Living in a small space can present a number of problems. A larger problem (especially for those of us that work from home) is finding a way to squeeze an office into your small space. With a few tips and tricks, you'll find that it's not so hard after all!
&bull A great way to have a home office in a small space is to convert your closet to an office. We know that storage space is extremely coveted in the world of small living, but, the fact that there wouldn't be a large desk taking up much needed space gives plenty of other room for storage. Keeping an office in a closet is also a great way to keep it hidden when guests are over!
&bull A super small desk is a great way to squeeze in an office. As you can see in Chris' Furniture Tetris Small Cool entry &mdash he chose a small desk that easily fits into his 450 square foot home.
&bull Along the same lines as the previous option is a Hideaway Desk. There are so many compartments that would allow for a ton of storage. When you're not using your computer you can just tuck it away in a drawer and then close the door. The desk won't look like just a desk.
&bull If you don't have a closet to turn into an office, it's super easy to turn a shelving unit into a desk. These are great because they are fully customizable &mdash you can position your desk high or low, the full length of the wall, or just a half desk. There's also ample room for shelving above the desk!
&bull Kitchens are the perfect place to incorporate an office into your small space. This Hi-Top Home Office matches the cabinets in the kitchen and blends right in.
(Images: As linked above)
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As you say in describing number 1, I can't imagine giving up closet space for an office--as much as I love these charming hideaways! I just think most of the clutter you end up having to stuff into your closet tends to be much uglier and much harder to store than any office clutter.
Still, I love the look.
It's definitely inexpensive if you know exactly what you are doing (vision). I am using the little storage closet space next to my bed as an office area. I bought a $20 basic desk from Ikea, and some decorative boxes and an antiquey looking table lamp from Goodwill. Luckily, there are 2 building shelves where I can display those decorative boxes. Total didn't cost me more than $50. Small space allows me to keep things neat and clean.
I am lusting the blue shade from the 3rd picture though.
I agree, Jenny B. I don't think I've ever lived a place small enough to be desk-awkward, but with spare closet space.
My favorite thing about my apartment is that there is no desk or office type area. Just sayin'...
I love the closet work space idea! Sadly we wouldn't be able to sacrifice any of the few closets we do have to implement it... One way I recently came up with to save space in my "craft office":
I used an ikea CD tower (which was otherwise taking up room in our office without much purpose anymore) to expand my accessible storage capacity by laying the tower sideways on top of a vintage table. I currently have the excess length covered by a tall mirror but since I tested this system out (& who needs CD towers anymore? Yay for downloadable package-free music!) ) & it's really working for me I'm going to saw the extra length off in the near future. See third picture from the bottom:
http://craftscafe.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/new-crafts-space/
I can store items in every nook binders & magazines & books on the top. The best part - didn't spend a penny on it!
My home office is a small IKEA table set between two of the Billy bookcases in the room we have dubbed "the library". (There are more than two Billy's, totally...)
On the left is a 36" wide brown-black Billy, with extension, to the ceiling. On the right is a 12" wide Billy, also to the ceiling. In between is a small IKEA table (I forget the product name) in the same color that holds my Mac, a tiny halogen desk lamp, and a two-drawer stationery box from Home Goods that contains desk supplies. Over the desk I have a salon style art display featuring paintings and things I have collected. Underneath the "desk" is my printer sitting on a box open towaard the wall that hides the power supply and otehr messy electrical stuff. Since the smaller Billy is right at the archway to the room, it gives the whole setup a built-in feeling.
Some of the desk-height shelves either side have office supplies, the rest hold more books. Works well for me!
These all look great. The only thing that gets me is...have you ever tried to work on a computer while sitting at a stool? It is impossible and wreaks havoc on your back, neck and arms. The chair needs arm rests at the very least, if you are spending any time there. None of these chairs look particularly ergonomic or even remotely comfortable.
My current apartment has a walk-in closet in the living room. This closet also has a small window in it. I thought it would be such a waste of a window just to use the space as a closet. Since at the time I was about to start grad school, I thought it would be an ideal place for a tiny study. I put my desk in there, a comfy reading chair, a tiny table to hold my coffee while reading, artwork on the walls, a cute lamp, books on the already installed overhead shelves, took the bi-fold doors off and hung curtains instead of the doors and found a stool to use for a desk chair and to step onto when getting books off the shelves. People comment on that tiny room more than anything else in my place. I like being able to go in there and study but also be able to step away and not look at what I still have to study.
