Today, millions of Americans work from home at least 50% of the time, making up a growing part of the workforce. This in turn means that more people have a need for a home office. Having a home office offers a private and quiet space to work, which can be much-needed at times, but it can also become an additional communal area. You may need to get creative to turn a space into a functional office or you might have a spare room, area, or nook that will be perfect with a bit of rearranging and tidying. Here’s how to get started!
Garages are Not Just for Cars
If you don’t have a spare room for a home office, an ideal way to create the space is to take your outside-of-the-home plans and consider using the spaces for an office. For instance, 34% of Americans say they don’t even know what’s in their garage anymore, so using it as a designated office will make it an organized and productive space. It’s also perfect if part of your work involves clients visiting you as they won’t need to go into your home, helping to separate work and personal life and you can offer the space as a communal office or space when you’re not using it. Have plenty of lighting in the garage to make the space welcoming, such as ceiling spotlights and lamps, and a big bookcase along a wall to maximize space.
An Underground Office
A lot of homes have a basement that is either unused, used for storage or laundry, and has plenty of spare space that could accommodate a unique home office. Once you’re certain your basement can be transformed into a functional room, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild and create a stylish home office. Similar to a garage, basements offer a private space away from family and can accommodate work-related visitors, particularly if you’re able to add a direct entrance to and from the basement. Basements can be dark, so add lots of feature lighting and mirrors to make the space feel lighter, welcoming, and stylish. Include a bookshelf along a wall with your desk sitting in front to make the office look professional while offering lots of storage.
Multifunctional Dining Room
A multifunctional office is ideal for people who work from home but don’t have a spare room available to transform. Dining areas are usually communal when cohousing, so an office in a dining area will likely have people around who you can bounce ideas and be creative. Make your dining table double up as a desk where you can work from a laptop that is easy to put away when you need the table back for dining. If your dining room doesn’t already, get some shelves or a shelving unit that can be used to store work equipment, as well as dining crockery and glassware. This will keep the space tidy and maximize your workspace.
There’s no need to go for a conventional office look for a home office as you can add your own style to make it personal and still have a homely feel while offering a functional space to work from.