you can look for a logical break and use furniture as your partition. By doing this, you will have accorded yourself some room for privacy which will be sending a message to the rest of the family members that there is a home office that they should consider when going about their daily activities.
b) The Ideal Location In The Room
The best small home office ideas are always situated in the right places. If your house is spacious and accords you a room to choose from, choose the quietest. On the other hand, if you do not have a particular space for your home office, make sure that the location you end up choosing has natural light and proper ventilation.
c) Budget For Your Home Office
For your small home office ideas to work, you will need to have a reasonable budget. You must know how much it will cost you to create the home office. A lot of small home office ideas fail to end up working well because they do not have reasonable budgets that are set aside. In the same breath, you will need to carefully consider the availability of the furniture choice you make and designer costs if you choose to use one.
d) Small Home Office Ideas Should Have A Layout Plan
When planning for your home office, it is important to have a workable layout. Many small home office ideas fail to succeed because no one plans for them. With a plan, you will be able to know what furniture fits in your home office and how to plan logically for the same and others.
e) The Lighting Of The Home Office
Your home office should be located in a position that gets as much natural lighting as possible. You can position night lighting to suit your particular needs as well as compliment the decor of the room. Depending on where the sun rays are coming from, you should be able to install sun ray breakers window blinds or, better still, pave window film. At all times, the position of your natural lighting should go in tandem with the interior theme you have in your home office.
Improving your productivity in the home office does not always translate to costly furniture and renovations. Sometimes, all it takes to boost productivity is more sunlight. Opening up your home office to natural light can increase productivity without you even noticing it.
Harvard Business Review states that seventy percent of surveyed employees report that their productivity has improved by up to seventy percent when working in a well-lighted environment. Adding another window to get more light in your office may be the most cost-effective solution to improve workplace productivity, even at home.
f) Plan For The Equipment In Your Home Office Space
Your home office space will, without a doubt, have equipment that you need to plan for. For your home office to be compliant with the ever-changing technological needs, you need to account for the proper electrical and data cabling needs for your equipment.
g) Your Home Office Decor Should Be An Expression Of Your Style
Your small home office should be a total representation of your decor ideas, your style and most importantly, your work ethic. If you want to be truly productive in your home office, you will need to incorporate a favourite colour that goes in sync with the surroundings as well as comfortable and stylish furniture.
h) Plan For Your Home Office’s Storage
Without proper storage, your home office will be dysfunctional. You must know where you will be keeping your files, papers and research materials. You might think of having a cabinet since it is ideal and does not occupy a lot of space.
i) Selecting The Right Furniture Combination For Your Home Office
Small home office ideas also need the best and most comfortable furniture. For your small home office to be fully functional, you must have a spacious and sturdy desk to work from. The desk should be in a position to accommodate all your equipment without occupying a lot of your space.
You should also have a comfortable chair so that when you work, you are comfortable getting the work done. Your chair should match with your height such that when you sit down, your limbs are straight, and you do not feel hunched.
The best ergonomic chairs not only provide you comfort when at work but also provide you with the proper support to avoid back strains after a long day at the office.
j) The Legal Side Of Having A Small Home Office
Before you embark on renovating for your small home office, it is important to consult your local bylaws to make sure that you are not contravening any laws. If you are a tenant, consult your tenancy agreement and see to it that it is completely legal to continue with the needed renovations.
K) Carefully selecting Your Office paint Color
A study done by the University of Texas has shown that paint colors directly affect a person’s mood and overall productivity. According to the study, women were more likely to have a poor mood when working around a bland-looking environment in beige, gray, or white colors. On the other hand, men reported feeling gloomy when working in purple and orange-themed environments.
This understanding of color psychology is essential when decorating your home office. Some colors directly affect your mood and productivity, so you have to choose your color palettes wisely. It may be best to avoid neutral tones such as gray and white, although these are the safest color choices. Here are some colors to consider when you want to boost productivity in your home office.
- Red- Has to be used sparingly and only in accents. This can induce anxiety or anger but has also been shown to be productive in physical environments such as selling to a client or talking to a client in person.
- Blue- The color blue is perceived to be soothing, and it has also been shown to improve performance with cognitive tasks.
- Yellow- This color is associated with boosting energy and creativity.
- Green- You can decorate your home office with green to create an atmosphere of calmness amidst all the tasks that you need to accomplish daily.
- Orange- The color orange sparks creativity and enthusiasm and can accent walls and floorings.
l) Using Indoor Plants To Spruce Your Office Up
Indoor plants are great at purifying the air, and they have also been shown to help boost mood and productivity. The best indoor plants are those that need minimal upkeep and watering. These are some of the plants that you might consider if you want plants to be part of your home office:
- Paddle plant- The paddle plant is a succulent that requires little watering and lots of sunlight.
- Pothos- Also known as the “devil’s ivy,” this plant is known to survive even if not watered for long periods.
- Chinese money plant- Not only does this plant require very little maintenance, but you can also replant the offshoots that sprout at the base.
- Air plant- Also known as Tillandsia, does not need soil to survive. You only have to dip the roots in water twice every ten days.
- Crown of thorns- This succulent shrub can survive without water for more than a week and still be able to grow blooms all year round.
Conclusion
Having a small home office is, without a doubt, a step in the right direction. Since the world is gradually changing and necessitating the need for people to connect more technologically, a home office is totally worth it. After getting from the office, you can still work from the home office and finish any unfinished business.
If you have a side-hustle that you do, you can still finish it at the small home office desk. Better still, if you are a full-time freelancer, your small home office will prove extremely useful in your day to day working life.
