When it comes to decorating small apartments, one of the most common dilemmas is finding a way to make room for a home office. And, with more people working from home now, a home office has shifted from a nice-to-have to a must-have, even in a small apartment.
When it comes to small apartment home offices and work-from-home spaces, the most important thing is to make sure your office takes up minimal floor space. That means choosing small apartment furniture and decor that help you maximize square footage, such as a bookshelf that doubles as a computer desk or stacking floating shelves that utilize your vertical wall space. It also means you’ll have to get creative with your interior design approach, whether it’s having your bedside table double as a desk or creating a corner in your living room that has a table and chair setup that’s fit for work and for meals. From there, you’ll want to work in functional storage, such as baskets and boxes that can be stowed away easily.
If it all sounds a little daunting, don’t worry. We’re here to help. No matter your space, we’ve got plenty of small studio apartment decorating ideas for your work-from-home space to be! Read on and get inspiration from some of our favorite tiny home office design ideas and pick up clever small room desk designs along the way. These are all great ideas for where to put a home office without an extra room!
A Place To Create
If you live in a one-bedroom apartment, one of our favorite small apartment home office ideas is to integrate your workspace in the bedroom instead of in your living room.
Why This Design Works:
- The desk and workspace occupies its own small zone along a wall but stylistically it still ties into the rest of the bedroom furniture, giving the space a cohesive look.
- The wall shelves make for functional storage that doesn’t take up floor space, which means you can add more decorative storage, such as easy-to-move baskets and bins.
- The desk can also easily double as a vanity or display surface for art when not in use.
The Best Part: It’s especially great if you enjoy having people over on the regular. This gives you a workspace in a private setting that’s totally separate from your entertaining and lounge area.
A Double-Duty Station
Need ideas for making the most of your furniture in a small bedroom? Try placing a small desk next to your bed for a workspace that doubles as your nightstand.
Why This Design Works:
- Two nightstands aren’t always possible in a petite space. But you’ll get the same amount of storage (if not more) with a desk with two drawers (or more).
- Curated accents make all the difference when decorating small apartments, so make room for a chic table lamp, colorful artwork, or a cool tapestry.
- A desk also gives you a huge surface to corral your electronics, stacks of books, and your nighttime beauty products—keeping it all within easy reach!
The Best Part: Think of this as the ultimate two-in-one office setup for a small bedroom. Not only does it save space, but it also adds function as a spacious bedside table with storage!
An Urban Home Office
Looking for studio space decorating ideas? It’s definitely not impossible to create an office in an open space that’s used for living, dining, and working. It simply requires clever furniture arrangements that use both horizontal and vertical space!
Why This Design Works:
- This mounted ladder desk next to the bed is perfect for small spaces, as it doesn’t take up a tone of floor space while still utilizing the wall space above for storage.
- The sleek and minimal appeal of the wall desk doesn’t visually clutter up the room.
- This is versatile in small spaces in that the ladder desk will look just as good next to a bed as it does alongside a sofa.
The Best Part: If you have high ceilings (and even if you don’t), this setup will make your room feel more open and airy. This trumps any ideas you might entertain of having an actual desk.
A Bedroom Corner Desk
For a chic take on the bedside desk look, take a cue from this modern and glamorous room. It’s a functional and fab approach that we see working in any small apartment design.
Why This Design Works:
- The Mid-Century style desk next to the bed is vanity first, work surface second, nightstand last. And it serves all those functions with style to spare.
- Instead of a table lamp, a hanging pendant light takes up no surface space while doubling the lighting for the desk and the bed.
- Despite all the patterns and accents, the varying neutral tones provide a monochrome palette that makes the small space feel cozy but not cramped.
The Best Part: Lean into the power of a neutral palette, which is calming and comforting in a small space. Start with a white desk and get creative with your color ideas for bedding and art.
A Working Nook
Who doesn’t love an office nook? With attic loft spaces, there often will be awkward corners and alcoves that are tricky to decorate. One solution? Make them mini tucked-away office spaces.
Why This Design Works:
- The writing desk and chair add instant function to an otherwise unused corner.
- Without having to make room for an office elsewhere, this setup maximizes floor space.
- The shelving over the staircase in this nook area is an extension to the office nook and provides convenient storage for books and office supplies.
The Best Part: Any sort of table and chair combination can work. Play around with some ideas, like a round bistro table and a pair of side chairs or even a console table and a stool.
A Practical Entryway Office
Small spaces call for innovative design ideas. You can’t beat the convenience and function of small studio apartment decorating ideas like this small home office in the entryway of a tiny apartment!
Why This Design Works:
- The office area makes smart use of vertical space, from the desk and wall shelving to the adjacent bookcase. There’s lots of room for storage all around.
- Bar-height options make great desks for small spaces because they occupy a smaller footprint.
- Everything also enhances the entryway in that the rug is a durable foundation, the desk can be a catchall, and the bookcase can be used for both everyday and office storage.
