More Rooms
10 Smart Ways to Keep Your Paperwork Under Control
Bring a mountain of projects and paperwork to heel with these sassy solutions for an organised office
Whether you work from home or just need a spot where you can pay bills, surf the internet and take care of admin, storage will be top of your priority list in a home office. Keep papers, stationery and technology neat and ordered with these ingenious ideas.
Shut the door on work
Need a work station in the living room? Hide the whole thing behind closed doors with a run of floor-to-ceiling cupboards. These are no more than a couple of feet deep, but there’s still room for all the essentials.
Need a work station in the living room? Hide the whole thing behind closed doors with a run of floor-to-ceiling cupboards. These are no more than a couple of feet deep, but there’s still room for all the essentials.
Sort it out
Cubbies with neatly labelled pull-out baskets look so much more appealing than a dusty filing cabinet, while a smart desktop organiser makes short work of sorting incoming and outgoing post.
Browse stylish storage containers
Cubbies with neatly labelled pull-out baskets look so much more appealing than a dusty filing cabinet, while a smart desktop organiser makes short work of sorting incoming and outgoing post.
Browse stylish storage containers
Swap files for drawers
A set of shallow drawers can be the neatest way to store paperwork. Dedicate a drawer for bills, one for bank statements and so on, then simply sort the post into the right compartment as soon as it arrives – no need to mess around with hole punches, folders or file dividers.
A set of shallow drawers can be the neatest way to store paperwork. Dedicate a drawer for bills, one for bank statements and so on, then simply sort the post into the right compartment as soon as it arrives – no need to mess around with hole punches, folders or file dividers.
Hide units behind the desk
If your office area is part of a larger space, such as the living or dining room, choosing a solid desk that faces out into the room is a great option. Not only does it create a divide between work and relaxation spaces, but it allows you to hide a bulky bank of storage, computer towers and all manner of other office paraphernalia from view. Oh, and it’s better feng shui than a wall-facing desk, too.
If your office area is part of a larger space, such as the living or dining room, choosing a solid desk that faces out into the room is a great option. Not only does it create a divide between work and relaxation spaces, but it allows you to hide a bulky bank of storage, computer towers and all manner of other office paraphernalia from view. Oh, and it’s better feng shui than a wall-facing desk, too.
Keep it well hidden
Need to tuck a home office into a corner of the kitchen? Then pull-out shelves are your friend. Here, the printer, keyboard and computer can be hidden from sight in seconds, leaving only the monitor on the worktop.
Need to tuck a home office into a corner of the kitchen? Then pull-out shelves are your friend. Here, the printer, keyboard and computer can be hidden from sight in seconds, leaving only the monitor on the worktop.
Choose simple shelving
If your study is on the landing or in a corner of the living room, you need storage that doesn’t look too ‘officey’, so a big filing cabinet or bulky desk just won’t cut it. Instead, go for simple floating shelves and store paperwork in plain boxes instead of ugly binders.
If your study is on the landing or in a corner of the living room, you need storage that doesn’t look too ‘officey’, so a big filing cabinet or bulky desk just won’t cut it. Instead, go for simple floating shelves and store paperwork in plain boxes instead of ugly binders.
Put it in the corner
A desk and shelving combo makes clever use of an empty corner on this landing, and proves you can squeeze a work station into the most awkward space. Fitting shelves right up to the ceiling makes the best of use of the area, while ‘framing’ them tricks the eye into thinking this is a single striking piece of furniture.
A desk and shelving combo makes clever use of an empty corner on this landing, and proves you can squeeze a work station into the most awkward space. Fitting shelves right up to the ceiling makes the best of use of the area, while ‘framing’ them tricks the eye into thinking this is a single striking piece of furniture.
Use your imagination
This fabulously futuristic workspace combines form and function. Look beyond the tactile curves and you’ll spot barely there cubbyholes with lift-up lids that cunningly conceal the printer, shredder and paperwork.
This fabulously futuristic workspace combines form and function. Look beyond the tactile curves and you’ll spot barely there cubbyholes with lift-up lids that cunningly conceal the printer, shredder and paperwork.
Hang it all
Keep your desk clear of messy in- and out-trays by hanging important paperwork on the wall in this quirky take on a noticeboard. Just organise your papers into groups – bills, decorating swatches, letters and so on – then use wooden clipboards or trouser hangers to keep them together and hang from picture hooks. Simple.
Explore ways to stay organised with a pinboard
TELL US…
How do you keep your workspace clutter-free? Share your best tips in the Comments.
Keep your desk clear of messy in- and out-trays by hanging important paperwork on the wall in this quirky take on a noticeboard. Just organise your papers into groups – bills, decorating swatches, letters and so on – then use wooden clipboards or trouser hangers to keep them together and hang from picture hooks. Simple.
Explore ways to stay organised with a pinboard
TELL US…
How do you keep your workspace clutter-free? Share your best tips in the Comments.
If two of you need to share a desk and storage, use a bookcase to visually and physically separate your respective work zones and keep clutter from encroaching on each other’s space. A noticeboard each should take care of those notes, cards and reminders.