14 Insanely Stylish Small Home Office Ideas to Copy

Take a cue from Toronto filmmaker Orlee-Rose Strauss’ Brooklyn apartment and put your home office in your bedroom. While it’s not always recommended to work where you sleep, as long as you’re able to separate the office area from the bedroom area (as Strauss has done here), why not use the space you got? Even though they’re seperate, we love how the two areas’ colours match.

One under-utilized and overlooked area to put a home office is the laundry room, as HGTV designer Sarah Richardson has done in her family home. If your laundry room is looking a little drab, add a colourful rug, paint and plants to make it a space you’ll want to spend time in.

The kitchen is always a good room to put a small home office in, as there’s usually plenty of counter and cupboard space already there for you to set up at. Russ and Shirley Peters, owners of a float home in Ladner, BC did just that. Plus, you can multitask and cook while you’re working.

The great thing about putting your office in a closet is that there’s likely a door you can close at the end of the day, so you can forget about work for a little while. And with a few essentials, you can transform your dingy Harry Potter nook under the stairs into an inspiring work space.

Still racking your brain as to where you can put your home office? How about in an unused nook in the living room or hallway? Wedding planner Lynzie Kent put her home office in the corner of her Toronto home’s third bedroom. We love the red chair and functional shelving above.

If none of these options work for you, there’s always the possibility to have a makeshift home office with a desk that folds up from the wall and a close by dining chair. That’s what designer Natalie Chong did when she designed and furnished a two-bedroom condo for less than $10,000.

When all else fails, you can always have a portable office. Think: a desk on wheels that you can move in and out of a bedroom, laundry room, living room or kitchen. We love designer Jenn Hannotte’s drafting table desk set up in the sunroom of her Roncesvalles house in Toronto.

Regardless of the size of your home office, you’ll want to be surrounded by artwork that inspires you, as you’ll have to look at it every day. Remember to select artwork that fits the space. We’re loving the office artwork selection in designer Jacquelyn Clark’s 19th-century Toronto home.

In addition to artwork, pick a few objects – like books, candles or souvenirs – that will add to the vibe of the space. Don’t pick too many. A couple accents on some shelves or your desk will do. Photographer Anna Argiropoulos‘ home office showcases photo books and a vintage camera.

One way to make your small home office appear bigger is to set up your desk in front of a window with a view. That’s what Brie Gallagher did when she designed this hallway home office on a secluded ranch in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. It’ll keep the space feeling bright and open.

If your home office is lacking an inspiring view of nature, there are ways to bring elements of the outdoors inside. Plenty of plants and green and brown colours often do the trick. Or what about a fun curtain? Like this one in graphic designer Rachel Simpson’s Toronto home in Roncesvalles.

Even if you don’t have a spectacular view, putting your work space close to a window is a good idea, as proper lighting will make your tiny office seem bigger. Overhead lights are also a smart choice, especially if you ever work at night. Sarah Richardson has both in her hallway office space.

For a small home office, it’s important to keep only the essentials on your desk. A clean and organized desk will make the space seem larger and less cluttered. Your brain will likely feel less cluttered, too. We adore Alex and Tanya Suelzle’s minimalist West Vancouver home office.

To help with organization and clutter in a small space, ample storage is the key. Pick a desk with drawers or install some shelving above your work space. Take some inspiration from the bright, eclectic and functional Vancouver home office of architects Graham Smith and Tina Dhillon.