Working from home has become widespread primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred at the beginning of 2020. Before the pandemic, few people thought that they have enough area in the home to create a small office. This means that a small doze of imagination helps to create a substantially larger area for the small office in the house. It is about to examine why and how most of the creative ideas you can apply to make a decent small home office you may found all over the available outlets.
Amazing Small Home Office Ideas That Will Inspire Your Productivity
1. Change Your Living Room Layout
In your search for the best small home office you want to get the best so you’ll have to make the following arrangement in your living room; When you are able to rearrange the living room all over again, it is where the room for the workspace is made. Furnishing gurus say that positioning the sofa at the longest side of the room while putting the desk opposite the window is optimal. When you do that you increase the living space by making a rectangle with the square footage cut out in the middle of the living room area and this gives the living room an airy and large looking appearance.
2. Choose A Comfortable Workstation
Spending the whole day seated is not healthy for you and your body. You are going to have to find a good position for your desk, to avoid spending most of your time squatting at work. To this end, you will need to use the search in Pinterest and other websites offering home office ideas.
Ideally, you want to achieve a comfortable modern work desk, on which you will be able to focused on work instead of having to worry about proper ergonomics. You will not have to use so much of obviously costly timber in the process and you’ll see, you can pick up used lumber and shelf supports and transform an empty, wasted wall into a chic standing and especially height adjustable desk that you can comfortably type and work on standing and the same as when sitting on a tall chair.
3. Turn Your Closet Into A Home Office
If you do not have enough space to place an office desk and you have an empty closet that you can, they can easily be converted into home office space. As for the desk you will not require a very large piece of furniture, but you should select a narrow low profile desk. For instance, you will need to decide how the colors can help in the selection of the best one so that you have to turn the closet into a positively glowing workplace.
The best colors for your workspace are bright colors like orange since it is a bright one. The best thing about converting your closet into an office is that when you are done for the day you just shut the door and use the closet as closet again.
4. Using A Room Divider Curtain As Your Home Office
If you are a creative mind, you will use every space in your home to get some working space as am trying to show here. It is very plausible to get a small corner to install your working-from-home office station with curtains while attaining both an aerated and a brightly colored space. When closed the curtain behaves as the wall and effectively divides the living room and the home office.
However, if you choose to continue using this kind of method, you have to be more careful with the kind of colors to be used in curtains since the lights will not effectively illuminate small home office if dull colors are used. Your curtain color selection ought to be able to illuminate not only the work area but also the living area to some extent.
5. Create A Clever Office Nook By Maximizing On Your Unused Space
If you have an area that can be turned into a small office then do not look back because you will need it. The only requirement is to make it look good to you and put your desk there of course. As for the table you may require a DIY shelf to complete the look you desire. This idea works pretty well for small corners in your living room, or any other room. The only thing which we have to aggravate is to take proper attention for ventilation and proper light of the space.
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 it takes is to ensure that the wall unit surface is at an appropriate height and width to be used also as a working surface. If it is, then you proceed with envisioning the space as you fit your laptop, your paintings and your books right where they belong. You can use framed prints on the workspace since they will make the space less obstructive because they lead the eye upward.
7. Make A Family Home Office In The Hallway
As this article has been insisting, you must be creative when designing the small home office, and most importantly the thinking process. This one happens to be among the best small home ideas which every homeowner can use in order to get the best looking home office ideas. As much as having a proper home office in the hallway, it is only required organizing an empty space and using it as an office. With your creativity we shall be able to locate the most suitable area to put the working desk and chair.
8. Using Storage Spaces To Create A Home Office
Your every available space will be sufficient while your house is full to the brim and so for your small home office ideas. Storage spaces are, as a rule, only partly filled and, therefore, can offer you the necessary space for the organization of a home office. The only requirement was to ensure that they are adequately lit an well ventilated and that you utilize every space to the maximum. The final outcome it will be possible to obtain a home office with a sufficient amount of space beneath the table for the feet.
- Magnetic strips - Magnets - These assist in the keeping of paper clips and other items shaped of metal that are usually lost with ease.
- Cable box- The best and simplest way to tidy up your office and avoid tangled or protruding cables would be to increase your office’s productivity.
- Storage trays- It is recommended that you should store your files in different storage trays that are labeled to ease on sorting.
- File cabinets – invest in a file cabinet so that you can store past files.
- Wall-mounted shelves- Besides acting as an enhancement feature in the home office design, wall-mounted shelves are very efficient in space usage when you apply wall mounted shelves to it and use it to store office related items such as books, files among others or office decoration items.
9. Using Small Space Furniture For Your Home Office
Bulky furniture doesn’t fit into a small space well, it takes up a little too much space. It is thus important that one sees to it that little, yet comfy pieces of furniture are used to ensure that they do not take a lot of space. The end result will be a clean looking home that has class and elegance and does not at all appear cluttered.
10. Using Wall Mounted Furniture For Your Small Home Office Needs
Your home office will certainly incorporate wall-mounted shelves as the working desk or the writing table. If you install wall-shelves in your home, you will tap on all the corners, and give your home office productive angles. Ideally, your wall-mounted small home office should be in well lit and well ventilated area to make you be at your best.
Factors To Consider When Looking For The Best Home Office Ideas
As you search for the best small office home ideas you should consider the following factors.
a) Your Office Needs
Are you planning to use your small home office for work full time or part time? In case your plan is to be working full time at home, it is advisable that you consider a small home office that can be locked. On the other hand if you require only a small corner for a working desk then space can be provided in a big room of the house.