The Best Part: This is a great multipurpose solution if you don’t need a dedicated entryway. And if you have other ideas for the furniture, go for it! Just pick tall pieces that are space-saving.
A Hidden Home Office
File this under best small space office ideas. This under-the-stairs corner desk nook brings function to an awkward area you might find in a duplex or small apartment design with a mezzanine.
Why This Design Works:
- This tucked-away office works nicely as an extension to the living room while maximizing all the square footage possible in the under stairs space.
- The practical yet industrial workspace in the bedroom turns the workspace into a focal point that’s just as stylish as the rest of the room.
- It feels like a private dedicated work space with plenty of storage despite being in an open living area.
The Best Part: A small desk on wheels is perfect for small spaces since you can easily move it around to serve other functions when needed.
A Hallway Home Office
For a small apartment design consisting of one large open-concept room, try this sophisticated home office set up in the hallway corridor leading in from the entryway. You can even get crafty and use a console table as a desk for small room designs like this one.
Why This Design Works:
- This compact home office makes use of narrow and tall furniture, such as the desk and bookcase, which take up minimal wall space that would have otherwise gone unused.
- The hanging mirror conveniently turns the spot into an entryway catchall.
- The stool slides neatly under the table and doesn’t block the flow from the entry into the living room. You can also explore other ideas for seating, like garden stools or poufs.
The Best Part: If industrial style isn’t your thing, opt for furniture in a style that suits your taste. Just be sure to stick to slender pieces that line up minimally against your walls.
A Collaborative Work Zone
Need design ideas for a small living room workspace? Try this makeshift coworking corner floating desk in your own small apartment. It’s one of our favorite ideas for a small home office for two that’s also a breakfast spot.
Why This Design Works:
- You can easily mix and match a cafe table with different chairs to build out this work corner in your small space. Or use furniture you already have!
- This workspace can be used for different purposes when needed, like as a game table or for a meal.
- Because all the pieces are so versatile and moveable, it doesn’t take up a ton of extra room.
The Best Part: This is a low-lift approach to a workspace that’s great if you’re not looking to splurge on furniture. You just need a few pieces that you can arrange together as needed.
A Floating Home Office
Even when decorating small apartments, floating or suspending your home office area in the living room, like this workspace behind the sofa, can make for a smart and stylish solution.
Why This Design Works:
- Instead of a console table, a writing desk behind the sofa adds an instant work zone to the room that always feels organic. Plus the two drawers add extra storage for office supplies.
- When out of wall space, this is a great way to integrate a functional office spot into a small apartment design, where it’s part of the living and entertaining space.
- This maximizes the space behind a sofa, another tricky space, that would otherwise be unused.
The Best Part: If we’re talking about ideas for partitioning or dividing up a room into zones, a desk is probably the chicest in our book given it’s practical, space-saving, and totally stylish.
A Statement-Making Office
Looking for a bold and elegant way to create an office space in your small apartment? This neutral and studio apartment does just that with a shelf-desk that’s both functional and chic.
Why This Design Works:
- The built-in desk on the bookshelf is the ultimate space-saving office hack as it doesn’t take up any additional floor space. These are our favorite desks for small spaces.
- The pair of tall bookcases are eye-catching and practical at once, serving as stylish displays and wall storage while also offering up a small space work surface.
- The statement armchair and clean-lined coffee table are the main furniture pieces that stand out in the room. They help balance out the office area as additional focal points.
The Best Part: In terms of small apartment design tips, this is a seamless way to integrate an office space into a studio. It not only maximizes space but also storage with the bookshelves.
A Home Office With A View
One of the best things about decorating small apartments is that you’re forced to only shop for furniture and designs that are top-notch for you. That’s exactly the case with this alcove office.
Why This Design Works:
- Despite being sparsely furnished, this office space, with the small writing desk by the window, is a nice extension off of a living room that feels warm and inviting.
- You can easily turn the console table into a display when not in use as a work surface.
- The key interior design element is the row of windows, which lets tons of natural light in the room as well as serve up an amazing view of the outdoors.
The Best Part: You can easily rearrange this space into a living room by simply adding a coffee table and another armchair. Swap in other small furniture and experiment with layout ideas.
An All-In-One Studio Space
Think of this as the ultimate studio apartment space where every square footage needs to be optimized for living, sleeping, or working. It’s one small apartment space that needs to do it all!
Why This Design Works:
- The high top table and chairs setup is a smart work surface here since it’s slender and has a small footprint and easily fits into a corner or off to the side of the room.
- This is an ideal dining room office design for small or studio apartments. Because, when not in use, the office area can be used for dining.
- With the raised profile, you can squirrel baskets or a file cabinet under the table for added storage.
The Best Part: This space spotlights the pretty small things instead of the furniture. So, if you’re debating what to get in your small space, skip the coffee table for the cool floor lamp.
Source