Working from home is no easy task, especially if you were thrown into it with no preparation. Some people have had the luxury of having a designated office in their home, but there are millions of people who have had to make do with their living rooms and kitchen tables. 

There are still many people that are working from home and will be doing so for the foreseeable future. Without a designated working area in your home, it is very difficult to be as productive as possible, this is especially true if you have to set up and tear down your work area every day.

So, we’ve created a list to help people set up a permanent office space in their homes:

Set Up a Home Office in a Small Space

Pick a Location

The most important part about setting up a home office is choosing the right space… Consequently, it’s often the most difficult part of setting up a home office. 

Home ≠ Office

Unless your home has its own designated room for an office, it may seem like there is no good place to work from your home. But all hope is not lost. You just need to get a little creative. 

Wishlist

When putting together a wishlist of things to have in an ideal work area you want somewhere that has low foot-traffic, is quiet, and has lots of light!

Most likely you don’t have a spot like that in your home, so, you may have to find an area that only has two out of the three options.

Get Creative

There are a lot of great nooks and crannies in a home that would be a perfect place for a home office set up. A small closet, under your staircase, mudroom/laundry room, or a large breezeway are a few great places to think about! 

Rearrange

But if you don’t have any place like that you may need to rearrange a room in your house.

My wife and I were both working from home for several months in our 1 bedroom, 640ish sqft. apartment, needless to say, we didn’t have much room to work with. But we rearranged our living room (many, many times) until we came up with a work area that was not only practical enough to get work done but was also livable enough that we didn’t drive ourselves crazy! 

I’ve found that the best place to set up your desk in a living room is behind a couch or in front of a window.

 

Choose a Desk

When choosing a desk your options can be limited by the space you’ve chosen to set up at and your budget. 

Keep it Small

You are working in a limited space. So, in order to not feel cramped (or make the room feel cramped) consider going for a small, thin desk that can easily fit into any place in your home that you’d like. 

Mobility

Mobile computer carts may be a good option for you if you need the flexibility of being able to put your desk away when you are not working.

Built-in Storage

It may be helpful to have a desk with built-in storage so that you can quickly and easily put away all of your work when you are done for the day.

Standup Desk

Give your back a break with a standup desk. Some desks are built so that you can stand while you work; you may also want to buy a bar stool so that you have the option of sitting down. There are also adjustable desks that allow you to adjust your desk for ideal sitting and standing positions. Another option is a standing desk converter, which does exactly what you think it would do.

 

Get the Right Chair For You

Choosing the right chair for your home office is very important! 

Comfort

Obviously, you want to get a chair that is comfortable; you will be sitting on it for hours on end. A good chair should have great ergonomics! If the chair doesn’t have good back support, you will spend way too long trying to get comfortable to no avail.

Style

Another thing to keep in mind when selecting a chair is its style. You want the chair to blend with the room that it is in. There are many options to choose from when it comes to what the chair could be made out of: plastic, metal, wood, leather, fabric, etc.

Buy Used

If buying a brand new chair from a store is out of your budget, I would suggest checking out local listings on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. The same holds true for desks; you could be surprised at the deals that you can get. 

 

Keep Things Organized

In order to work most effectively at home, you need to make sure you keep everything in order.

Simplicity is Key

If you don’t need to have something on your desk, don’t. If your desk is in a public place in your home, the less clutter you have at your workstation the more it blends with the room that it is in.

Everything has a Place

You want to have plenty of storage; whether it’s built into the desk, a filing cabinet, or even an inexpensive filing rack. When you are done with something for the day, put it away so that there is no way of misplacing it.

 

We hope this list has inspired you to set up a permanent workstation in your home! But if a designated room in your house is a must and you don’t have one, you can check out current listings in your area here!

Reach out to one of our experienced Real Estate Agents if you’d like help buying a house or selling your home!