
Let’s all agree that, in an economy like this, owning a Carrie Bradshaw apartment with extra space for a home office isn’t actually a piece of cake. Let alone having a spare room to convert it into a home office. You might be searching for small home office furniture ideas or inspiration, but the problem lies much deeper: in finding the space to put this home office equipment.
And with the majority of the apartments we can afford as adults being smaller than our teenage bedrooms, wondering how to make a home office in a small space sounds quite solid. Luckily, we’re here to help. So, here’s the complete guide on how to make a home office in a small space without breaking the bank.
Creating a Small Home Office 101
To set up a space to work, you need to start from the top. Define your working zone. It might be a spot in your bedroom, a small corner in your living room (setting up a home office in a living room is a huge trend now), an empty wall, or even an alcove.
Whatever you choose, you need to define your small home office layout off the bat. Let’s begin:
1. Place Your Desk Facing the Wall
We understand that some people might experience a claustrophobic feeling when they have to look at their wall for a significant amount of time. But since this is a post about small home office ideas, a homeworker’s gotta do what a homeworker’s gotta do!
And, to be honest, a desk facing the wall is the best small home office layout to save at least 20 square feet.
2. Pick a Desk for a Small Home Office
Of course, every office has one center of attention. The desk! So, here are some ideas to help you find the best desk for a small home office:
a. Slim, simple desks: A small home office space’s best friend
Choose a slim, simple desk. The small size of the desk will give you enough space, so you don’t have to move your furniture around, and the drawers will provide you with some extra storage (you’d better choose a desk with vertical storage) to keep clutter away.
b. Glass desks: The perfect illusion
Get this desk on Amazon – Check price here
Another idea to make your small home office look cleaner and not stuffed is to invest in a glass desk like this one we found after searching for small office ideas from IKEA. The reason why this is a great tip when you want to set up a home office in a small space is that the glass allows you to see through the surface.
This alone will make your space look bigger since the eye doesn’t meet any flat surface to block its view. Clever, huh?
c. Ladder desks: the perfect small home office idea
Ladder desks for small home office spaces are getting more and more popular. The main reasons we can personally think of are:
- They look cool, minimal, and abstract
- They save a lot (and we mean A LOT) of space
- They can also be used both as libraries and desks by simply adding and removing a chair
Related: Top 9 Ladder Desks on Amazon Right Now!
So, if you want to expand vertically and, at the same time, have an iconic piece in your home, ladder desks sound like an excellent idea for a small home office. Take a look at this really great piece, by the way!
d. Wall-mounted desks: For some extra space!
A desk’s just a concept. At the end of the day, you just need a flat surface to work on. Why can’t it be a wall-mounted, shelf-like desk? After all, this is a post on how to make a home office in a small space.
Hey! Check this amazing wall-mounted desk on Amazon.
After all, there are so many designer wall-mounted desks out there today that will really compliment your home decoration. This desk here is a great example!
e. Fold-out convertible wall mount desk: What!?
Get this cool desk from TANGKULA on Amazon – Check price here
We’re talking about a new kind of sorcery here. The ultimate tool when creating a small home office. A hidden desk at the most visible place; your wall! Since convertible desks are extremely tough to explain, take a look at this GIF below:

Isn’t that magic?
However, since this is from an old video and the desk looks quite clunky, here’s a more latter-day version of a fold-out convertible wall mount desk to suit a twenty-first-century home.
f. Cabinet desks: Space and privacy at the same time
Originally, when someone mentions cabinet desks, our minds automatically form a picture of an outdated, cabinet desk that has nothing to do with the time we live in.
Wrong! Today, cabinet desks are getting much better, more modern, and slimmer. So, you can easily find yourself a more modern version of the traditional cabinet/hideaway-like desk of the ones you’ve seen in movies from the 80s or your aunt’s house.
All you need is a wall and some small home office decoration ideas. Which, by the way, we’ll cover in a bit.
g. Romantic writing desks: Style, class, and storage
Get this desk Giantex on Amazon – Check price here
We’ve already said how desks for small office spaces can be much more than just a flat surface with four legs. And, the truth is, that these antique desks that look a lot like vanity tables are great for a small office layout for two main reasons:
They are small enough to fit in any room and big enough for anyone to work.
Extra tip: If you want to create a home office in a one-bedroom apartment, we know exactly the small home office desk you need: This romantic piece by Giantex. It looks like a vanity table so you can put it in your bedroom and take your laptop out only when you need it.
Also, there are two big drawers and a hutch with and 3 storage rooms for some extra space to organize your desk. And having things organized goes hand in hand with productivity.
But speaking of organization…
3. How to Organize a Small Home Office
An office is much more than a desk and a chair. Every day, we find ourselves surrounded by a million things scattered all over our desks. When creating a small home office, you need to make sure you have some room for your belongings as well because combining a small desk with clutter, is never a good idea.
So, we’ve got a neat trick for you! Hanging organizers.
You can go with a metallic one, a poly portable solution, or with an organizer made of fabric. Whatever you choose, hanging organizers will definitely be your office’s best friend and the most effective way to avoid working in a mess.
We know this is not a post on how to organize but on how to create a home office in a small space. But still. You will never be able to work your actual working area looks like a dumpster.
Another way to organize your office is to put some small baskets for storage. We’d suggest that you avoid boxes since they take much more space and they’re kind of out of fashion.
4. Set Up a Home Office at a Small (and Underused) Space
Admit it. We all have corners or spots in our homes that are, more or less, underused or even useless. It might be a corridor, a whole wall, a closet you don’t use, or even an alcove.
Use them! A small home calls for creative ideas to utilize every single square foot available. Same goes when setting up a home office in a tiny apartment. But creating an office in an underused corner is not easy.
You need to have a checklist first:
- Measure the space you want to set up your mini home office at
- Then you’re free to purchase your small home office furniture
- Don’t fall in the trap and believe that a desk is enough because you lack open space. Think about decoration too. You need to feel inspired when you’re sitting down to work
5. Small Home Office Decoration Ideas
So, the time to decorate your home office has come! And if you ask us, there are two things you need to keep in mind. First, get the products that you like the most and avoid exaggerations. And second, think about practicality. Each piece should be designed with a purpose.
A small, cute basket for storage or a cool lamp that produces the light you want (check out the coolest minimal desk lamp ever here, by the way) are just a few of the many examples that combine beauty with practicality.
Also, choose decoration in light, white, or bright colors. Dark colors tend to look like a cluster on a small, flat surface.
6. What Office Chair to Choose When Creating a Small Home Office
Last but not least, if it’s not a standing desk you want to install, you need a place to sit, right? So, we’ve already discussed the ideal desks for small offices, but what about the chair?
Unfortunately, chairs, by design, take a sufficient amount of space. Obviously, nobody can tell you how big or small the seat has to be – this usually, depends on anatomy, and body posture no matter if you’re creating a huge or a microscopic home office. But let’s talk about the style you should use.
To give the illusion of a chair that is “almost there,” we’d suggest that you buy a transparent chair with no arms so it can fool the eye by looking “invisible.” The reason we suggest an arm-free chair is because arms usually take a lot of space, but if you’re used to working at sitting in a chair with arms, again, make sure you get a transparent armchair.
Conclusion: Now, You Know How to Create a Home Office in a Small Place
The only question is, are you ready to start working passionately on it? We always enjoy receiving DIY work from our readers, so, please, if you have any small home office ideas, or you’ve already created a small home office, let us know in the comments below.
We’ll do our best to land it on our very own Instagram profile!
Thank you for that post! 🙂