9 Ideas for Making a Great Office in a Tiny Space

The word office has taken on an entirely new meaning in the last year. Many people have not seen their offices and cubicles since March 2020. A year ago, they packed up their laptops and essentials and have been working remotely ever since. Some companies have decided to incorporate some measure of remote work for the foreseeable future, while others have already determined they will never return to their buildings. Still, others are slowly allowing employees to return to their campus in limited capacities a few times per week. 

Families have turned kitchen tables and living rooms into coworking spaces as children have been learning remotely as well. It has been challenging, but we are resilient. We have created makeshift desks out of coffee tables and used turned stools into laptop stands; however, these were only supposed to be temporary solutions. Without ergonomic chairs and proper desks, people are experiencing neck pain and struggling from prolonged poor posture.

While there is some expectation children will return to a semblance of normalcy by the next school year, there may be no real end in sight for your remote work situation. It is time to take control of your workstation. Even if it’s a small space, you can create a beautiful and productive office. Here are nine tips for turning a tiny space into an awesome office. 

How to Create a Stunning and Productive Tiny Office

We want to help you to be as productive as possible even if you do not have much room with which to work. More importantly, we want you to maintain positive self-care. A claustrophobic office stifles motivation and creativity. Here is what you can do to help:

  1. Clean and Organize: If your living room, dining room, or kitchen has become the family coworking space, it can quickly become cluttered. Enlist the entire family to keep these spaces clean and organized. 
  2. Embrace the Home Office: Unless there is a clear end in sight, embrace the permanence of working and learning from home. That means rearranging spaces to give your family the elbow room to work. 
  3. Together or Not: Do you like having the family in the same workspaces, or do you need some privacy? For families that like to work together, consider rearranging a living room or dining room to create space for work desks. If you need privacy for your job, consider turning a closet or corner of a bedroom into your new office.
  4. Corner Desks: You need to stop looking down at a laptop screen. You are damaging your posture and potentially your eyesight if you are working with a computer on your lap or on a low coffee table. Consider turning the corner of a room into a long, narrow desk space. You may be able to create multiple workstations with this concept. 
  5. Standing Desks: One way to keep your blood flowing is to purchase or build a standing desk. These pieces can also help create more space in a tight room, hallway, or closet office. You will want to sit eventually, so consider tall barstools for chairs. Again, stools will take up less space than traditional, clunky office chairs and be more conducive to setting up multiple workstations. 
  6. Dual Purpose Standing Desk: Your corner standing desks could do double-duty as bar space for entertaining and quick meals at home. 
  7. Natural Light: Consider incorporating natural light into your home office. This will make you happier and healthier. Just make sure you have a way to prevent glare on your computer screen. 
  8. Select Beautiful Furniture: You want your surrounding furniture to continue to help inspire your creativity and productivity. Make sure whatever pieces you have in your space are beautiful and well-constructed. 
  9. Work Outside: As the weather gets warmer, utilize your outdoor furniture to move some of your office work outside. 

Make Time to Stop Working

In this “new normal” of working remotely, many find it difficult to strike a solid work/life balance. When you invest in your home office, it can be tempting to spend considerably more time in it than you might otherwise. It is difficult to leave your work at the office when the office is in your home. Put a calendar, whiteboard, sticky-note, or something within your field of vision that reminds you to clock out and put work away. If your workspace is in a common area, you might even consider hanging a curtain you can pull in front of your office when the workday is over. 

For those that are ready to create a real home-office, Johnston Casual is here to help. Our furniture is American-made here in the foothills of western North Carolina. We have beautiful, high-quality products that will inspire your creativity and productivity. Contact us for more information on how to make a beautiful, tiny home office. 

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