WFH in a Small Space
A common theme that has been coming up in my Small Space Consults is most people’s current reality of one or both parents working from home. Adding a desk whether it’s used full or part time in a small space is often a challenge. Add in a pandemic and a lack of school and childcare and we all know that is an almost impossible situation. Parents have been super heroes these past few months and it seems that this trend of working from home is going to continue as far as any of us can tell.
I think a critical component of working from home in a small space is being able to get separation from your work, at least visually when you aren’t working. Whether this means having a temporary set up that needs to be dismantled each night and stored away. Or alternatively if your desk is in an area of the your space that is not visible at all times like a desk in a closet or behind a divider. Or even an vintage roll top desk or foldaway desk to conceal the contents when not in use.
I asked for readers to share their current WFH (Work From Home) situations and was amazed by your creativity and ingenuity to make your small space function. Also I noted your commitment to transforming your space from workspace to home space. None of this is easy and I truly have to hold out hope that this will not be our reality forever.
I think I will have to follow up this post with some more practical furniture, organizational solutions and cord management for working from home but for now please enjoy the responses I received broken out into themes. Hopefully they make you feel less alone as you work from home or even provide a solution to your space.
Here is my usual set up: on the floor with a cushion, a tray and my laptop is propped up with books on the modular sofa.
My alternative set up is on the couch with a couch pillow acting as a laptop desk. None of this is endorsed by my occupational therapist husband.
Where the laptops sleep courtesy of @janellegomes
A place for it all to go at the end of the day…
Everything stored in a work backpack at the end of the day.
A big basket to put everything into and then it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Away in a kitchen cabinet at the end of the day.
Away in the coat closet at the end of the day, when the dining room is the shared desk.
Everything fits under our couch!
In a basket under the kitchen table.
All electronics are put beside the bed with a blanket neatly folded on top.
In our bathtub in our main bath at the end of the day when we need the dining table for dining.
All of it goes into a box at the end of the day and is stored under the bed.
Our Living Room Sideboard that stores our laptops, ipads, records and corresponding cords.
Room Dividers…
A folding screen to conceal the desk in the bedroom.
a curtain around the desk corner.
Finding a spot to work….
A small desk that folds into a shelf shared by Catherine. Desk in the kids room.
Standing at the kitchen island.
At the dining table with an ergonomic cushion on the dining chair.
Removed a night stand and replaced it with a wee desk.
Removed both nightstands and replaced with Ikea desks.
Finally caved and bought a sit stand desk for my kitchen since we don’t have a dining table.
Desk is in our bedroom now, it’s a tight fit but we make it work.
A foldaway desk.
A folding table that goes away each night.
A closet desk. Or #cloffice. At least the door can be closed at the end of the day!
I’ve seen so many people working from their garage with the door open in SF.
.My husband and I working from the bedroom and our closet makes a great meeting phone booth.
In our camper/caravan outside.
Laptop on top of the record player or record shelves.
On top of a bookshelf in the hallway.
A desk set up in the kids room.
A laptop lap desk on the couch.
On the patio, not sure what we will do when it gets too cold to be outside.
On top of a bookshelf in the hallway with a kid’s dining chair (see photo below).
On the bed with hip pain now.
A dresser became an adhoc standing desk and the top drawer for end of day storage.
Our office is in our bedroom and it is unsightly.
Gave up clothing and a dresser to fit a desk in our bedroom.
Each of us take a bedroom in our 2 bedroom home.
In the laundry room because it has a door.
On the floor on a wiggle cushion, with a kids table.
WFH set up courtesy of @alimansfield