Top 4 Tips for Furnishing Small Work Spaces

Apartment dwellers may not have room for big roll top desks or fancy l-shaped workstations. How can you best make use of your tiny space if you need to do some work at home? Read on for some super ways to make a couch into a desk and a living room into an office!

1. Laps aren’t just for dogs anymore

Lap desks may make laptop computers into “desktop” computers of a sort, but they still allow for great flexibility of movement and variability of workspace. Such lap desks come in a variety of styles, from the small desk featuring a cushion under a hard surface to a more expansive desk with workspace and room for snacks or beverages as well. Your imagination is the only limitation to what can be done with this lap desk when you’re not using it: the desk can become a footrest, a low table, a tray for eating, or another level for your coffee table, whatever your heart desires. A portable desk is just the thing for the apartment dweller who needs to be space- and style-conscious at the same time. And a lap desk doesn’t have to be for a computer specifically—you can also just do some old-fashioned writing on it.

2. Side tables can swivel

A simple side table in your living room or bedroom can turn into a desk if it includes a simple swivel function or has an extra leaf. You might also consider keeping around this handy swiveling bookstand, which allows books to become display pieces when not in use and is useful for reading and storage during work time. If function, not fashion, is a priority for you, you might consider a simple laptoptable that may include extra levels that can allow you to store work supplies or other useful items.

3. Keep busy on the kitchen table

The kitchen table can become a great place to work if you make provisions for organizing it. Buy a cute storage basket or set of boxes—one for kitchen stuff, one for work stuff—and keep them on or near the table. This makes it easy to convert your eating space into an office space or vice versa. Storage boxes for your office supplies can also make fine decorations or colorful accessories in the living room, if that’s your “workplace” of choice.

4. Comfort, comfort, comfort

Alternative workspaces can be more comfortable than traditional ones, because you build them around your own individual needs. Instead of location, location, location, as in real estate, the watchword is comfort, comfort, comfort! Sitting on a couch instead of in a hard office chair and being able to use a comfy footrest are just two of the many upsides of working in an alternative space in your home. You can put on your slippers and pajamas, and make yourself a nice cup of coffee in your favorite mug. Cuddle up on the couch and get to work!

With a little clever planning and the help of some fancy accessories, your home office can disappear into a closet, behind a couch, or even blend into the surroundings as necessary. Think differently and equip yourself properly, and even the smallest apartment can be conducive to great work!