Turn Your Additional Bedroom into a Home Office

An additional bedroom is ideally suited for creating a home office, when running a business from your apartment. By paying attention to form and function, a bedroom can be transformed into an attractive base for your business.

Planning

As part of the process of starting a business from your apartment, investigate local laws and apartment rules affecting home businesses. First, check your local zoning laws to see if home businesses are allowed, and if so, what types of businesses are permitted. Some towns prohibit businesses which adversely affect the residential feel of a home.

Second, check your apartment complex’s rules for any prohibitions on running a home business from your apartment. With the increase in telecommuting, most apartment buildings (and condominiums) allow business activities, as long as they don’t negatively impact your neighbors.

Functionality

When working from an apartment, you may want to use an additional bedroom for more than one purpose. Your lifestyle and space requirements will influence how you use each room. If you have plenty of room, creating a dedicated office space might suffice. Otherwise, creating a dual-purpose space, such as an office and guest bedroom, may be preferable.

Furnishing Your Home Office

Despite any desire to have your office match your apartment’s decor, to run a business, the office must be functional. Measure the work space to determine what size furniture will fit. Using a sheet of paper or home design software, lay out your office furniture, shelves and storage units.

A comfortable desk, large enough to hold your computer and paperwork, should be central to your design. Seek out online and local stores catering to the home office market. If you’re on a tight budget, use stores and furniture lines offering low-cost modular office furniture to customize your office.

To save space, consider purchasing two filing cabinets as a base, with a separate desktop that sits on top of them. Stacking modular storage units can keep office supplies and files handy, without making holes in your apartment’s walls.

When using your office as a dual-purpose area, purchase a computer workstation and storage units on wheels. Wheeled units can be moved to other rooms, allowing you to work elsewhere in your apartment.

Office Equipment

The type of business you’re running will determine your equipment needs. Unless you already own the equipment, identify the specific equipment models you’ll need before purchasing furniture. The size of your equipment, including desktop and laptop computers, printer, scanner, external hard drives, router, modem, phone, copier, fax and videoconferencing equipment will influence furniture choices and placement. All-in-one units, such as printer/fax/scanner units, are useful when space is at a premium.

Organization and Efficiency

A well-organized office allows you to run an efficient business. Provide sufficient shelves or storage units to store files, mail, CDs and computer peripherals. Establish a place to store each item used in your business. The key to creating a successful home office is planning for functionality and efficiency, while maintaining a pleasing and comfortable decorating style.

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Lisa Bernstein: As a long-time apartment dweller and seasoned condominium trustee, I have dealt with numerous landlord-tenant, property management, and day-to-day apartment complex issues. My extensive, direct experience has led to invaluable insights into apartment life from both the tenant and management perspectives.