Keep bringing them on I am always looking for home office solutions I am still not happy with my set up. At least I have a great ergonomic desk chair, can't imagine sitting on the Ghost chair or a stool for more than 15 min.
@BetterBombshell
Oh... it happens. I don't consider my space small (720sqft), but I just didn't want a traditional desk since it'd either have to be in the bedroom's sitting area (no) or in the living room (also no).
So my apartment has three 4x2 closets with an alcove above one, plus a laundry closet in the bathroom. Originally I "needed" all these closets. Then I got rid of stuff, and now two of them are completely empty. So the 4x2 between the kitchen and the living room is being turned into a custom built-in office to house the iMac, laser printer, books, filing cabinet, lockbox, etc.
The other one? I have no idea. Maybe I'll fill it with puppies. I'm trying to find decorative things to put in the alcove.
Can I tell you how much more I LOVE seeing REAL offices - not the glossy everything-is-perfect offices? Sadly, my life will always have clutter and papers.
The Louis Ghost isn't so bad depending on how you like to sit, the Victoria Ghost would be more of a challenge because it has no arms.
About a year ago we looked into a few Hideway type desks for our apartment. Both of our two computer desks, along with one desk being the major gaming station, made the living space look a bit like a command center.
Instead of buying one of these desks, we built doors onto the front of an existing desk that had a keyboard tray. When it is all closed up, our computer monitor just looks like a flat screen tv on a tv cabinet. It was a a good solution for us to get the same look and save a lot of money.
Two photos in Picasa Album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/InboundThread/HideawayDesk?feat=directlink
oh ho ho. what's that i see, to the left of the pink canister, in picture number 5? hehehe.
I work mostly from home, an RV. My home office is a 8x 6 1/2" room. It meant sacrifice--my 'bedroom' is a sleeping loft over the cockpit--but I love being able to shut the door if I want and then spend the evening reading in the 'library' (formerly the living room/dining area) clear across the rig. I've tried the armoire office, the corner of the bedroom office, the office in a closet, the office in the livingroom, etc., but nothing beats having a separate room with a door that shuts.
@ nixiekitten - what is it?
What I see is the two foot tall skeleton on the floor in picture 5 - weird!
I didn't notice the skeleton. Cute!
Just a note on stools and armless desk chairs. For short people, they're often more comfortable than task chairs. I'd take a backless, armless stool over my awful business chair at work any day (while respectfully acknowledging that for my non-height-impaired colleagues, they're probably pretty comfy).
We have sacrificed 2 closets in order to give ourselves some extra work space. I would actually rather than work in a closet than at a desk out in the living room or my bedroom... then I have some privacy, and I can shut the door or draw the curtain when I don't want to think about work anymore or if I'm leaving a lot of clutter on the desktop. I work freelance (writing/editing) part-time while staying home with my young children. I work in a large closet (5' x 6') that has a little window and enough wall space to accommodate a small desk, a small sewing table, and a bookcase.
We filled an entire wall of our small bedroom with IKEA wardrobes so my husband could take over the closet in there. It's about 3' x 3' with very high ceilings. We removed the door and installed a desktop where he can put a laptop (yes, he sits on a stool) and rail-and-bracket shelving goes all the way to the ceiling. Bins and boxes on the shelves hold tools and hardware. This is just an occasional workspace though - he has a "real" office to go to during the day.
@Thorndale--I work from home full time and my husband is a student, we too need more work space than a closet would allow (if we had a closet that would hold a desk).
@MrFoof--as you say, your apartment isn't small, though I understand not wanting a desk in your living room. But my last small apartment (300sf) had one tiny closet and one cabinet in the kitchen. Definitely no room for closet offices. Now I have a dedicated office in a second bedroom with my desk in front of a sliding glass door--so much light! Keeps me sane. I'm curious, do you work from home? I think I would go crazy working full time in the closet, but obviously what doesn't work for me can work well for others.
OOERR!!
Am I the only one who goes bananas over an office in a cupboard?