What Are the Best Tips for a Small Home Office Design?

The best tips for small home office design revolve around creating a compact, tidy work space. Any clutter in a tiny office area is going to detract from the overall look as well as make a small workspace at home disorganized. Any wires from office equipment should be designed to be hidden from site. Designing specific areas to store all needed supplies as well as adding a decorative curtain or screen to close off the space can really help create an organized home office in a small space.

When a home office is part of a larger room, a beautiful folding screen can allow the work area to be closed off. This is helpful for a living room or bedroom when a relaxing, rather than work-oriented, atmosphere is desired. The screen should fit in with the room and home's overall decor style, so it may be wicker, metal or carved wood. Another great idea for a neat, self-contained small home office design is to convert a closet into a workspace, remove the doors and replace them with a stylish curtain.

This type of compact home office space should be designed to allow the curtain to stay open when the work area is being used, but closed when it's not in use. A desk can be added to fill the lower closet, and shelving to hold supplies can provide much needed storage for the upper section. Separate organizers such as file, magazine or paperwork holders, pen cups and various storage boxes can make the shelves both organized and tidy. Instead of a closet, a similar small home office design can be created by placing a desk with shelves against a wall and installing a curtain from the ceiling or using a room divider or screen to separate the workspace.

Other great tips for a small home office is to add some color or texture to the walls. Light pastel colors such as pale yellow or light blue can be soothing, while corkboard adhered to walls can add texture and be practical for displaying relevant information. Personalizing corkboard walls or a section of a wall with photos, artwork or magazine clippings can also add custom style to a small home office design. In addition to or instead of corkboard, another idea is to use blackboard paint to turn a wall into a chalkboard. Some colored chalk can allow to-do lists and other notes to be decorative and fun.