With stay-at-home orders due to the global pandemic, people across the world are transitioning into a work-from-home lifestyle. Working from home can create its own challenges, especially if you do not have a designated area. For those of you who do not have a home office, here are some clever tips to create a home office in any room.

The Bedroom

While working from your bedroom may not be the most productive space to work…. because hello? Your bed is calling — There are a two different configurations that I would recommend if you were to create a home office in a bedroom.

Option 1: Swap out a nightstand with a desk. The desk will double a bedside table when you are ready to call it a night.

Option 2: If you do not have the room to switch out a nightstand, the second layout option would be to place a slim writing desk at the foot of your bed.

Some people prefer to work in their bedroom as it is typically tucked away from the main area of the house, which offers more quiet time. Creating a home office in a bedroom is also great if you have to create multiple work areas in a home.

The Living Room/family room

Our family rooms tends to be multi-functional as it is. Creating a home office in your living room would be the most natural choice. If you prefer a more “active” environment than working from your living room would be ideal. Here are ways to create a home office in your living room.

Option 1: For living rooms with a floating sofa furniture layout, place a writing table directly behind the sofa. This can serve the purpose as a workstation and sofa table. Make sure to include an ergonomic chair for long periods of time.

Option 2: If your living room furniture is against the walls, consider creating a work corner by purchasing a small desk.

Option 3: If you don’t have the space to squeeze in a writing desk, you could always work from the sofa. If your work requires mostly typing or laptop work, this could work for you. However, if you need more surface space to write or spread out, consider setting up a tray table or upgrading to a pop-up coffee table that goes over your lap (as shown).

A home office in the living room may be distracting or tempting to relax but this could be a great place to work if you enjoy having the television on as background noise or to oversee your kids playing.

the Dining Room

For those with formal dining rooms, creating a home office from the dining room table could be the next best thing. One end of the dining table could be set up to work from home, while the rest of the table could be used for every day dining.

The perks from working from the dining table is that it gives you a larger surface to spread out while working.

Fun Fact: I used to work from my dining table before my office was set up. I loved reading floor plans and construction documents from the dining table. To this day, I still revert to the dining table if I need a larger surface to work out a color scheme or prep for a presentation. Once I was done working, I simply stacked my paper, placed on one of the extra dining chairs, and tucked my work away.

The Kitchen

Bring a new meaning to the term “working kitchen” by creating a home office in your kitchen. Since other family members may use your kitchen, location of where you are positioned is important. You wouldn’t want something to spill on your computer or papers!

Option 1: Set up at your workstation at the Kitchen island or Kitchen peninsula. Be mindful of others. Occupy an corner so the rest of the surface could still be used for cooking without disturbing your work set-up. If possible, relocate or place unused tabletop appliances in storage to make more space.

The perk to working from a kitchen is the working at counter height. If you need to give your tush a break (yes, I said that), you can easily work at your computer from a standing position — which is better for circulation too! If you have an Apple Watch, your watch will remind you to stand after long periods of sitting.

The PlayrooM

Everyone needs a sacred space to work, including the kiddo’s!

If you have children, creating a designated area for homework or homeschooling would be ideal — as long as they don’t get distracted by the toys.

Option 1: For space saving solutions, consider a wall-mounted fold-away table, like this one which has a chalkboard.

Option 2: For a more custom-look, consider a purchasing ready-made storage cabinets from Ikea and customizing the cabinet to have a drop-down desktop. Fold up the cabinet when homework is done. Easy clean to tidy up!

I hope that you have found this post inspiring. I’d love to know which tip was your favorite. Leave a comment and share with me how you will create your own home office.

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