Let’s say you have an extra bedroom that you use for guests and you also need a home office.
It may seem like an easy solution to simply plunk a small desk in the corner of your guest bedroom. That is, if you don’t care about creating an environment that’s conducive to feeling happy and productive and getting work done.
With a little extra effort, you can have a room that pulls double duty as a home office and a guest bedroom—and excels at both functions.
Office Design Tips
The first thing you have to do is clear the space of all extra clutter. This room is already doing the work of two rooms; the last thing it needs is to be junked up with boxes of old books, your skis, or baby gear waiting to be put into action again.
Next, consider repainting the walls. Elle Décor recommends Saint John Blue by Benjamin Moore as a shade that’s both inspiring and relaxing, while The Spruce suggests Behr’s Amber Moon as the perfect warm neutral to use for a bedroom/office hybrid.
You’ll need to address the elephant in the room—the bed. If you’ve got a king or a queen, it will always dominate the space. A better alternative is a day bed. If you need room for two people, opt for a daybed with a trundle underneath. A Murphy bed or a quality pull-out sofa are also options.
Then, there’s the question of your desk. If you’re working from home on a regular basis, this is the most important decision you’ll make when planning your home office. Most people find it cheery to have their desk positioned so that they can look out a window.
One idea is to have a desk built in underneath the window, with storage/shelving built in along the length of the entire wall. Retailers like Ikea and Pottery Barn also sell a variety of compatible desk, shelving, and storage units that can be configured to duplicate the look of built-ins.
Finally, give some thought to the details. Hide less-than attractive wires and, especially, the printer (stick it in a closet, if possible.) Add a plant or two. Throw some decorative pillows on the day bed. Make sure your lighting is sufficient.
With a little extra effort, your extra room can be as good as you are at multi-tasking.
About StorageMart
For many of us, visual clutter leads to mental clutter—which can make it very hard to get work done.
If you need help freeing up space for an uncluttered home office, you might want to consider self storage. At StorageMart, we pride ourselves on our clean and well-lit self storage units that are available to rent on a month-to month basis. Check out our storage unit guide or rent a unit online today.