How to Squeeze an Office or Admin Station into Any Home
Browse these clever ways to find a perch for your small home office, however little room you have
Eva Byrne
4 April 2018
I'm an Architect + House Consultant based in Dublin. I specialise in House Consultations to maximise Space, Light and Storage in your home. Whether you are planning a Renovation, Extension or New Build project, I aim to help you get your project off to the best possible start and to make best use of your cents and centimetres.
I'm an Architect + House Consultant based in Dublin. I specialise in House Consultations... More
We may not all work from home, but every household has paperwork to be filed and admin to be done. Enter the mini home office, a sanity-saving spot to house your files and manage your personal affairs.
You’ll want some shelving, a slim work surface and perhaps the household printer. Flexibility is the order of the day, so your home office can double as homework zone, hobby area, part-time work area and so much more.
Think you don’t have space? Read on for home office inspiration, no matter what size or shape your home.
You’ll want some shelving, a slim work surface and perhaps the household printer. Flexibility is the order of the day, so your home office can double as homework zone, hobby area, part-time work area and so much more.
Think you don’t have space? Read on for home office inspiration, no matter what size or shape your home.
Ace the basics
Whatever the form or location of your home office, know the dimensions needed to make sure it all works smoothly.
Your desk will average 75cm high, the same as a dining table. Use the zone of 14cm between the top of your knees and the underside of the desk to fit in some really useful, shallow drawers. A desk depth of 36cm is adequate for a laptop, with a depth of 50cm a good average.
Leave a zone of about 50cm between the top of the desk and any overhead shelves to allow for somewhere to pin notes and reminders.
Shelves should have a clearance of at least 32cm between each to allow lever arch files and over-sized books to be accommodated. A shelf depth of 30cm will be sufficient for lever arch files.
Allow for lots of sockets, too – at least twice as many as you think you’ll need.
Whatever the form or location of your home office, know the dimensions needed to make sure it all works smoothly.
Your desk will average 75cm high, the same as a dining table. Use the zone of 14cm between the top of your knees and the underside of the desk to fit in some really useful, shallow drawers. A desk depth of 36cm is adequate for a laptop, with a depth of 50cm a good average.
Leave a zone of about 50cm between the top of the desk and any overhead shelves to allow for somewhere to pin notes and reminders.
Shelves should have a clearance of at least 32cm between each to allow lever arch files and over-sized books to be accommodated. A shelf depth of 30cm will be sufficient for lever arch files.
Allow for lots of sockets, too – at least twice as many as you think you’ll need.
Kit out the kitchen
What better place to house your home office than in the kitchen, the heart of the home.
Your base units will average 90cm high and 60cm deep – too high for a desk but the perfect depth for a great workspace. If you can, extend a zone 75cm high alongside your kitchen units for a neat desk. Add shelving overhead to complement the line of your wall cupboards.
Your desk will work hard here, performing many functions that are part of family life. Homework can be tackled as you cook, and projects spread out without the need to be tidied away at mealtimes. Kids can also be monitored as they take their first steps into cyberspace on the family laptop.
And what a handy surface for laying out a buffet on special occasions.
Find a local carpenter or joiner in your area to make you something like this
What better place to house your home office than in the kitchen, the heart of the home.
Your base units will average 90cm high and 60cm deep – too high for a desk but the perfect depth for a great workspace. If you can, extend a zone 75cm high alongside your kitchen units for a neat desk. Add shelving overhead to complement the line of your wall cupboards.
Your desk will work hard here, performing many functions that are part of family life. Homework can be tackled as you cook, and projects spread out without the need to be tidied away at mealtimes. Kids can also be monitored as they take their first steps into cyberspace on the family laptop.
And what a handy surface for laying out a buffet on special occasions.
Find a local carpenter or joiner in your area to make you something like this
Allocate an alcove
You may prefer a quieter perch, away from the hurly-burly of the kitchen. Most older homes come with alcoves either side of the living room fireplace, and one of these can make a great spot for a tiny workspace.
Slot in a slim desk, if space permits, making sure you measure between the skirting boards (not the walls), before committing to purchase.
You could also get a small home office desk custom-made and fixed to the wall, eliminating the need for legs and allowing the desk to float.
You may prefer a quieter perch, away from the hurly-burly of the kitchen. Most older homes come with alcoves either side of the living room fireplace, and one of these can make a great spot for a tiny workspace.
Slot in a slim desk, if space permits, making sure you measure between the skirting boards (not the walls), before committing to purchase.
You could also get a small home office desk custom-made and fixed to the wall, eliminating the need for legs and allowing the desk to float.
Shelve the desk
Slip a modest work perch into a run of wall-mounted shelving. As already mentioned, a surface 36cm deep will house a laptop, with 50cm preferable for a desktop computer.
