Add a study area to your small home

Lily Cichanowicz Lily Cichanowicz
AR Design Studio- Elm Court, AR Design Studio AR Design Studio Studio moderno
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In this day and age, our work life doesn’t end when we leave the office. Often we are expected to check emails, pay bills, and stay current on the current goings on in our field of work. The result is that we must spend some of our time at home managing these responsibilities. Yet, with children and pets in tow, it can be hard to find a moment to get things done undisturbed. This challenge is exacerbated when our homes do not have the space to convert an entire room into a home office. Space is an increasingly expensive commodity, and we all must adapt to make sure our homes fulfil all our needs regardless.

One way to do this is by getting creative and coming up with a clever spot to work or study in a small home. Once you adopt this mind set, you’ll be surprised at the many nooks and crannies that could be optimised by turning them into a work area. In this Ideabook we will be outlining 6 of our favourite spots you may not have considered for converting into a study.

Pull-out study in a bookshelf

One way of incorporating a small home office into your home when space is constrained is to invest in some pull-out furniture. The principle here is that when you’re not using the desk you can simply stow it away to allow for more space. In fact, this method could also apply to beds or dining tables. The most common kinds are built-in models like the one featured in this room by AR Design Studio, but you can certainly purchase a freestanding bookshelf with a pull out desk as well. They are particularly convenient for study purposes because books, papers, and writing utensils can easily be stored on the shelves. This option is best if you aren’t planning to use the desk on a daily basis. Plus, if the pull-out desk is situated near the living room or area where your children typically play, you can easily supervise them while paying bills and answering emails.

Get a loft bed with a desk

homify Camera da letto in stile classico

Today, loft beds are especially popular among students. Most commonly used in dorm rooms for the exact purpose of making space for a desk in a small room, a loft bed and a desk is an ideal setup for a single living in a studio apartment or teen’s room. They are fun and alternative in their configuration and the raised bed can serve as a private little nest amid a studio apartment frequented by guests. There are lots of different styles of lofts to choose from as well. For example, this loft comes not only with a bed and desk, but also a matching sofa.  Your teen might feel more inclined to use their desk for studying with a loft bed because of their association with cool college kids. As for the study area, there is plenty of space for all the essentials on the built in shelf.

Study corner next to a window

The space around a window can be a bit awkward. Often windowpanes protrude in such a way that is incompatible with furniture. Further, we tend to situated television screens away from the windows to avoid glare. It can be a shame not to get the most out of these beacons of lovely natural light, so why not set up a little study area here? If there’s a wide ledge it’s a perfect place to work with a view. The sunlight is ideal for making you feel energised and productive because it is what our eyes are most accustomed to, and it’s rarely as harsh as fluorescent lighting can be. If there’s a radiator beneath the window in question, all the better! The extra heat will keep you cosy on a cool day. Add a couple accessories like the ones pictured in this cute little study spot and you’ve just transformed an unused space. Voila!

Unused nook study

Speaking of unused spaces, it is very common that after all is said and done by way of decorating and furnishing, there tends to be some awkward nooks and corners left without a purpose. One common place where this happens is in transitional spaces like on the landings or in wider corridors. No one wants to over-clutter these areas and inhibit their primary function as the link between one place and another within the home, but often there is actually enough space for a bookshelf or a desk. This little nook at the top of the stairs perfectly fits a cosy study space and shelving unit. It serves as a private spot situated in plain sight because it is tucked away yet still in proximity to a highly utilised area in the house. With a small desk or table, comfy chair and a place to store books and documents, you’ll have all the basics covered. Add a pleasant light fixture like the one featured here and you’re reading to get cracking on those work tasks!

Subtle study corner in the living room

Sundown, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall homify Studio moderno

As we’ve touched upon before, for some of us, sequestering ourselves to the far reaches of our home is not an option. This is not only because the home itself is small, but also because we have youngsters to look after or other responsibilities to care for in the home. Therefore, a study in a common area like the living room might actually be most conducive to getting work done. Still, we don’t want our petite living room to be overrun with a bulky desk and enormous chair. To keep the study corner subtle and contained it’s best to arrange other furniture in such a way that the study area is contained. In this living room, such is done in two ways. Perhaps the most obvious is with the help of the partial wall. Additionally, and possibly more realistically for many of us, the back of the sofa is turned to the study corner to reinforce it’s seclusion from the rest of the area. Another easy way to pull off the same effect is with the help of a bookshelf.

Under the stairs

Lastly, one of the most awkward empty spaces in your home is likely to be the area beneath the stairs. There are, in fact, tons of ways to maximise the space in this oddly shaped nook. For our purposes, let’s discuss the best ways to make it into a functional little office space. Often staircases already have a little closet built-in to them, so the groundwork may already be laid for you. Installing some additional shelves like the ones in this study beneath the stairs will also help to make the spot more functional. This is also an excellent spot for your children to do their homework or for you to get things done within earshot of their play. A study under the staircase is a fabulously creative solution to finding space to fit a study in your small home.

For more ideas about how to make the most of the space beneath your stairs check out this Ideabook. Happy decorating!

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