Home Office Location
Ideally, your home office should be a dedicated room as this allows you to have full control over the environment and no distractions from other people in the house sharing the space.
Location, Location, Location
A dedicated room isn’t always possible, so here are some ideas for office spaces, there might be some that you haven’t considered:
- Dedicated room
- Shared room
- Wardrobe
- Space under the stairs
- Loft conversion
- Shed
- Garage
Dedicated Room
This is the ideal scenario – have the heating, lighting, desk, chair and all items just how you want them, then put a sign on the door to remind people to keep out 😉
Repurpose the Guest Room
A guest room that is rarely used for friends and family, primarily used as a storeroom for ‘things’ can easily be repurposed into an ‘office-first’ environment, whilst still being welcoming to guests.
Replace the bed that takes up lots of space with a fold-away bed like these from Strachan, London Wallbed Company, Wallbed and Wallbedking, a folding bed or an inflatable bed. Also, remove the bedside table and bedside lamp and replace them with items that can serve a dual purpose – for business needs and the occasional sleep over.
Under-stairs Office
The area under the stairs can be a quirky but usable space. If you have a storage area there now, it can easily be converted. Companies like Sharps can create custom-designed under-stairs solutions for you.
This article from Homedoo gives lots of practical ideas to turn the space under the stairs into a practical home office. Space-saving, innovative solutions include lighting strips in the ceiling and drawers under each of the stairs.
Using bold colours will make this area stand out as a featured space.
An office in a wardrobe
This is the Narnia of offices – open the wardrobe doors to reveal a home office!
With good cable management, just the essentials on the desk and the accessories on shelving above or nearby, you can have a usable space.
You might want to have your mouse and keyboard on a pull-out drawer, underneath the desk.
Don’t dismiss the hallway
A wide hallway might be able to accommodate a working area.
This slim cupboard from Furniture@Work opens up as a desk, providing a dedicated workspace. Large items such as printers and scanners can be stored in another room (and accessed via WiFi).
You can find office space anywhere
It might be that you don’t have access to a dedicated room, you’ll have to use a shared area such as a living room or kitchen. This isn’t ideal, but you can make it work.
A shelving divider or curtain can help divide a room.
Convert your loft, garage or shed
If you spend a lot of time working from home and haven’t got a room in your house that you can dedicate as an office, you might want to consider converting your loft, garage or shed. These can provide dedicated areas that are cosy, quiet and free of distraction.
Although an expensive option, it could be the right one if you intend to work from home on a long-term basis.
You need the space to be structurally suitable, insulated for warmth and noise, have power and ideally some natural light.
An office conversion doesn’t need to take up the whole office – if it has enough height, you can add a level. A loft conversion doesn’t need to be the whole loft – it could be an office and a bedroom or storage area.
A home office in a shed could be a small shed, but it could also be a purpose built garden office.
The investment is likely to make your home/working life more comfortable and it is likely to add value to your home for when you come to sell it.
Inspiration
For more inspiration on home office setups, look on:
Summary
Your home office setup will be dependant on a number of factors, such as how much time you plan on spending working from home, your home layout and your budget. If you don't have a large space, you can usually find innovative ways to share the space you have, or take on a larger project and build/convert a space.
I hope this page has given you some suggestions so you can create and enjoy a personal space where you can be comfortable, focused and productive!