Thanks to COVID-19, I found myself needing to work from home full time. Among the many problems this created, the biggest was the fact that I had absolutely no spot to keep my work private and to take virtual meetings without my kids sounding like tornadoes behind me. We had already moved our kids into the same room so we could turn one bedroom into my husband’s office, since he, too, was working from home full time. Out of desperation, I joked to my husband about clearing out a closet and sticking me in there for my own office space. But joking quickly turned to reality when we realized—that’s not a bad idea!
If you’re like me and need an office to work from home but are limited on space, I’ll show you what we did, and I’ve rounded up a few other ideas others have successfully used for their tiny offices!
My closet office:
Ikea was our lifesaver! We measured the space we had to work with, then found a desk that fit perfectly. We found a little side table that could hold my printer, a stool to lift a floor lamp a littler higher, and shelves to mount on the closet wall. We used an extension cord to provide power to my electronics and bam! A working office space. Bonus points for being able to roll my chair to the side and close the closet doors, making it looks like there’s nothing different about the room at all!
Here’s another example of a closet office:
Adding a touch of wallpaper or color to the back wall of the closet is a fun, and cheap, way to make your closet feel more like a real, intended office space. Also, check out their use of the floating table! This helps take away the cluttered and bulky feeling of a desk with legs.
Office under the stairs:
You know that awkward space under your stairs that’s filled to the brim with junk? Clear it out and turn that into an office space!
This example from HGTV is even better, since their under stairs space is open to the room around it!
Hallway office:
Add a shelf and attach a light strip under it to give you extra light when needed! An L shaped desk also allows a few drawers for storage.
Whether you need a work office space, or a spot for your kids to focus on their homework/virtual learning, there’s potential in your home to squeeze in what you need. With a little bit of creativity and some compromises on what you wish you could’ve had, you’ll find success in creating a good office for yourself, no matter the space limit.