If you plan the home office in a common living room area, one can go searching for a logical separation spot, and utilize furniture as a divider. This way, you will have given yourself some level of privacy which will be informing other members of the house that there is a home office they too should deal with as they go through their day.
b) The Ideal Location In The Room
The best small home office ideas are always situated in the right places. If you own a large house and have a room of your own, select one that is least bothered by outside noise. On the other hand, if location of your home office is not specific then it is the most important tip that your workplace should be having proper natural light and ventilation.
c) Budget For Your Home Office
The small home office ideas require you to have a reasonable budget with the following; You need to find out how much you may have to spend to put up the home office. Many small home office designs never turn out to be efficient outcomes since they are not allocated realistic budgets. At the same time you will have to be very much specific on the accessibility of the furniture of your choice and if you intend to hire a designer.
d) Small Home Office Ideas Should Have A Layout Plan
As much as possible, when planning for your home office, you must have a good and proper working layout. Most small home office ideas lack a winning strategy for they don’t have anyone to plan for them. The work at hand is therefore a plan since with it, 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
Another important area of your home office is that it should be placed in a location that has a maximum exposure to natural light. It is also flexible whether you need to focus the night lighting on certain area or what part of the room design. You must be able to place sun ray breakers window blinds or, better still, you should pave window film depending on which direction the sun rays are coming from. At all times, the position of your natural lighting should be in harmony with the interior theme which is set in your home office.
There is no need to compromise your wallet to introduce organizational changes to boost productivity within your new home office. Once in a while, people only require some extra light to increase their levels of productivity. Admitting natural light into your home office is likely to improve productivity without your realizing it.
According to Harvard Business Review, seventy percent of employees said that their performance increased up to seventy percent if their workplace if well lit up. A change of curtain, bringing another window is one of the simplest techniques you may employ in the office environment to get adequate amount of light, and this you can do even at home may be one of the cheapest way of enhancing productivity on the workplace.
f) Plan For The Equipment In Your Home Office Space
Your home office space will, without a doubt, have equipment that you need to cater for. To ensure that your home office is equipped with the needful changes that is facilitated by the present day technological advance, you have to make provision for electrical and data requirement facet for your tools.
g) Your Home Office Decor Should Be An Expression Of Your Style
Ideal home office space should be total reflection of your decor ideas, your personality most of all your work ethic. If one desires to work efficiently at home then he or she will have to blend a favorite color with the neighborhood and quality and aesthetic home office furniture.
h) Plan For Your Home Office’s Storage
If not stored properly then the home office will be nonproductive. You should also be aware where, you will be storing your file, papers and other research documents. You may consider getting a cabinet because it is good and does not take much space.
i) Selecting The Right Furniture Combination For Your Home Office
Small home office ideas also require the best and most comfortable furniture as well. In future, for any small home office to complete its operations, one must have a large and strong desk to work at. It should be placed in such a way that it will be able to store all your gadgets yet it should not take a lot of your space.
You should also have a comfortable chair so I can comfortably do the work every time I am working. Your chair should be proportional with your height in a way that when you sit on it all your limbs fall straight and you are not cramped.
Good ergonomic chairs should help you be comfortable when at work and give you the extra support so that you are not straining your back when getting off work.
j) The Legal Side Of Having A Small Home Office
One of the most important steps to consider before starting the renovation for a small home office is to check the local by laws since renovating may be against the law. For any tenant, it is recommended to read the tenancy agreement carefully and ensured that is legal to proceed with the required renovation.
K) Carefully selecting Your Office paint Color
Research carried out at the University of Texas revealed that different paint colours have an impact on a human being and his or her productivity. Thus, an experimental study showed that women reported more negative affect when surrounded by beige, gray or white that is used for decorating working environment. In contrast, men claimed to feel sad when working in purple and orange contexts, or conditions.
That is why, knowing the color psychology is crucial when it comes to decorating the home office. Some colors in turn have an impact on mood and productivity or lack of it thus it’s wise to be very selective with the colors to settle with. It would be advisable to keep clear of some shades like grey and white even though they are the safest colours. Below are recommended colors that you should use when you want to raise productivity in the house office.
- Red- can only be used sparing and only in accents. This can create the anxiety or anger, but has also been shown to be effective in physically oriented tasks such as selling to a client, or speaking to a client face to face.
- Blue- as the color is believed to have calming effect and was also proved to have positive impact on the efficiency with the cognitive tests.
- Yellow- This color is known to increase energy production and creativity.
- Green- To the extent of your home office, one can use green wall decorations and the like to make you feel relaxed and focused on the day’s activities no matter how busy they will be.
- Orange-This color creates creativity and enthusiasm on task and can highlight walls and floorings.
l) Using Indoor Plants To Spruce Your Office Up
Indoor plants are effective in removing indoor pollutants and also promote healthier moods and level of performance. Indoor plants which should be considered include plants that do not require regular watering and are easy to maintain. These are some of the plants that you might consider if you want plants to be part of your home office:
- Paddle plant- it is a type of succulent which needs to be watered less, but put under sunlight most of the time.
- Pothos- Commonly referred to as the devil’s ivy, this particular plant can exist as a plant until it is watered after weeks or even months.
- Chinese money plant- Not only does this little expensive plant need almost no attention, so you have to trim it occasionally but the plants produce offshoots at the base which can be re-planted.
- Air plant- They are referred to as Tillandsia and they can grow without soil. The activity of the tea is said to be enhanced by merely rinsing the roots in water two times every ten days.
- Crown of thorns- This succulent shrub is capable of growing flowers all the year round even when it has not been watered for more than a week; crown of thorns.
Conclusion
Having a small home office is, without a doubt, a step in the right direction. Because the world is slowly transforming and people are expected to communicate more technologically, a home office is definitely worth it. When you get from the office, what is outstanding work can be done from the home office while others can be done from the home office.
If you have a side hustle that you do, you can still complete it at the small home office desk. Still better, if you are a full time freelancer your small home office will be really helpful in your real working environment.
