Do you have room to build most of the whole thing into a closet so you can just close the doors over it? It may be less expensive to build a closet and fit in with conventional heavy duty wall hung shelves and a couple lateral files and a run of counter for phone, printer etc., than to buy furniture that looks appropriate for a bedroom and can contain everything. You could even design it for a spot to put the chair.

Then you could have a more decorative table or desk in the room adjacent to all this that would be big enough to be practical for your laptop and a bit of writing but not much else.

I work from home. I'll describe my current setup plus my ideas for the future setup, as my office is currently in a spare room we will need in the next few years for a nursery.

Current: My office is in the guest bedroom, but not my bedroom. I currently have two desks along the wall. My 3x6' primary desk, that I sit at, is under the window. There is a 30"x5' desk adjacent to it that holds the printer. My desks are simply worktops - the one I sit at used to be my DR table and has no storage, the other just has a keyboard drawer underneath that I use for storage. I like that there is no cabinetry on which to bump my knees. My second monitor, keyboard, mouse, and stand for laptop live on my primary desk permanently along with my vonage phone. The laptop stand raises my laptop screen to a comfortable viewing height since I am using the keyboard on the desk surface, and so I do not spill coffee on the laptop - I am clumsy. Every night I leave my desk and take just my laptop into the FR, porch, whatever for play.

I keep paper etc. in the closet. Used to have two tall filing cabinets next to my primary desk, but we are mostly paperless so I have send them to live in the secondary spare bedroom, which is also the birds' room. I have an old standard Staples chair that needs replacing.

Future: I will have to relocate my desk, monitor, printer, etc. (and probably the filing cabinets and birds' cages in the other spare room) due to kids in the next few years and the fact that this is a 3BR house. I have a few public areas around the house I can fit my primary desk, which is really big enough for spreading papers, as long as I keep it neat. I will probably squeeze it into my 7x12' walk-in closet for privacy though. I will probably convert or get a wireless printer so I can keep it in a closet like my co-worker does. I think she has a pullout shelf for it in there to make it easier to get to and plug in. The filing cabinets will have to go into the basement, or into a coat closet or my walk-in or something, or be replaced with a less space-hogging option like Billy bookcase(s) with magazine racks as file folders.

This post was edited by tracie.erin on Wed, Jun 12, 13 at 14:23

I think Palimpsest offers the perfect solution.

An attractive writing desk is a natural resident of a bedroom. A working office is not, and is bad for your peace of mind.

If you cant fit in a closet, a nice vintage or antique armoire can hold all kinds of office junk while looking appropriately bedroomy.

Keep in mind what's behind you if you're doing VCs. My spouse's overseas coworkers think we have a Lego fetish.

I have my desk in a guest bedroom. It sits at an angle, with my back towards a corner when I am in my chair. Alongside the desk against the wall is a bookcase that is windowsill height.. At one end of the desk is a filing cabinet (2 drawer) and on top of that is the printer. I do have to get up and walk around my desk to open the file drawers, but I don't file that often.

Anyway, carving out a corner of the bedroom by having the desk on an angle and not against a wall creates a designated work space that works pretty well for me. However, having the lights from modems and printers in the same room where you sleep can be a real problem. Put all those sorts of things in a closet if possible.

Do you have a guest bedroom that can double as an office? If so, I agree that the closet is the best place. If not, and you have to have your office in your bedroom, then an office armoire is the best place. From experience, it is important to have the electronics behind closed doors if they are in a room where people sleep.

In both cases, I'd also have an attractive furniture-type desk for when you have to spread out. Both would look nice in a bedroom, guest or master, without screaming "office".

Here is a link that might be useful: Offices in Closets

GWlolo -- I work out of the home and need a lot of room because of all the reasons you mentioned -- not to mention 3 computers.

I couldn't imagine trying to reconstruct even a small work space in the Bedroom. Plus -- the Bedroom -- may be should be the one place you leave work behind. LOL.

Give some thought to using your kitchen space (counters and cupboards readily available) or your Dining Room (if you have one) or even your living room depending on how much you entertain or your live-in Lifestyle. The Conference Calls are an issue -- usually, you need QUIET and a closed door -- so I do get the Bedroom option. I'd suggest a narrow buffet table for the Laptop and a Credenza for files and the printer atop -- all in a row (same level) or meeting in a corner.

