Tips for a Home Office in the Bedroom

If you work from home, choosing where to put your work-station can be a tricky one. Some opt for garden offices, away from the house and distractions all together, while others who are blessed with the space use a spare room as a dedicated study. When both of these options aren’t available, many incorporate a desk/work-space into an existing room, like a kitchen or bedroom.

There are things to take into consideration with these spaces, like the space planning, size of the space available, functionality and safety for pets/children etc. Many like to keep work and technology away from the bedroom - the bedroom being a personal haven and escape from work - however there are ways to incorporate a workspace into a bedroom when the bedroom is the most practical option in terms of space; here’s some tips.

Keep your bed in mind

The position of your bed in comparison to your workspace is key; if space allows, separate the space to divide the workspace from the rest space. Use curtains, a bookcase or shelving unit, or plants to partition the space. Alternatively, if the room is unable to be physically divided, place the desk facing away from your bed to reduce the risk of you wanting to retire to the comfort of your bed to work, where you’ll likely be less productive.

If the space is small, consider fold-away/murphy beds to create a multi-functional space which when working, doesn’t feel like a bedroom at all and appears as a dedicated office room. The added space when the bed is folded into the wall will reduce any clutter or the space feeling cramped.

Materials and textures

Keeping the design of your desk area cohesive with the design of your bedroom is important to ensure the space flows well and your desk doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Incorporate similar colours and furniture styles into your workspace to the ones used in the rest of the bedroom, but ensure they’re both aesthetically-pleasing and practical.

If the space is small, take note from our post about small office spaces in using reflective or transparent materials like glass or mirrored surfaces, or simply lighter and brighter colours to give the illusion of more space.

Storage

To avoid your bedroom looking like a filing room, ensure paperwork is hidden away in cupboards or folders, or go tech with your paperwork and use things like the Cloud to condense clutter all together.

Alternatively, if you have the storage space, store paperwork which you no longer need to hand in another room to avoid an overwhelming collection of documents in your bedroom office – keeping organised is important in a home office.

Make it multi-functional

Ensure your bedroom is still your bedroom, and not a messy office with a bed in. Double up your desk as a dressing-table by ensuring the desk or nearby has sufficient storage to convert the desk for multi-purpose when necessary. Add touches to make it homely and inspiring, like sitting in-front of a window with a nice view, or hang your favourite painting or photograph.

While you’re bringing work into your bedroom, don’t let it rule your relaxation space. With careful planning, design and layout, a bedroom workspace can be effective in allowing you to be productive, while also being a beautiful and chic space. 

Laura Sewell

An aspiring journalist, Laura is our content writer intern.  Pop-punk gig-goer and drag queen enthusiast, Laura is working her way into the industry with an English A -Level and love of writing about anything and everything in tow.