Choosing an adjustable shelving system like this one will allow you to group your files separately to your paperbacks, with scope to leave space for precious objects you may wish to display.
Slip a modest work perch into a run of wall-mounted shelving. As already mentioned, a surface 36cm deep will house a laptop, with 50cm preferable for a desktop computer.
Choosing an adjustable shelving system like this one will allow you to group your files separately to your paperbacks, with scope to leave space for precious objects you may wish to display.
Big up a trestle
For sheer flexibility, it’s hard to beat a simple trestle table. Whether it lives in a guest bedroom or on your landing, or moves about, get it into the perfect position by simply picking up the separate top and trestles to suit your changing needs and circumstances.
Choose lightweight pieces so changing location is never a chore. A fold-up top would be a bonus, allowing you to stow your pop-up home office in a cupboard when not needed.
Your trestles may even find themselves pressed into use for dining when a large gang needs to be fed!
For sheer flexibility, it’s hard to beat a simple trestle table. Whether it lives in a guest bedroom or on your landing, or moves about, get it into the perfect position by simply picking up the separate top and trestles to suit your changing needs and circumstances.
Choose lightweight pieces so changing location is never a chore. A fold-up top would be a bonus, allowing you to stow your pop-up home office in a cupboard when not needed.
Your trestles may even find themselves pressed into use for dining when a large gang needs to be fed!
Conceal cunningly
Short of room but need a permanent space to work? Slip a nifty desk and shelving within a run of storage cupboards, behind full-height, hinged panels. Wardrobes typically measure 60cm in depth, which is perfect for concealing a modern desk.
With a setup like this, your ‘office’ can enjoy the light and space of the full room when in use and disappear in a jiffy when the day’s work is done.
Room Tour: A Broken-plan Extension with a Hideaway Home Office
Short of room but need a permanent space to work? Slip a nifty desk and shelving within a run of storage cupboards, behind full-height, hinged panels. Wardrobes typically measure 60cm in depth, which is perfect for concealing a modern desk.
With a setup like this, your ‘office’ can enjoy the light and space of the full room when in use and disappear in a jiffy when the day’s work is done.
Room Tour: A Broken-plan Extension with a Hideaway Home Office
Get hung up
A wall-hung bureau will perform a nifty disappearing act, with your workspace hiding in plain view in whichever room you choose.
Wall-hung furniture brings the added benefit of maximising the sense of space and light in any room, allowing the floor to flow without interruption.
The bureau top is a useful spot for a lamp, flowers, plants or any other additions needed to create your own sense of place.
A wall-hung bureau will perform a nifty disappearing act, with your workspace hiding in plain view in whichever room you choose.
Wall-hung furniture brings the added benefit of maximising the sense of space and light in any room, allowing the floor to flow without interruption.
The bureau top is a useful spot for a lamp, flowers, plants or any other additions needed to create your own sense of place.
Slim down
Bearing in mind a laptop only needs a surface of 36 x 100cm, try slipping a skinny console table into a hall, alcove or any under-used corner to create an instant perch to deal with those tasks you’ve been putting on the back burner.
Bearing in mind a laptop only needs a surface of 36 x 100cm, try slipping a skinny console table into a hall, alcove or any under-used corner to create an instant perch to deal with those tasks you’ve been putting on the back burner.
Greet the garden
For the serious homeworker, a separate room in the garden is a great option. Like all rooms, its use can change as your needs evolve, so in time it could become a hobby room, teen den or exercise zone.
In a bright space like this, ensure you consider daylight control and where the sun comes in when positioning your computer or factoring in shade. Sunshine plus screen can make it impossible to see what you’re doing.
Tell us…
Where do you sit at your computer in your home? Share any tips, too, in the Comments section.
For the serious homeworker, a separate room in the garden is a great option. Like all rooms, its use can change as your needs evolve, so in time it could become a hobby room, teen den or exercise zone.
In a bright space like this, ensure you consider daylight control and where the sun comes in when positioning your computer or factoring in shade. Sunshine plus screen can make it impossible to see what you’re doing.
Tell us…
Where do you sit at your computer in your home? Share any tips, too, in the Comments section.
What are you working on?
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@james most of the work these days is very light on actual paperwork!
I like the idea of scanning and keeping paper to a bare minimum/non existent. As I look at my desk I see a printer, printer paper, reusable paper, stationary, pens/pencils/scissors, hole punch for binders (sheet music), tiny wireless scanner, batteries, checkbook, ink cartridges, and few other miscellaneous items. And then the iMac has an external cd drive and external hd as well. I’d love for my office to look as minimal as these but I assume the items I listed are basic things that everyone has that they keep at their desk. Do people put these items in a separate closet in the bedroom?