I am putting a secretary in my bedroom so I can close it and put the chair to the side. I like it, b/c I can close the clutter and it blends like a piece of furniture. The printer is wireless and will be located in another room. Another possible desk location is the formal living if you have one. This is a photo of my actual piece:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing%3F.out%3Djpg%26size%3Dl%26tid%3D20639157&imgrefurl=http://www.polyvore.com/coastal_living_secretary_desk_stanley/thing?id%3D20639157&h=300&w=300&sz=12&tbnid=9_hLMC6goEszIM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=90&zoom=1&usg=__NKA2GupvQHhx9gIhbHLwL2E5NWw=&docid=qRH-f8TDywlZpM&sa=X&ei=Zyy5Ue__LcfJ4AP6zoCwBg&ved=0CG0Q9QEwCA&dur=55

I thought it would be useful to post some pictures of my space to get some ideas of specific desks or setup.

Pines and others who suggested guest bedroom, dining room etc. None of that is an option. We do not have a guest room any more as my mom moved in with me. Our home has a living dining combo and no dedicated dining room. Bedroom is the only space where I can lock the door and be guaranteed privacy and quiet. It is not all bad as the bedroom is reasonably big.

Here are some pictures of the space and the bedroom. Our bedroom is rustic with unpainted Adobe walls.

Here is the nook with a window that the desk can go in. It is to the left corner when you enter the bedroom.

There is a nice window that overlooks the courtyard of our spanish style ranch. You can see the bedroom door as well. We have all utilities and wires pulled to this area already with Cat5, phone line etc.

Here is rest of the bedroom. The window seat will have cushions etc. The bed will go on the wall below the skinny reading gooseneck lamps
{{gwi:283181}}

I would figure out how to maximize space in the nook using built-ins. I would try to keep as many things behind cabinet doors or consider having curtains that you can close to hide the space when not in use. It could potentially be a wonderful place to work.

Pictures are worth a thousand words! Having this nook in the bedroom makes a lot of difference. It can easily be closed off with a curtain or sliding fabric panels, a door even (double doors I'm thinking). With doors (curtains, panels, whatever) closed, one would never know there was an office there. For symmetry, you could duplicate what you do on the office nook for the nook on the other side of the widow seat.

As for outfitting the space.....I see a counter-type work surface. One that is attached to the walls with nothing underneath. Then I would get rolling file cabinets with flat tops that can slide under the counter or be pulled out to double as extra work surfaces. Like the below from CB2.

I would also go vertical to the ceiling with shelving. I would try to keep accessories off the counter and up on the shelves as much as possible.

Here is a link that might be useful: File cabinet on wheels.

Wow -- Like Geokid said -- pictures make all the difference. Love the nook and it could work perfectly. I don't know that I'd even worry about closing it off ... it is like it own little room! Very cute.

You said that you already have your phone line there but what about electrical ... I have about 4 plugs all utilized. LOL. I'd position the Lap Top or monitor in the window corner so you can look up and out the window. That will minimize frontal glare. A full L-Shaped surface would look nice (below the window then along back wall). I'd put shelving on the right-hand tall wall (half way up or full) but I'd make it shallow (like 12-14 inches) so it doesn't cramp your work area.

On the furniture -- I hate to recommend too much because the options are all over the map. If you folks are DIYers you can order laminate countertops to mount to the wall, secure on legs or to sit on-top of equal height cabinets (file cabinets or even kitchen cabinets) that are strategically positioned. Or ... you can go the OfficeDepot/Staples route and get something more modular and "officey". Alternatively, you can go more formal and get actual wood pieces new from a Furniture Store or off Craig's list but those pieces typically limit leg room or roller chair use.

Finally, my favorite recommendation is to look at Pottery Barn's collection or the Martha Stewart Living Craft Collection. These two sources have so many configurable items for surfaces and storage it is mind boggling. The only drawback is most are self-assemble and limited in color.

Key is ... make the nook as functional as possible for your work day with lots of surface space. Have plenty of underneath or shelf storage to organize books/papers/bills or simply to hide/stack stuff out-of-sight. LOL. Sorry for the long suggestion -- I've had too many offices in my life!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn Modular Office System

This post was edited by PinesEverywhere on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 7:44