If your life is similar to mine, chances are you may need to do a lot of work from your apartment. Whether it be doing assignments for school, freelancing or bringing your day job home, you’re going to need a decent space to work from.
A common dilemma that you may face is not having a place for an office or even a desk. If you’re living with roommates, having your desk in a common area probably won’t be very practical.
Here are 3 simple tricks to combine a bedroom and office effectively:
1. De-clutter
Start by de-cluttering your room and getting things organized. Nobody can concentrate on work while surrounded by too much stuff, so before scoping out your office space make sure things are tidy. I would also get rid of any furniture that doesn’t have a purpose to make room for more useful pieces.
Find one spot in your room that will serve as your main office space. This is where you’re going to keep your books, laptop, cables, etc. To keep things organized, have a designated spot for all of your work or school related items. Decorative items can help blend office and bedroom space. For example, a trendy basket could be used to hold laptop and phone chargers.
2. Buy Multi Use Furniture
Buying pieces that have more than one use will save you space when space is limited. A small desk or bookshelf can double as a night stand, a bed with storage drawers can be used to hold extra office supplies, or a Murphy bed/desk combination can be used to transform the room from bedroom to office in seconds.
A wall mounted desk is also a great way to optimize space, as you only fold it down when needed.
3. Consider Skipping The Desk All Together
If you’re just using a laptop you may not need (or want) a full desk. I personally tried having a desk and found that I never used it. If you prefer to work from the comfort of your own bed or couch, a laptop tray is the perfect way to do this. It’s also easy to store under your bed or in the closet when not in use.
Comment below with your best office/bedroom combination ideas!
I had already decided to use this service called Furnishr to get my bedroom re-furnished. As I was about to finish I noticed they also have office spaces so, I was able to get a custom bedroom and office space next to each other while saving money. And getting to work while they set it up for free helped save more.