5 Home Office Ideas for Small Spaces
Updated: Oct. 13, 2023
The right furniture can make your small home office feel functional without taking up valuable living space. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
If you live in a small space, it can feel impossible to carve out a home office. But that’s exactly what you need to do if you’re working from home. We’ve rounded up several ideas for furniture that will give you the office space you need while making the most out of the space available to you. And they won’t mean sacrificing the rest of your home for the sake of working there.
Find the Right Shelves
More people than ever are working from home, making home offices a necessity. One key piece of a small home office is useful shelving. The kind you need depends on the size of your office, your personal style and whether you’re allowed to mount anything on the walls.
You can DIY box shelves, hang floating shelves, or get a standing unit to organize your office supplies. Consider how they’d fit around your desk or, if possible, on your wall. And keep in mind what tools you need for work and how to store them when not in use.
Get Creative with Surfaces in a Small Home Office
Having a small space means being creative with your available surfaces. It’s hard to get any work done when your desk is too cluttered.
Consider what other furniture you need, and what decor you’d like. Then see if any of it can hold some of your necessities. Maybe you could place extra paper for your printer or some of your notepads on top of your file cabinet.
This is also a good time to consider what supplies you actually need day-to-day. Do you absolutely have to have 15 pens at the ready? And if so, can you store them all in one cup?
Furniture That Does Double Duty
Double-duty furniture that can “collapse” in on itself when not in use is an excellent idea for small home offices. Consider what kind of space you have and what else you want to do there.
Some shelving units convert into tables. Some standing desks let you adjust the height to your needs. If you’re considering fitness for the space as well, some treadmills fit under desks.
Room Dividers
A room divider can screen off anything you don’t want on camera during video meetings, then collapse when you’re not working. To others at home, it can also act as a visual sign that you’re busy. It’s a great way to cordon off an office space if you can’t dedicate an entire room to your work.
Pegboard or Wall Grid Storage
Walls aren’t only for shelving; they can be great for storage space in your home too. There are all kinds of wall organizers out there. Mount small bins and items on these to keep your space free of clutter. You can even add some small decor to make it feel more like your space.
