How to Create a Flexible, Minimal Home Office Setup
Productivity at its peak!
This past year has seen many people begin working from home for the first time. For some it was temporary, and for others it has become permanent. Regardless of how long you are working from home, you may have suddenly found yourself in a position of needing a space at home to work, and you may or may not have an actual office in your home to work from!
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get creative in your home and create a flexible, mobile office space without having an entire room to use as an office. Here are four simple ideas to help you get started.
Create a Corner Office
You may not have a whole room, but do you have a small corner in your home that you can turn into an office? A built-in desk is a great way to utilize a smaller space, and it can be tucked into any room in your house!
You can, of course, purchase a desk to tuck into any corner, but if you have the tools and know-how to build something simple, a built-in can feel like it takes up less space. As a bonus, if you paint your built-in desk the same color as the wall, it will blend right in and make the entire space feel bigger!
If you don’t want to create a permanent office space in your home, try grabbing a few baskets and use them to hold your work supplies. They can be stashed next to a chair, your sofa, or even your bed. When you’re ready to work, just pull out your gear wherever you are and get to it!
This setup is ideal if you’re able to work from a laptop or tablet, and it can be a really cozy way to get your work done. Just set up a plush chair in a quiet corner of the house, place a basket next to it, and you have a really flexible (and comfortable) office space in an instant!
On a similar note, you can also dedicate an easy-to-carry basket or a tote bag to your work supplies and treat that as your briefcase. When it’s time to work, just move it to your workspace for the day! Be sure to take the time to put everything you need in the basket or tote – don’t forget things like a charger, pens and paper, and anything else you might need. That way, once you’re set up for the day you don’t have to go hunting for anything else.
With this approach, you can work from the dining room table, your back patio, your bed, or even right in front of the television! When work is done for the day, you can simply tuck everything back into your basket or tote and put it away. It’s an easy way to keep things clean and avoid allowing your work supplies to take over the entire house.
If your needs for your working space require more than just a laptop and a few notebooks, the “cloffice” is a great way to create a mini office in your home! It may take some decluttering and rearranging to empty out a small closet in your home, but once you’ve got a space emptied out, you can add a small desk, shelving, and tons of storage for all of your supplies. At the end of the day, you can simply close your door and clock out!
If you don’t have an entire closet to dedicate to working, consider using just part of a larger closet. If your primary bedroom has a large closet, you can dedicate half of it to a mini office and the other half to your clothing. If you’re willing to get creative and think outside the box, you’ll be amazed at how much space you can create out of seemingly nothing!
If we’ve all learned anything over the past year or so, it’s how to adapt to big changes and be flexible. Creating an office space in your home is a really great example of how you can get creative and change things up to fit your ever-evolving needs!
Amanda Hendrix is the blogger behind Love & Renovations, a site all about how to make your house a home, even if you don't have any DIY experience. Amanda shares real life, accessible projects with all of the messes, mishaps, and fun along the way!
