For many people working from home, there’s little option but to share space with other functions in your home. For some, that means working at the dining room table or kitchen counter or working in a bedroom. It can be tricky to work out the best way to work in a small bedroom and have enough space for both functions. Here, we’ll look at some of the best tips and tricks designers use to create more space, delineate functions, and make the space you have work best for you. Here’s to creating the best bedroom office you’ve ever had.
What's On This Page?
1) Vibrant Color
It is a common belief that you should not use bold colors on walls in a small room for fear of making the room feel even smaller. A key tip from designers and decorators is that it is the use of bold, vibrant colors that help a space feel bigger than it is. The small places in your home will never look big anyway, so style them in ways that feel fun and exciting to you, adding character and energy to your home.
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Separate the office section of your bedroom by painting the walls in that area a different color to help your brain know when you are in work mode and when you are not. Doing so helps you unwind after a long day and forget about work to recharge for the next day.
Finding a place to rent with the potential for a workspace is fairly easy — if you live in Los Angeles, for example, and are looking for a room in a house with others, simply search “rooms for rent near me”, to see all of the rooms available to rent. Paint is an easy win even in rented spaces, as it’s usually quite quick and easy to paint the space to suit you and then paint it the original color when you move out.
2) Modular shelving
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Another great way to style your office bedroom is to use modular and compact shelves which fit great into a small bedroom floor space. Shelving is an excellent solution to limited storage and adds a chic design to your office space. Look for shelves with a minimal and adaptable aesthetic that you can alter to match the decor of your small bedroom. Some of the most popular options for shelving include a monochrome theme and shelves with a wood finish which both give off a modern and striking design.
3) Desks
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Choose a desk that matches the design of your shelves so the entire office space in your bedroom looks similar. Doing this helps to create a coherent environment and separates the workspace from the rest of your small bedroom. Plenty of differentstyles and designsfor desks exist that you can use in your office bedroom office to save space while staying functional.
Here are a few types of desks to consider;
a) Floating Desk
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Since the bedroom is a small space to house both an office and a bedroom, floating desks are a great space saver and a good interior design solution. Also known as wall-mounted desks, floating desks have no legs, which further saves space and allows for easy movement with a chair. The floating desk further saves space as it can be designed to fold upwards when not in use. This adds to the convenience and versatility of the floating desk.
b) Built-in Desk
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Also known as a credenza, the built-in desk is great for office storage, especially if you have a lot of papers or accessories. A credenza brings neatness to the table, and you do not have to worry about where all the paperwork will go. Additionally, you can have a working surface on the built-in desk to work as you would on a normal desk.
c) Standing Desk
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Working from the bedroom comes with the risk of always being either seated or reclined, which is not good for the body and posture. A good standing desk gives the option of getting the body out of the seated or sleeping posture to a standing one. The standing desk has a lot of physiological advantages and is recommended for anyone working from home without a lot of mobility.
d) Traditional Desk
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A traditional desk is great and we love the familiarity that the desk comes with. It is easier to get used to a traditional desk and everything seems to fall into place with these desks. The traditional offers a lot of design opportunities. I like sticking to the table lamp and a bunch of books since I try keeping screens away from my bedroom.
e) Narrow Desk
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A narrow desk is great for use in the bedroom to not only save on space but use the desk as a design feature. Narrow desks can stay along the wall and act as shelves when need be.
4) Textures
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Textures are a great way to create visual excitement in the office. Having textured surfaces gives off a satisfying finish on surfaces. For instance, a matte table top is very attractive, especially when combined with pastel or deep and dark colors.
5) Working in the attic
A fantastic option for a small bedroom office is an attic bedroom. Not only are the attic bedrooms usually away from the rest of the house — giving you lots of peace to get on with some work — but they often have great views.
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Position your office space next to a window so that you get some direct natural sunlight into your workspace. Just remember, attic rooms can be difficult to control the temperature in, so make sure you have a heating fan to help keep your workspace comfortable in all seasons.
6) Prioritize key furniture
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Whenstyling a bedroom, prioritize key furniture first, especially if you plan to have a bedroom and an office together in a small room. Be prepared to sacrifice pieces of furniture that are less functional to save space. Make sure to include extra storage space, as well as a bed and desk space to work at — the rest is less critical, and simplicity is better than having a cluttered room where you can’t walk properly. Try to find furniture that can do double duty, like a bedside table where you can keep a printer or shelving that acts as a room divider.
7) Natural Light
Nothing looks more natural than natural light itself. The beauty of natural light is how uniform it is and the best part about it is the cost, which is free. Natural light gives the room ambiance and connects it to the outdoor environment.
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Natural light is easy to control usingcurtains.Combining natural light with other lights looks incredible and gives the room a brightness that brings the enthusiasm that a workspace needs.
8) Office Storage
Your office items need to be to make your workflow easy and effective. Incorporating a storage space in your bedroom keeps order and neat space, as it should be in every office.
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Office storage can be in the form of cabinets, with pieces on top, like lampshades. You can incorporate storage under your bed, which keeps the rest of the room neat and the office space simple. Storage space can be a place to store extra office supplies.
9) Personal Touches
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Adding a personal touch when setting up your home office space is a great move to remind you of who you are and bring a level of solemnity to your space. For instance, you can place the baseball your grandfather passed down or your first camera. There are other items you can place depending on their sentimental value and how good they might look on the desk.
10) Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting gives your office the energy it deserves. You can use ambient light to give the office a custom theme, depending on your style and taste. Yellow lights make spaces feel warm, while white lights give the illusion of cold rooms.
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You can light the office space using different light fixtures including standalone lights, wall lights, RGB lights, or hidden lights.
