Living Well At Home

How to Set Up a Home Office in a Small Space

No matter how small, any space in your home can be made into an office. Start with an empty corner, nook, closet or hallway. Then, add some thoughtful furniture into the mix, and you’ll have yourself a home office that’s both functional and stylish. When creating your own office in a small space, Twin Star Home™ has a couple of pointers.

Stick to a Single Color Scheme

Even though your home office may be small, you can use colors to make it feel bigger. Neutral tones, like white and gray (like the office pictured below), can open it up, giving the area a brighter, more inviting ambiance. It can also lend a sleek, professional look.

Where can I find the perfect small space home office collection in gray?
Using a neutral color for your small home office space, like this gray bookcase and desk with USB charging, helps make your space feel bigger.

On the other hand, darker wood finishes provide a cozy vibe that’s perfect for hunkering down for work. Ultimately, the color scheme is up to you. But whatever you select, just stick to a cohesive palette. Otherwise, your office may become visually over-stimulating and cluttered.

Choose Matching Furniture Items

In a small home office, avoid using mismatched furniture. Instead, choose pieces that come from the same collection (like the industrial pieces shown below). This will help the office flow more cohesively. Plus, the pieces are more likely to fit together better.

Where can I find an industrial style home office collection?
Matching pieces for the office, like this industrial-style bookcase and desk with USB charging, create a harmonious look in a small space.

The Ashford office furniture collection, for example, is specifically designed for this purpose. The filing cabinet, storage unit and bookcase all have flat side panels. That way, they can be pushed up against each other to save space – especially when it comes to small offices.

Select Multipurpose Pieces

Real estate is valuable in a smaller home office. Therefore, it’s important to give careful thought to your furniture selections. Every piece should contribute to your productivity in some way. In a small office, there simply isn’t enough room for unnecessary furniture.

With that in mind, look for pieces like this Ashford Storage Cabinet (OT10444-31-TPP01). You can tuck office essentials on the shelves behind the cabinet doors and use the tabletop for extra storage. If you look inside, you’ll find that the bottom shelf is also fully extendable. Something like this is perfect for a printer. When you need to print documents, you can just slide out the shelf for easy access.

When square footage is limited, look for functional space-saving solutions, like this storage cabinet, to promote multifunctional usage.

Keep Your Home Office Organized and Clutter-Free

Organization is important for any office, but even more so for small ones. Files, books and notes can quickly pile up and overtake your desk. That’s why you should plan ahead and make sure you have a good storage system in place from the start.

A great tip is to utilize as much hidden storage as possible. You don’t necessarily want all your work papers out on display. Not to mention, they don’t exactly make for good décor. If nothing else, you’ll definitely want to invest in a filing cabinet to keep everything neat and organized. This Ashford Filing Cabinet (FC10444-16-TPP01) even has built-in power outlets and USB ports to organize your power cords.

Where can I find multifunctional furniture for my small home office?
The Ashford collection features multi-functional pieces like a filing cabinet and a bookcase with removable dividers to help you organize your home office.

Another practical option is a bookcase that offers a mixture of hidden and open storage. You can use the open shelves to display books, knickknacks and plants. And you can use the drawers to stow away any unsightly office items. Take the Ashford Bookcase (BK10444-TPP01) for example. It’s particularly ideal for DIY home offices, because it features adjustable, removable dividers to customize the shelves to fit your needs, plus a storage drawer and file drawer that are fully extendable for easy access.

The more you can maximize organization, the better. Clutter can disrupt your focus and negatively affect your productivity. But with a clever office setup, you can stay on task and work from home successfully.

Get a Standing Desk

Finally, consider getting a standing desk. In a small area, it always helps to make use of vertical space. Standing desks have also been known to boost workers’ productivity and even benefit their health. With the Ashford Adjustable Height Desk (ODP10556-48D908), you have the option to sit or stand.

Will a standing desk work in my small home office?
A standing desk like the Ashford (shown above) makes your home office more productive.

All the previous suggestions apply to this standing desk, too. It comes with a large storage drawer and boasts a sleek Pure Gray finish. The minimal open-leg design can also help a small space feel larger. On top of that, it’s extremely functional. The desk’s built-in charging station and dry-erase glass are sure to come in handy throughout the day. Just add a standing mat from WellnessMats® and you’re good to go!

Create Your Dream Home Office

No matter how small your home office is, make the most of it with quality office furniture. As you start thinking about your own home setup, keep these tips in mind. Before you know it, you’ll transform an ordinary nook into a fully-functioning office space. Discover more great furniture pieces from Twin Star Home™ that can tie the whole space together. The possibilities are endless.

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