Name: Shalyn Nelson
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 1,600 square feet (house)
Years lived in: 3 years

"When life gives you lemons, paint them gold." That's precisely what Shalyn did to create the workspace of her dreams in a home that needed some cheering up. Shalyn, a wedding photographer based in Austin, got creative with a limited budget to create an office every bit as bright as her beaming personality.

Name: Ross Knight
Location: London, UK

Ross Knight had a small budget for a home office with an even smaller space to work with. But he somehow made it all work, even with a big desktop PC, creating his own compact shelf-turned-desk solution. We asked him how he designed and resourced his space-efficient workstation...

IKEA's Expedit is the world's most popular storage solution for home offices. But if you don't keep it tidy, looking at cluttered compartments will do nothing for your motivation and home office decor. Part gallery wall and part storage, here's a DIY project which elevates the shelving unit from dime-a-dozen warehouse furniture into a mini-museum.

What's black and white and fun all over? Your next home office re-design! The classic combo is sophisticated, luxurious, and professional, yet still can offer a welcoming personality. Plus, this contrasting clean slate lets your work and your gear—like a larger-than-life iMac screen—take center stage.

My home office is so comedically small, I can practically touch everything in the closet-conversion from a seated position. Even if your workspace isn't this compact, keeping your daily tools within arm's length can be helpful for productivity. Here's a clever design that dropped into my inbox which eliminates the condition of "piles 'o stuff" with an industrially modern finish the late Steve Jobs might have approved of...

Hay Tower Blocks Paper Notes
• $30-$45 
• A+R

Even in this age of Google Calendar and a multitude of scheduling apps, I'd argue there's nothing more effective than a well-placed (and legibly written) note on the desk to keep yourself or someone else reminded and informed. If you still love keeping handwritten notes at the desk, these neon-gradient notepad stacks (1200-2000 sheets) should look great individually or in groups creating a paper skyline on the desk while also reminding you about tomorrow's 7am phone meeting.

Name: Brandy Nelson
Location: Plumas Lake, California

In an ideal world we all live in homes or apartments with enough separate spaces for all of our daily activities. But the reality is more often than not one we have to compromise and combine uses into a single room. Brandy sent us her glowing example of shared utility, a guest room which also works as a home office and crafting space. It's impressively organized in a pretty small space...

Kate Bingaman-Burt, an illustrator and professor of graphic design based in Portland, Oregon has moved from a vibrant, character-packed workspace filled to the ceiling with color and design to a brand new shared studio. Get a taste of her new space with this quick tour.

A den, attic, or even a closet can be turned over and transformed into a brand new workspace with the right pieces. But building out a two-fer — keeping the room functional for its original purpose and adding in a second office zone — well, that's tougher. We've seen it done with bedrooms and kitchens, but never in one of these three spaces.