Has the outbreak of Coronavirus suddenly forced you to work from home? Are you currently struggling on the coffee table or kitchen table? In this guide we’ll look at how you can create the perfect home office without needing to spend hundreds of pounds doing it.

Workspace

Do you have a spare bedroom that you rarely use or is space at a premium in your home? From the space under your stairs to a corner of a bedroom or living room, your home office needn’t take up a lot of room. All you need is enough desk space to accommodate your work process and computer setup and room for some type of storage.

If you are planning on using a corner of your bedroom or living room why not look at some folding partitions which will help you make the transition between work and relaxation. Make sure that you have enough space to work effectively, after all you will probably be spending 8 hours a day in your home office, so it does need to be comfortable.

Your desk

The central point of any office is your desk as this is where you’ll carry out most of your work and plan out your daily tasks. While office desks are great when you have plenty of space, in a home setting you will likely want something a little bit more compact. Luckily you don’t have to spend £100’s to get what you want. A makeshift table can be made from a sheet of plywood, OSB or chipboard, a small set of drawers and a couple of sturdy pieces of timber to act as legs. For a low impact desk why not by a countertop or wide shelf and some heavy-duty brackets to create a floating office desk and add shelving to the side and above to maximise your space.

Another option is to look out for free or low-price pieces of furniture on community websites which you could repurpose and use to make an office desk. From small kitchen tables to old desks that just need a little bit of TLC, you can bag yourself a bargain and with the help of some varnish or paint, create your perfect office desk.

Seating

The cheapest option is to simply use an existing dining chair or kitchen chair for your home office. But if you are planning on working from home for an extended period then a good quality chair that can recline and adjust the height of is probably worth investing in. Again, you don’t need to buy this brand new as you should be able to pick up a decent chair from online auctions sites such as eBay for a fraction of the cost of a new chair.

Storage and shelving

Do you have a lot of paperwork to keep on track of? If so then you’ll need some storage to help you keep your home office organised. Some of the best options include:

  • Shelves

  • Desktop paper trays

  • Filing cabinet

  • A set of drawers

  • Stationery holders

All of these will help ensure that you have everything you need easily to hand while also ensuring that you are able to keep your workspace free from clutter.

Decoration

From inspirational posters on your wall to a creativity inspiring paint scheme, your home office should by a place for you to work and as such it should be decorated to help reflect this. And it’s not just the walls that can be decorated to add colour. Plants can easily create colour while also helping to lift your mood and simple accessories can really help brighten up your home office.