11) Murphy Bed
Murphy beds turn your bedroom into a full-on office that can host guests and give no hint of someone having spent the night in the office. A Murphy bed transforms the bedroom and gets rid of the urge to take a short nap that is ever so tempting when working next to the bed.
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A Murphy bed allows you to turn your guest room into an office so that whenever you do not have a guest, you have a complete office with you.
12) Corners
Setting up an office space in the corner of the bedroom creates more space compared to setting it upright in the middle of the room. A functional home office should allow the functions of the home to go on simultaneously, and a desk that is right in the middle of the room can get in the way.
13) Room Divider
A room divider can give your office the much privacy it needs. Other than privacy, the office space and the bed can have their independence, without one room imposing on the other. A room divider can be stylish and, more importantly, can keep your work from interrupting your partner or other occupiers sharing the same room.
14) Vintage Desk
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A vintage desk brings style into your office and an air of freshness that is different from all the modern items in the house. The rustic design creates a space for you to get lost in and a small world in which you can build your ideas without any distractions.
15) Wallpaper
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Wallpapers offer quick solutions to transforming spaces, and office spaces are not an exception. Some office wallpapers look neat and are office friendly, and they create the option to visually separate the bedroom and office space.
16) Facing In
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Creating an office space that faces the room other than facing the wall creates an open and approachable desk that feels inclusive. Turning your back on the room is slightly hostile compared to facing the room.
17) Minimalist
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The minimalist approach presents simple yet exquisite designs that are easy to incorporate. Minimalist designs are simple but thoughtful and creative, without too much visual noise, which boosts focus and concentration when working.
18) Accent Walls
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Accent walls create a visual space that shows seclusion from the rest of the room. You can set the office apart from the bedroom using an accent wall that has a different color from the rest of the room.
Tips for Setting Up a Small Bedroom Office
When setting up an office within a room, you may need to incorporate some home office ideas to make the idea kick off on the right foot. Here are some:
- Avoid placing the desk near passageways and paths in the room to avoid distractions.
- Use markers and boundaries like carpets or room dividers to keep the space exclusive.
- Use extra lighting to decorate the office area.
- Place the desk in a corner to maximize space.
- Place the desk next to a window to make the best of the natural light.
- Use cabinets as extra storage space for your office equipment.
- Explore the different types of desks other than the traditional desk to save on space.
- Be innovative with the bedside table.
- The Murphy table turns your bedroom into a transformer and is the best way to go about setting up an office in your bedroom and vice-versa.
Challenges With Bedroom Offices
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Bedroom offices are a great idea. By the time we choose to have the office in our bedroom, we have weighed out their pros and cons. While there are a lot of good things to say about the bedroom office, there are some downsides to it. Here are some challenges you should expect to have.
a) Cramped Bedroom
If you are a neat freak, then it will feel like you have two rooms to keep neat. If your bed is not spread, then it will feel like your office is part of that mess. Everything happening in the bedroom will somehow affect your work. While you can use a room divider to turn a blind eye, it might still be at the back of your mind and that is unsettling.
b) Distractions
Your bedroom office is essentially an open office without a door that can control the traffic. If you have a partner, ignoring them is not the best approach to maintaining your focus in the bedroom. If you fought, you will feel the energy directly, and if you have so many stories to catch up on, your concentration might be interfered with.
c) Limited Space
When you have an office within your bedroom, the room will feel small and you might have to give up some things. For instance, you might end up downsizing your bed to a smaller one to accommodate the office, and that takes some sacrificing to do.
Frequently Asked Questions About Small Bedroom Office Ideas
i) How do I set up an office in a small bedroom?
Setting up an office in the bedroom has a lot of ideas and factors. However, the first thing you want to consider is what office supplies you will be using and what kind of work you will be doing. For instance, if you are setting up an editing home studio, you will have a different layout and lighting compared to setting up a desk space full of papers.
Furthermore, the dedicated space you have will determine the desk chair size and the table or desk you will get. You do not need a separate room if you have a small desk that can fit inside your home office.
You can create a boundary around your desk area by using items like carpets or rugs to demarcate the space and separate it from the bedroom. An interior designer will help you with good ideas like
ii) How to design an office in a bedroom?
How you will design your office will depend on the size, purpose, budget, and design you have in mind for your office. Here are some ideas to use when designing a small bedroom office when you do not have a spare room.
- Make good use of the cabinets by using them as storage
- Use accent walls
- Place the desk next to a window
- Use rugs to separate the working space from the main room.
- Take advantage of the different types of desks
- Use colors to visually divide the office area and the bed area
- Light your desk differently from the bed
There are many other ideas you can use to design your office, but the best idea is one that works for you and the people who interact with your space. The first tip is, do not put the office desk where it would be in someone else's way.
If the bedroom is too small, think of your office as something you would do with the dressing table. Put the desk space exactly at that spot. Other than choosing a spot, you can consider downsizing your bed, and this is a tough one, but it adds the space you need for office furniture if you have a tiny space.
iii) How to decorate a small office with a bed?
Design and decoration go hand in hand and if you get one but miss the other, you will end up with a disaster. So, when you get the design right, you can consider some decoration ideas like these;
- Ambient lighting
- Accent walls
- Plants
- Natural lighting
- Large windows
- Curtains Wallpapers
There are a lot of other ideas, and the best way to know if they are working for you is to try them out.
Conclusion
Now you know some of the best ways to style a small office space while giving you enough space to enjoy your room and work throughout the day. Take your time with these steps and ideas, as you will spend a lot of time in this room, so it is crucial to design it in a way that works best for you.
