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Where and How to Squeeze In a Mini Office

Check out these ideas for convenient locations and space-saving setups

Eva Byrne July 2, 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

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We may not all work from home, but every household has paperwork to file and administrative tasks to do. Enter the mini home office, a sanity-saving spot to manage your personal affairs. You’ll want shelving, a slim work surface and perhaps the household printer. Flexibility is key, so your mini home office can double as a homework zone, hobby area and much more.

Think you don’t have space? Take a look at these ideas for squeezing in a desk and some storage.

Entrance Fastighetsmäkleri

Master the basics. Whatever the form or location of your home office, know the dimensions you need for it to work smoothly.

A typical desk is 30 inches high, the same as a dining table. Use the 6 inches or so between the top of your thighs when you’re sitting and the underside of the desk to fit in useful drawers. A desk depth of 14 inches suffices for a laptop, with 24 inches being more common.

For pinning notes and reminders, leave a zone of about 20 inches between the top of the desk and any overhead shelves.

Space shelves about 14 inches apart to accommodate binders and oversize books. Bookshelves are commonly 12 inches deep.

Allow for lots of outlets too — at least twice as many as you think you’ll need.

Enigma Design

Consider the kitchen. What better place to house your mini office than in the kitchen, the heart of the home?

Your lower cabinets are likely to be 36 inches high and 24 inches deep — too high for the average desk but a workable depth. If you can, extend a 30-inch-high surface next to your lower cabinets to create a neat desk. Add shelving overhead to line up with your upper cabinets.

Your desk will work hard here, performing many functions that are part of family life. The kids can tackle homework while you cook, and they won’t have to put it away at mealtime. You can also monitor them as they take their first steps into cyberspace on the family laptop.

And what a handy surface this desk provides for laying out a buffet on special occasions!

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Alison Hammond Photography

Allocate an alcove. Perhaps you may prefer a quieter perch, away from the kitchen hubbub. Many older homes have alcoves on both sides of the living room fireplace, and one of these can make a great spot for a tiny workspace.

Fit in a slim desk, if space permits, making sure that you measure between the baseboards (not the walls) before committing to a purchase.

You could also get a desk custom-made and attached to the wall, eliminating the need for legs and allowing the desk to float.

Fastighetsbyrån

Use a shelf. Slip a modest workspace into a run of wall-mounted shelving. As mentioned before, a depth of 14 inches will accommodate a laptop; a desktop computer could use at least 20 inches.

Choosing an adjustable shelving system like this lets you arrange the spacing to display books and objects of different heights.

Stylingbolaget

Try a sawhorse table. For sheer flexibility, it’s hard to beat a simple sawhorse table. Whether it lives in a guest bedroom or on your landing, or moves about, get the perfect one by picking up the top and trestles to suit your changing needs and circumstances.

Choose lightweight pieces so that moving the table isn’t a chore. A fold-up top is a bonus, allowing you to stow your pop-up home office in a closet when necessary.

You may even press your sawhorse tables into service when you have a large gang to feed.

See sawhorse tables at work in the house

Cathy Phillips & Co

Conceal it cleverly. If you are short on space but need a permanent place to work, slip a nifty desk and shelves behind full-height, hinged panels in a run of storage cabinets. The cabinets typically measure 24 inches in depth, which is perfect for concealing a modern desk.

With a setup like this, your office can see the light of day when in use and hide away in a jiffy when the day’s work is done.

Scandinavian Homes

Hang it up. A wall-hung folding desk does a disappearing act in whatever room you choose. Wall-hung furniture brings the added benefit of maximizing the sense of space in any room, allowing the floor to flow without interruption.

The top of this piece is a useful spot for a lamp, plants or any other additions that will create your own sense of place.

Browse wall-mounted desks

DREAMHOUSE decorations

Slim it down. Keeping the petite dimensions of a laptop in mind, you can slip a skinny console table into a hall, alcove or any underused spot to create a perch for dealing with those tasks you’ve been putting on the back burner.

Browse slim console tables

London Garden Rooms

Greet the garden. For the serious home worker, a separate room in the yard is a great option. 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, consider the glare when positioning your computer. 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? Let us know in the Comments.

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Comments (17)

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09081985

@james most of the work these days is very light on actual paperwork!

Like July 9, 2018 at 9:37AM

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James

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?

3 Likes July 9, 2018 at 10:05AM

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