How to create an office nook?

last year

last modified: last year

I’m desperate to move out of my condo, but i am having difficulty finding a place that meets my needs/wants as well as my own condo. I have gone to see this older, larger condo which looked pretty decent except that i would be losing a room here. My condo has a little nook for my home office. Do you see anywhere in the ***living/dining area**** to create a partially walled off office nook with drywall? I would need walls to concentrate and for comfort/privacy. Please help me decide if this is the right place for me.

360 tour at below link

https://tours.willtour360.com/public/vtour/display/2054800?idx=1#!/play/pano?id=1716116

this is my current home office the partially walled off nook is next to the entrance

***

Featured Answer

Devonfield29

last year

Take the closet and alcove space in the foyer - you may need to use pocket doors to avoid loosing space to door swing. Then if possible, move the door to the main bedroom down 2-3 feet and add a closet back in where the entry door is now.

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Comments (29)

cpartist
last year
If it's a condo building, I'm guessing you can get a layout of the floor plan. That would be better for us to look at than a bunch of pictures.
acm
last year
Also, maybe a photo of your current nook so we can tell what you're going for?
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Kendrah
last year
When you say nook with walls, do you also want a door that can be closed? I'm a bit confused as to whether you want a nook or a small room.

I do see an area in the kitchen where there is a round table. Could that space be walled off to create an office area? Are you a fan of open kitchens? I can't tell without a full layout but I wonder if you could open up the kitchen and dining room and close off the end of the kitchen with the round table.
bpath
last year
Who or what do you need privacy from?

I wonder if that little hall would suit your needs?
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
I added photos of my nook and the floor plan of the property i’m considering
millworkman
last year
How many people will live in this condo?
littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
last year
last modified: last year
If that floor plan is the NEW condo, I’d use the space in the upper left corner of the breakfast room. Two new walls would effectively turn the whole area into hallways (one to the laundry and the other to the dining area.)

The condo currently has 3 eating areas - dining room, breakfast room, and what looks to be a breakfast bar. I’d sacrifice the breakfast room.
bpath
last year
My eye went immediately to the breakfast noook, too.
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
It's just me and my elderly mother who needs the breakfast area. It's where she eats her meals. I was hoping an office could be created in the extra large living/dining area using drywall.
dan1888
last year
I'd use stackable w+d in the linen closet for the primary. Then remove and drywall the door from the breakfast area into the old laundry room. Remove the back wall from the adjoining hall closet. You can make it a nook by removing the closet door and the rest of the wall for that door. It'll be 44" wide. Your mom can use the primary bath during your workday.
bpath
last year
If you add a door to the living room, could you put your desk in the foyer?
Kendrah
last year
I don't see a good option for adding walls to the dining room and living room area. Which bedroom will you be using and can you turn part of it into an office space?
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
Take a look at the panoramic photos from the realtor https://tours.willtour360.com/public/vtour/display/2054800?idx=1#!/play/pano?id=1716116
dan1888
last year
I like the foyer location with a pocket door added to close off the space. Nice view.
dan1888
last year
If you must use the large living/dining space how about this?

Styles and eras mingle inside "unfinished" diplomat's home by 02A (dezeen.com)
bpath
last year
How much space do you need, for elbow room, storage, desk? Do you need to be able to secure anything?
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Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
last modified: last year
Based on your floorplan, the only place I could see putting it would be to convert that small closet adjacent to the laundry room into an office. Here's a few inspo pix:

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Or, if it's just the two of you, use the breakfast nook as your dining space and set up a desk against the wall in the dining area on the other side of the kitchen.
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
@bpath Yes, ideally I would like to be able to put stuff up on the wall in front of me on a bulletin board. I need a garbage pail and an Ikea drawer unit that fits under my desk. I would like my back to be against a wall or a closed door. That's why I am not liking the ideas in the photos above.
Kendrah
last year
I think almost anything you build out into the living room space is going to be so strange it would impact resale. The only think I can think of making sense in that space would be to build in the dining area up against the window to the kitchen. Make as slender of a room as you can that runs along the kitchen window wall. Someone else could consider it a great storage area in the future. It might look something like this picture. But, you could turn the desk 90 degrees to the left so your chair would be facing the left wall and your back would not be to the door. On the right wall you could have shelves that would be behind your chair.

