Working from home has many benefits. You can be more flexible with your time, take care of your family, organize your schedule the way it suits you the best and so on. But, you still need to show good performance and maintain your productivity, which can be challenging if you don’t have a proper home office space.
But what to do if you just don’t have any extra free space in your home? Where to fit your home office in this case? You might be surprised, but even a really small area can be perfectly utilized for your own little work spot.
Find Your Corner
Obviously, the biggest issue with great office space is finding the right spot for it, especially when you know you won’t have much space to work with. For starters, you probably don’t really need much room anyway, especially if you work at your computer/desk.
A corner in the living room, bedroom and maybe even a bit longer hallway can serve the purpose quite nicely. If you have stairs, go Harry Potter style and see whether you can utilize the space under the stairs. An interesting trick is using your walk-in closet as an amazing home office if you have the option to transfer your clothes to a regular wardrobe. Go through your home and analyse every bit of it carefully, and don’t forget to visualize potential areas as your home office before making the final decision.
Adjust Your Furniture
Since you’re dealing with limited space here, you can’t really go all out on your office furniture, can you? And that doesn’t have to be an issue. If you’re ready to invest in your home office space, you can always get customized furniture pieces that will fit your vision and space perfectly.
On the other hand, do your research and get yourself a smaller, more compact desk. Practical open shelving may also come in handy but if you don’t have room for proper storage, use the space under the desk for storing the essentials. Match the chair to the desk and you should be all set. Of course, you can always look into innovative design; your desk can be attached to the wall and fold up as necessary if that seems more effective.
Play with Different Textures
Textures can make a huge difference for any space but most importantly, this trick can introduce balance into otherwise rather mismatched setup. For instance, a fire duct system keeps your home safe and has to be installed to prevent huge damage in case of fire, but it can look mismatched in a kitchen where everything is made of wood.
But if you introduce tablecloths, curtains as well as different materials such as stone, granite and maybe even different types of metal, the look will be a lot more balanced and harmonious. In the same vein, tech and desk won’t look good in some corner on their own, especially if it’s obvious that these items don’t belong there. Use wallpaper, rugs, cushions, plants and décor (as much as the space allows it) to achieve a more uniformed look.
Let the Light In
When you have a really small home office space to work with, it’s crucial that you allow as much natural light as possible to get in. Natural light is very beneficial for one’s health and mood, and it also makes any space visually bigger.
Obviously, make sure that you use artificial lighting to the fullest as well. In most cases, you can make use of task lighting, especially when you place your office in areas such as hallways, walk-in closet or under the stairs. These days you can even find self-adhesive LED lamps and strips to make this chore easier.
Get Rid of Clutter
Clutter can put a lot of mental pressure on you even if you may not be aware of it. That said, do your best to declutter your home and not just your home office. But considering the small size of your office space, the best way to make it great is to really focus on no-clutter policy.
In that respect, utilize the vertical space and space under the desk as much as possible. Don’t go overboard with décor; it’s important to add a personal touch but in case of small office do your best to keep things minimal. Most importantly, manage your cables and cords.
Just because you don’t have plenty of space at your disposal doesn’t mean that you can’t create a great office. It might take a bit more effort, but your workstation can be functional and stylish even if it’s fitted into one square meter as long as you utilize the layout, furniture design and vertical space to the fullest. This is also a great opportunity to put your creativity to work.