Working from home is becoming increasingly popular among many modern employees.
Whether you’re telecommuting, leaving the rat race to start your own home business, or just needing a landing spot to take care of paying bills and managing household chores, a home office has become a must-have space for many people in the home.
Whether you’re creating a corner office in the kitchen, setting up a living room as your office, or setting up a basement, your home office should include all the elements that contribute to your overall productivity, efficiency, and success.
Perhaps you have the option of allocating a separate space for your office. If so, great. You will have plenty of elbow room.
10 Ideas For Creating the Perfect Home Office on a Budget
Here are 10 ideas that will help you create the perfect home office on a budget, which will make your workday both more enjoyable and productive.
1) Find The Right Space
If you have enough space in your home to devote solely to your office, it’s likely that you will be comfortable at home and therefore productive.
However, if you are working from home, don’t assume that every inch of space in your house is suitable for an office.
Think about things like:
what space will be best for designing your layout?
Where can you store large amounts of documents?
Will you need more storage space over time?
What kind of storage solutions do you prefer (bookcases, cabinets, etc.)?
If multiple people work in your house, who is going to use which spaces?
2) Convert An Old Room
Before you start buying furniture, look around your home for an old room that you can convert into your own personal space.
Maybe your dining room has been unused for a while, or maybe one of your bedrooms could be converted into an office.
This is much easier than trying to create something from scratch the perfect budget option.
3) Create A Workspace That Fits You
Find a space in your home where you can get some work done. If possible, try to reserve one room for use as an office, or at least designate one corner of a room for your workspace.
Designate shelves or drawers for supplies and create some structure by setting up an efficient filing system. This will make it easy to find what you need when you need it!
4) Go Cheap, Yet Modern
Do you really need an entire room to call your home office? Not at all. Give yourself a smaller area in which to work even if it’s just your sofa or kitchen table and you can use every other corner of your house for something else.
Renting out unused space and using high tech solutions such as video conferencing are also ways to save money while working from home.
If any of these options sound interesting, give them a try and see how they work! If not, check out some more ideas below.
5) Add The Extras
Sometimes what you spend in extra money can save you money in other areas. By making an area of your home exclusively for working, you’ll likely be more productive and less distracted by daily tasks.
Investing in a separate, office quality computer or printer (or both) is another way to go when creating a home office.
Make sure you keep these items out of sight and locked up, so they aren’t easily accessible to kids or pets who might end up destroying them.
6) Keep It Clean
When you work from home, your home office is your workspace. It might be tempting to treat it like any other room in your house but in order to make sure it’s ready for a long day of work, you’ll need to keep that space tidy and clean.
There are many resources for creating an attractive but functional office at home and many ways to save money on furniture, decor and organizational products.
7) Lighting Makes A Difference
Lighting is perhaps one of most critical elements in creating an inviting and efficient home office. Bad lighting not only looks bad, but it can affect your vision, making it hard to read or do detailed work.
If you’re looking for an upgrade, consider LED bulbs they burn brighter and last longer than fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.
8) Use Your Coffee Table Wisely
Using your coffee table to hold some of your office essentials will free up valuable desk space and keep clutter at bay.
Your coffee table will become your go to desk for things like incoming mail, business cards and notes from meetings.
Put a laptop stand or desktop organizer there to allow you to work while standing up if it’s easier than sitting.
9) Choose Flexible Furniture
If you work from home, you’ll want to choose furniture that offers flexibility. First, purchase furniture that can be moved or rearranged easily for example, an entertainment center with storage drawers underneath and wheels, so it can be rolled away when not in use.
Second, since an adjustable desk can save space and money over time (there is no need to buy new furniture when you change positions within your office), consider purchasing one of these types of desks for yourself if your budget allows.
10) Get Help From Furniture Stores
Do you know what kind of desk to buy? Don’t go out and get a flimsy Ikea table. Furniture stores can be expensive, but there are some great options that won’t break your budget.
Big retailers like West Elm and Crate & Barrel offer affordable desks with ample storage space at an affordable price.
But if not, there are plenty of ways to use the space you can set aside for one. Whichever space you choose, make sure it can be set aside for the office rather than being used as an arts and crafts desk for your kids or a desk for your partner’s do-it-yourself projects on the weekends.
Take a look at your space and see what you can do easily and inexpensively to decorate it and make it more comfortable to work from home. Sometimes, just a fresh coat of paint, some strategically placed images, or a simple stencil job can brighten up a dull corner.
Decorating home office on a budget
Small office ideas on a budget
You probably have a comfortable dining room chair that works well as an office chair.
Search your home for some useful items that you managed to collect to create a comfortable and relaxing home office environment.
You can also have bookshelves, baskets, baskets, boxes, and filing cabinets that can also be built into your office.
If you don’t have office supplies yet, head over to your favorite stationery or discount store, buy some essentials, and prepare your space.
Budget home office ideas
How to Set a Home Office Budget
- Define Your Space.
- Create a Floor Plan.
- Decide What You Can Do For Yourself.
- Use What You Have.
- Build DIY Office Furniture.
- Shop Nearby for Cheap Deals.
- Accept Used Furniture.
- Buy New Decorations at Low Prices.