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nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@Devonfield29 this i like! Would i need to relocate or create a new electrical outlet? is that costly? by costly i mean $1000 or more
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
I’m frustrated that the living room is huge and yet the unit provides no good option for an office space. Would this idea work if i put a room divider behind me while working for privacy? How much does a built in like this cost?
bpath
last year
The closet in the foyer, it looks like there might be ductwork or something to one side of it, hence the narrow door, so you might not be able to take it out as devonfield suggested.

Just curious and none of my business, but if your current condo suits your needs, why are you moving? and, perhaps the condo you are considering, as nice as it looks, isn’t actually the right one for you.

Btw, my son is in a studio apartment. He found a wood screen to hide his kitchen that actually goes with his kitchen cabinetry at I think a yard sale for $10! (he works from home, so his desk is next to his bed, but it is beside a window, which he likes.)
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
@bpath Thank you all for your advice and info. The reason I am looking to move is because for the last eight years, my life has been made bitter by the people who live above me and my condo Corporation seems to be biased in their favour and have no intention of remedying the issues. Living here is painful and toxic, though I love my unit, the floor plan, layout, the area is convenient and I am almost finished paying off my mortgage. I live in Toronto and the options for housing are not great. New build condos are small and don't look like homes to me - they look like offices or dorm rooms. Older, bigger condos are in bad shape or have high maintenance fees. This particular unit (the one you are commenting on) was the best looking unit out there.
dan1888
last year
How about moving to an identical unit away from your favorite neighbors? Possibly a unit above them? But really. I'd value the open living room space the 'new' unit has. I wouldn't compromise it. Adding a pocket door to the foyer is a simple design fix to use the foyer space for a higher benefit. Even a less expensive barn door will give you all the nook space you need for work. But check anyone living above you at the new location. You don't want to spend another 8 years dissarisfied.
nancyfancy77 thanked dan1888
User
last year
Can I ask why your mom can't have her meals in the dining room so you can take the breakfast nook for yourself? It would solve a ton of problems.

Otherwise, I suggest the dining room. Find a slim desk and place it between the table and kitchen (against the wall that has the pass thru window).

A desk with a pull out keyboard tray will make it more compact, and you can place a small cabinet under it or off to the side for more storage. You don't necessarily need to keep all of your office things right there. The last time I lived in a tiny apartment, I kept my printer and files in a cabinet in a different room. Only the "everyday use" items were kept at my desk. I didn't mind sharing the dining space with my desk because I was able to keep it nice looking and tidy.

Minimal style:

Shaker style pull out desk below. Do make sure the pullout is wide enough for a keyboard and generous enough mousing space. This one is 19.75", which would be fine for the kind of keyboard that doesn't have a keypad on the side (like this), but it might be cramped with a wider keyboard.
nancyfancy77 thanked User
bpath
last year
Nancy, I understand! My dear MIL has lived happily in her GTA condo for almost 25 years, but the atmosphere has changed with the board and management the last few years to make her very UNhappy. Even when visiting, we notice a different ”vibe” walking through the lobby. It is still a nice, well-maintained building with indoor and outdoor amenities, a bit of green space, convenient location, but one also has to be happy. I’m sorry you are in that position. Best wishes to you and your mother for a home to call Home.
nancyfancy77 thanked bpath
nancyfancy77
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I was thinking could i do something like this? must hide ugly computer cords and desk clutter.

I like the idea of a piece of built-in elegant furniture dividing the large living room into two distinct spaces.

Same idea as above. A custom made room divider.

Does anyone out there think this could work? It's important to me that the living room nice elegant, not like a makeshift office/living area.
User
last year
I think the room divider would be better. It would look better -- personally I do think it looks "makeshift" to have it by the TV like that. But psychologically, it's recommended to try to have some kind of separation from your work space and your personal space.

You can hide cables with an under-desk cable organizer, like this. You won't see the cables unless you're basically sitting on the floor.

I actually organized my cables by hanging them on a hook under the desk, and then strung behind the cabinet.

The bottom nook of that cabinet has an open back, so my power strip and mess of cables is piled up in there. When I want to access any plugs, I just pull that white basket out.