Are you wondering how to fit a home office in your small space? You can’t afford to get rid of your guest room to integrate a functional zone? Are you frustrated with the lack of structure in your important documents? You need a functional, harmonious and uncluttered home workspace!
Choose a site
Your first and most important decision is choosing the location of your home office.
Most of my clients in home design are convinced they have no room whatsoever for a home office, or if they do, they have trouble adapting a corner, or alcove into a functional work environment. They have difficulty visualizing and planning the area, and basically require some help setting it up. Here are a few ideas and their benefits…
A home office in the guest room
Or in a student’s room
The advantages
- Great privacy
- Access to natural light
- Electrical outlets already in place
- Ideal for office with a computer
- Many storage possibilities
A home office in the attic or basement
The advantages
- Great privacy
- Access to natural light and a great view if in the attic
- Electrical outlets already in place
A home office in the kitchen
Les avantages
- Best suited for household management work
- Comfortable with good lighting
- Near food preparation area and accessible to other family members
- Infrastructures already in place
A home office under the stairs
The advantages
- Optimizes unused space
- Excellent when storage needs are minimal
- Requires a bit more renovation and design work for demolition, finishing, lighting, custom integrated storage and Internet and electrical connections
A home office in the living or family room
The advantages
- Suitable if you’re able to create a work corner away from other activities
- Possibility of integrating open shelving that allows light to filter through
- Simple to organize
- Electrical outlets already in place
Customized storage
To optimize every available space, you can have customized storage added, like in this office.
In a spare closet…
Les avantages
- May be a candidate area if you do not require a large space
- Work surface and storage can be cleverly incorporated
- Can be easily hidden away behind a closed door when not in use
After you’ve pretty well decided the most logical place to set up your work space, the next step in home office design is to start putting your plans on paper. You may consider consulting a trained professional for the development of personalized filing or storage systems that will be easy to maintain. They should also be connected to ergonomically-minded specialists with the skills to recommend products tailored to your unique needs, taking into account your budget, and space limitations.
I rarely come across clients who are completely satisfied with their home work space. Hopefully some of these ideas will trigger your own brainstorming session and motivate you into action. One thing is for sure, you will certainly feel better when everything you need is accessible and functional, whether it be for your professional, administrative or family budget needs, everyone likes to feel structure in this zone, but it also has to be easy on the eyes, it is HOME, after all!
You would like to adopt some of these ideas in your own space but you don’t know where to start?
Contact us to transform your home or office according to your style, your budget and your specific needs. By discussing your project we can provide you with relevant information concerning our services, the process and our design fee.
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