The extra closet. The storage nook. The well-lit breezeway. We’ve all eyed them in our homes and apartments and thought: why not convert that into a small space workspace?

Of course, as Henry David Thoreau once said, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Transforming any space requires a foundation of vision and, more than anything else, a plan. There’s nowhere better to start then a list of top 10 tips for turning a small space into a workspace. Nooks, alcoves, closets, and spare rooms – each makes an excellent candidate for transformation, and if they can help your home-office productivity, that’s a huge value add for any space.

Location, Location, Location

If you could imagine your perfect workspace, what would it look like? More importantly, what would it sound like? Productivity-killing ambient noise and atmospheric distractions can make for long term problems. Be sure that you’ve scouted the perfect locale for your small-space transformation.

Think Vertically

The “workstation sprawl” typical of a commercial office can be a productivity death knell for a small workspace. If you find yourself working on the road, mounts for your devices will help you stay organized and prevent your tech from getting jostled during the drive. For small home offices, vertical organizational solutions can also give your workspace a modern flexibility. No-drill hardware mounts can give you a modular (and drywall-friendly) solution for your tablet, smart phone, laptop and any other essential tech for your home office.

Set Boundaries

Making a home office a true workspace means delineating it from the main living space. Maximizing productivity entails minimizing distractions, so crafting a border by rearranging furniture and strategically repurposing floorspace can prime you for work time. To optimize your workplace without sacrificing style, use a chic accent piece to offset your workspace and keep your interior decor in line.

Find Your Light

Unless your surname is Wayne and you have a penchant for dressing like a bat, no one likes to work in a cave. Organize your space around a natural light source, and if time allows, test it for visibility (and temperature) throughout the day. If your space is lacking in natural light, make sure to add some lamps.

Be Inventive

Bringing the same innovation to your space’s layout that you bring to your work in an investment in your future workflow. Accent pieces reimagined, or storage solutions built from surprisingly versatile materials like resin, can create an inventive environment perfect for stimulating ideas and maximizing efficiency.

Clock In (…and Clock Out)

The daily ritual of a workplace commute can mark the beginning and end of the workday. But for those working from home, no matter how well designed the space, a workday can easily bleed into the wee hours. Set a timeframe for the day’s projects, and stick to it. A schedule only works if it’s followed. Be sure to use that same technique for the end of the workday, because “leaving it at the office” can prove challenging when the office is two feet away from the couch.

Keep Cords

A little secret about the modern office: it is chock full of methods for keeping the power and auxiliary cords from becoming a tech jungle.  For many of us without an on-site IT staff, the same cannot be said, and options to tame HD and Ethernet connections can be a small shift that keeps your day from getting into the weeds.

Avoid DIY Overload

Whether your work-from-home office is a temporary or permanent solution, be sure that your newly transformed workspace stays a workspace, and not a constant project. Making specific time to improve your workspace (separate from actually working) makes for a more organized and comprehensive approach to building out and utilizing your home office.

Bring a Little “Live” to Your Work Space

Plantlife, photos, and other personal touches can serve as accent pieces and bring a vibrant, lively aesthetic to your in-home office. Make sure to find a seasonal bit of foliage that matches your workstation look.

Go Off Campus

Cabin fever can be doubled in a small work space, so efforts to offset it have to be a bit more diligent. Take time to step away from your workspace and go for a walk, or find inspiration in other areas of your home. Feeling like your small workspace is part of a larger whole will help you to appreciate it all the more.

Ultimately, transforming a small space into a workspace can be a thorny undertaking; but with a little planning and ingenuity, you can create a home office optimized to make your work day feel more like pleasure than business.

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Interiors Revitalized is a full-service home staging, model home merchandising, and interior design firm located in Jacksonville Florida.  In addition to Jacksonville, we serve the  St. Johns, St. Augustine, Orange Park, Fleming Island, and Fernandina Beach areas. Contact us today at 904.625.2214 to discuss your home staging or interior design project.  We’ll make that first offer your best offer!

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