How to… create a home office in a small space..

If you’re taking advantage of the increased appetite for hybrid working – part working from home and part in the office – or are even working fully remote, establishing a designated work zone is not only good for your posture, but good for your mental health, too.

If you have a room in your home you have been able to fully convert to a home office, hurrah! If not, let’s talk about how to set up a formal work zone in your home that means you’re not balancing your laptop on your knees on the sofa, or taking over the kitchen table.

One of the great things about working in an office is that at the end of the day, you walk away and leave your emails and to-do list behind, and if you don’t, you should. This clean break between work and life is the start of gaining a healthy work-life balance. The risk of working from home is that it’s just too easy to get your emails before bed, or when you’re supposed to be engaging with your family. And what happens when you see an email that you know is going to create extra work, or from an upset client? Weekend. Ruined. 

Creating a distinct home office space in your home, which you can shut down at the end of your working day, is healthy as well as aesthetically pleasing – and we all know beautiful spaces boost our endorphins, too!

Here’s our quick guide to setting up a home office in a small space.

1. Find your space

You don’t need a large space, it really is only wide enough for a desk. And it doesn’t even need to be in a room otherwise unused, if you have a nook alongside a living room fireplace, or an unused gap in the corner of the kitchen (NOT the table, again…) it’s perfectly possible to set up a work zone here. Alternatively, consider re-arranging a spare bedroom, or even the landing. What about under the stairs? We had one client who emptied the old walk-in pantry in her home to create the neatest little home office you ever saw. Another set hers up in a fitted wardrobe, getting a desk custom-made to fit inside, with shelves above – at the end of the day, she simply slid the door shut. 

2. Define your space

Whether you are taking up a fireplace alcove, a corner in a spare room, or a slice of the kitchen, defining the area as a workspace helps both aesthetically and for your mind-set. You can paint, or panel, the space directly behind the desk, and to each side of the desk if you’re using a nook, to differentiate it from the rest of the room. Choose a complimentary shade that’s darker than the rest of the room. In a room with a neutral scheme, go three shades darker – from white to biscuit, for example. Alternatively, go with a statement colour block – an inky blue or sage green.

Wood panelling is also a neat way to define your workspace. Naturewall do a fabulous range of wooden slats designed specifically for adding interest and definition, or pop to your local DIY store and check out their range of wooden flooring. Build a frame, attach the slats and boom! Or call in an expert…

3. Choose your desk

Having chosen your space, you now need to choose a desk that fits neatly into it. There are many, many desks on the market. You could lose days on Wayfair alone. This means you’re sure to find one that fits in your designated space, and delivers aesthetically as well. If you’re setting up in a spare room, you might prefer to invest in an office-style desk. If you’re taking over a corner of a living room or kitchen, be careful to choose something that doesn’t look like a desk when it doesn’t have an open laptop on it. And be sure to get one with drawers. You need a place to tuck away your laptop, keyboard, mouse and any other work gubbins you have. Remember – it’s easier to take a break from work when you can’t see it. We love this one by Ruma.

4. Choose your chair

Ideally, you should select a proper office chair that rises and lowers and has an adjustable back. Check with your workplace to see if they supply homeworkers. If not, a good chair is worth the investment. Yes, they’re not very pretty sitting in the corner of the kitchen or living room, but when you close your laptop, you can also drape a throw across the chair to hide it’s worst. 

5. Look up

While we rarely have much space to go sideways, looking up – to the big empty vertical space at the back of your desk – can create storage solutions. Add floating shelves and treat yourself to some pretty storage boxes to fit – again, office stuff is for hiding! We have fallen for these floating shelves by Funky Chunky Furniture, but you can find floating shelves in your local DIY store or, of course, Ikea.

6. Shed some light

A vital desk accessory is a desk lamp. If you’re setting up shop in your living room, you should consider lamps that don’t look like desk lamps, but are tall enough to shed light across your keyboard when the nights draw in.  Then at the end of your day, when you pack everything away, the lamp will cast a warm ambience into the room. Phillips Hue bulbs, which you can operate through Bluetooth, are very handy as they can be set to cool white – the ideal light temperature for working as it boosts brain activity – and warm white, a soothing tone for your down-time.

7. Office plants

We have talked before about the power of plants in the office. Many plants act as air purifiers, really important if you’re staring at a screen all day surrounded by tech. If you have put up some shelves, choose some easy-care plants that will drape themselves down, such as Neon pothos or String of Hearts. These have the extra benefit of being officially hard to kill plants, along with uprights such as the Chinese Money plant and the Never Never plant. Yep, these are real plants! Air purifying beauties include the Peace Lily and the Snake plant, both of which sit easily on a shelf or your desk, and require not much more than watering. Indeed, the snake plant can easily be left while you head off on holiday, so forgiving is it.

Setting up a proper home work zone will pay dividends for your health and your work life balance. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but you should definitely pay attention to the aesthetics, and get that little dopamine rush and smug smile every time you see it.

Eddie – Friday 16th February 2024. (Image used from Ruma).