18 Small Home Office Design Ideas And Tips (2024)

When you’re looking to create an office it’s best to start by looking for the small spaces you can utilize in your home. Do you have a nook under your stairs or a bright bay window where you could slot in a desk? How about an oddly angled spot in one of your rooms? Desks can be flexible and small, making them well-suited to shove in just about any corner, no matter how oddly-shaped and strange.

Putting an office into a closet is a simple but effective way to create the semblance of a workspace in your home. If you have the advantage of a larger walk-in closet it can be quite easy to create a full-fledged home office, but smaller closets can also work. With a narrower space, consider using a floating desk and removing the closet doors for a built-in desk nook look.

The oft-overlooked spaces in homes can make for great home office zones. Wide hallways and entryway spaces like foyers can be excellent spots to swap a console table for a narrow desk. Similarly, stair landings are effective spaces for work zones if you don’t mind having a bit of sound transferring between spaces.

While using your living space for an office may seem a bit counterintuitive, it can also sometimes be the most sensible choice. If you go this route, it’s always important to consider your aesthetic and ensure you choose furniture pieces that will blend nicely with your living room decor.

Home offices don’t have to be an eyesore, however, and can even be an opportunity to highlight an interesting furniture piece or put a spare dining chair to use. The key with living room offices is to provide yourself with a bit of clever storage for any tech, files and general office clutter you don’t want in view at all times.

Kitchens and mudrooms are already workhorse spaces, so why not use them as actual workspaces too? Utilize a corner zone in your kitchen for a small desk or even create a work cart that you can wheel over to the kitchen table to keep your desk items nearby but not always visible. Mudrooms and butler’s pantries are also great spaces that usually have a little wiggle room for adding small desks or tables.

Many will tell you that sleeping spaces and working zones should be kept separate, but in many cases a bedroom space is the easiest place to accommodate a small home office. If you have a guest room or spare bedroom, in particular, adding a small desk is a great way for that room to serve double duty.

If you are not entirely certain of how to slot a desk into your space, try swapping out a nightstand for a desk or opting for a wall-mounted version that requires a bit less square footage.

Desks have the added advantage of forcing people to sit down, making them ideal for spots with limited ceiling height. If you have an attic, a low-ceiling basem*nt or even a dormer window with a bit of an odd sloping condition a desk could be a great fit. Be mindful of how you will light your desk zone as these spots can also be a bit dark.

Now that you’ve considered where to put your desk, it’s time to think about what type you might want. Perhaps the simplest option is the floating desk or a wall-mounted option. With no legs and even fewer frills, this style is great for customizing a desk to fit your spaces’ constraints. You can choose your material, mounting method, size and shape. Typically these desks are also used for simple laptop or writing configurations and aren’t deep enough for larger monitors or art making zones.

Custom cabinetry is not for everyone, but if it’s in your budget, a built-in desk is an excellent way to blend your home office into your space. Utilize a roll-top or secretary desk style to create something that closes up and is easily tucked away or go for a more open approach.

If you’re hoping to place your home office in an existing area with cabinets such as your kitchen or living room, you may also be able to reconfigure your existing cabinetry to make a new desk space work.

Make room for the many. Oftentimes you won’t be the only person working at a home office, making it important to have space to accommodate more than one person at a time. Install a longer floating desk to make space for two or three folks to sit with their laptops or do homework. If you prefer a pre-fab option, just place two desks next to each other or use a shelf or screen to create a bit of privacy.

If your space can accommodate it, L-shaped and U-shaped desks are also great options for dual workers.

For maximum flexibility, skip the desk altogether and go with a larger dining table. Working cafe-style is ideal for folks using laptops or kids doing homework. Get a larger option, like a farmhouse table, and place it in a spare room, on a landing or in a basem*nt for a space that is dedicated to working. The cafe-style table is also great for folks who want their space to serve multiple purposes, acting as an entertaining zone or a craft area when not used as an office.

Screening your home office zone from the rest of your space is a great way to provide yourself with a bit of privacy and also relieve the pressure to have a perfectly neat workspace at all times. Actual wood and paper screens will work spectacularly for this purpose, but a two-sided bookcase or even a large plant can also go a long way in concealing a workspace without blocking a substantial amount of light.

Speaking of which, lighting is particularly important in an office zone. If you’re hoping to set up a well-lit space, you’ll need both ambient lighting and task lighting. Ambient light can come from overhead lights like LED recessed lights, a decorative chandelier and even the window. In fact, windows are the primary source of ambient light in most spaces and can be both a blessing and a curse in a home office.

Working near a window can add significantly to your serotonin during the work day, but glare can pose a big problem for many. To prevent direct glare, keep your monitors and desk perpendicular to your windows.

Unlike ambient lighting, task lighting is always intentional. Depending on the type of work you do, you may prefer a certain type of light, but having a designated task lamp for your office is always a smart move. A simple desk lamp with a dimmable bulb is a great start, but you can also go for more fun options like articulated wall sconces or pendants for an extra bit of flair.

Utilitarian options like undercabinet lighting will also work well if you have shelves or cabinetry above your desk area and want something more discreet.

Sometimes the best way to blend something in is to set it apart entirely. There are lots of fun ways to delineate your office space from the rest of your space, but adding in color is a fun place to start. For quick solutions, adding a small rug or stick-on wallpaper to draw the eye is an excellent start. If you have a bit of a larger budget or more time to spare, you could also consider swapping the flooring material or incorporating built-in elements to create an area that is entirely it’s own.

If you’re popping your desk area into another part of your house, it’s likely you want it to blend in with its surroundings. If you have more traditional or ornate furniture and decor, look for an antique piece to keep things cohesive. Typically, older styles will favor a richer wood tone, whereas modern aesthetics will trend towards lighter wood tones and other materials like glass, lucite and even metal finishes.

As with kitchens and bathrooms, home office spaces are often filled with hard and shiny surfaces. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be warm and cozy. Adding in a few softer elements is a great way to bring in personality, pattern and also tie your home office zone into the rest of your space. A small rug can help set your desk zone apart, while the addition of window treatments might help you manage any odd light conditions.

Peg and cork boards are home office faves for a reason. Cork boards provide ample space to personalize and maintains flexibility. Pegboards are excellent because of their versatility, providing you with plenty of room to hang office supplies or display tech items. At the end of the day, a small home office needs to be flexible first and foremost, and using wall boards is a great way to also add in personality.

We hope these excellent ideas will help you set up a home office that is both useful and beautiful, no matter its size.