I want to share with you my friend Erin’s home office. Erin is a technology executive who like many has found herself working from home in her her 700ish square foot apartment for almost a year now. Her home office that she installed in her spare room a few years ago for occasional work quickly became the room she spent the most time in.

Erin asked to do a Small Space Consult with me for this office space. She already had a great starting point but had a few concerns. One was lack of light and the other was better organization and aesthetics. Erin has great taste so I was surprised she came to me but sometimes we all need another set of eyes, especially with a demanding job. We were able to make a few small but impactful changes. See below for the BEFORE and a breakdown of her clever small office space!

The BEFORE: A great system that just needed a little love

The Desk

Smartly, Erin installed the Ikea Algot (Now called Boaxel) shelving system. Ikea often markets this shelving system as a closet organizer but Erin saw it’s potential as a desk and shelving system that would still allow room for overnight guests in her spare room. She chose to mount the desk at standing height (as someone who works lazily from her couch most days I am always impressed by this!!). Notice also how she used the deeper shelf as her desk and narrower shelving above for storage. I also appreciate her streamlined keyboard and laptop stand (taking notes!).

IKEA BOAXEL Shelving System Similar more narrow Option HERE.

I believe this combination is the closest to Erin’s option but remove the hanging bars and racks, order only shelves HERE. You could also mount the “desk” shelf lower and use your dining chair or an office chair depending on your needs.

We also added a bartstool for her to sit at sometimes when she tires of standing. We went with a light wood to warm up the white space.

Lighting

There was no overhead lighting in this room so instead of adding electrical we opted for a plug in pendant light and swooped it to the centre of the room. We also added a rechargable light to provide directional light for her many zoom sessions. We added a hook on the wall for the light to allow for more desk space and because it looks cute!

Pendant Light - Akari Noguchi
Similar alternative HERE

Lantern - Menu Carrie Lamp
Similar alternative HERE

Organization

As this desk set up was being heavily used, it needed to function well for Erin. It was a balance of finding a continuity in storage boxes while also having things accessible for her. Stacking books neatly and adding a few plants was an easy (and free!) change. Then we picked up some coordinating white file boxes from Muji to contain papers or hide less pretty but necessary things. We also looked at the items that were stored here and removed ones that weren’t work related and moved them to a nearby closet.

For your own space it is not always necessary to buy new storage containers but try to have the same colour palette for whatever vessels you choose. Whether they’re all brown, all white, all baskets etc. This lets your eye quickly scan the space and is calming. I think this is especially clear in the before and after.

Muji PP File Box HERE and HERE.

Hope you are able to gain some inspiration from Erin’s home office. I still hope to do a round up of similar wall mount shelf desks soon! Thanks to Erin for asking me to help with your space and also for letting me take photos and share the result!!

WFH: a smart wall mounted small space office