Create a Home Office Even in a Small Space

Anyone Can Find Private Workspace in Their Home

If you work from home, you know the importance of having a space that's just for work. Allowing your job to spill into your house - especially when you have paperwork and files spread across the kitchen table - can make it harder to create a distinct line between work and home.

For most work-at-home professionals, the solution is to set aside a part of their house that’s exclusively designated for work related tasks. In many cases, this is a home office. A home office allows you to "close the door" on your job and focus on your family once the workday is over.

But what should you do if you don't have an extra room to dedicate to office space? With a little creativity, even those with limited space can set aside an area for their work. Try one of these options:

Modify a closet: You don't need to try and squeeze yourself into a small closet. But the alcove created by a closet can be the perfect place to set up your home office space. A large walk-in closet is ideal, but even a small standard closet will work. Just take off the closet doors so that you have open space. Put your desk in one corner of the closet, and a small file cabinet in the other. The outer edge of your desk and your chair may spill out into the room, but it will take up less space than if you used the entire room for your office.

Set up a divider: Room dividers can be purchased from most furniture and home improvement stores. Buy one that doubles as a dry erase board or corkboard, and it will do double-duty by helping you stay organized, too. On a budget? If you're handy, you can create a room divider with thin pieces of plywood and some hinges. Just paint to match your décor. Use it to close off a corner of a large room, and arrange your desk and file cabinet behind the divider so you have your own private space.