Today I’m continuing yesterday’s topic about home offices.  Whether grand or teensy, we all need a space for paperwork and storage.  Yesterday I gave some tips to help evaluate your needs and showed some inspiration for those of us lucky enough to have a separate room dedicated to home office functions.  So how do we find that space?  Where to keep the inevitable clutter that goes along with an office – the equipment and paper and books?  Today I’ve got some great inspiration for those who don’t have a whole room….

Tucked Away Ingenuity

Photo from Freshome.com

When space is at a real premium, even just a shelf can serve the purpose of a space for your computer and a minimum of paper.  Aren’t we all trying to go paperless anyway?

Photo via House of Turquoise, designer Vanessa DeVargas

Tucked in the attic or in a basement room, a home office doesn’t have to be gloomy.  Wallpaper enlivens and brightens this space.  The use of non-office furniture for storage and a desk make the room appealing on many levels.

Photo from Freshome.com

Think about underused spaces – under stairs, inside a closet, a niche in a hallway or window seat area in a guest bedroom.  This drop down table top folds away when the office area isn’t in use but otherwise makes great use of a potentially forgotten space.

Photo from my archives

Find a little niche at the end of a hallway for a shelf (desk) and storage shelves above and you’re ready to go!  Add a bold color just for your pleasure.

Another double duty space (in a breakfast room) where the storage is SO important to minimize clutter. Photo from Ideal Home Mag.co.uk

Tucked into a closet, these boxes and bins keep the clutter invisible. Photo from my archives.

Photo from Apartment Therapy.com

Photo from House Beautiful.com

Tucked up against a half wall (to the kitchen or dining area?), this small table is big enough for a computer and a couple pieces of paper.  Because you’re out in the public spaces of the home, you’ll just HAVE to find a way to keep the clutter under control.

Use a sofa table for more than decorative items. Photo from BHG.com

Photo from Pinterest.com

The busy wallpaper might not appeal to everyone but I think it works well as a backdrop here.  The glass shelving is a good option to reduce visual clutter.  Remember, this is a home space so introduce style in any way you can – any table can work as a desk surface and infuse the room with personality. 

Office Organization

Photo from BHG.com

This space is kept visually clean by using all the same color for storage boxes and then generous use of white.  The desk is a board balanced on file cabinets and topped with glass. The printer and other equipment is on shelves hidden behind the gathered skirt.  I wouldn’t be embarrassed to have a guest stay in this room.

Photo from Country Living.com

Once again turning to the closet as a place to create an office space, this owner has really made good use of the space.  Notice the addition of pegboard so things can be kept at your fingertips and a big bulletin board on the other door.  The wallpaper on the wall removes the feeling of being in a closet.  And the best part?  Just close the doors on any incomplete projects and hide the mess.

Photo from Good Housekeeping.com

Maybe your home office is actually your creative space.  Be creative in your organizational efforts – use a curtain rod to hold a multitude of goodies; clear bins are indispensable for displaying your craft supplies (you don’t want to have to open bin after bin when searching for an item); good lighting is always important and a bulletin board for keeping inspiration accessible.

Photo via Hooked on Houses.com

Ending on a humorous (but real) note, not all rooms are appropriate for a home office.  Yes, this bathroom is serving double duty with the office filling the corner.  No thanks!

Office Inspiration

If you’re in dire need of getting your personal paperwork and clutter under control, I hope you’ve found some ideas in these couple of posts.  Do you have a dedicated room  for an office or are you looking for a “tucked in” space?  Do you use a home office space daily?  Let us know how you organize your office space in the comments or by email at solutions@yourdecoratinghotline.com.

Be Sociable, Share!

•