Expert Tips to Make Your Home Office Beautiful and Functional

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So many people I talk with have one major problem in their home and that boils down to clutter and storage. How do you manage it all to have a functional and attractive space?

When it comes to design, I believe function + smart design + beauty = success. It’s your “design trifecta” no matter what area you choose to focus on.

Function + Smart Design + Beauty = Success. It’s your “design trifecta'.Click To Tweet

Today, let’s talk about office spaces.

Whether you work from home or need an area to pay bills, catch up on correspondence, and plan out your week, I’ve gathered some inspiring small spaces to help you find potential in your home. And yes, there is potential in every space! Even yours.

In addition, organizing experts shared their “best” tips with me on how to declutter and organize your home office/nook to make it an enjoyable place to be rather than one that fills you with dread.

At the end, you’ll find a collection of various beautiful and functional items to help you stay organized, while looking pulled together.

FOR INSPIRATION…

CORNER OFFICE

HGTV, Home office organization, clean and organize

Chris Tsambis – Home Office

This office, tucked into a corner, really provide impact and style. For the back wall, you could stencil, paint, apply removable wallpaper or hang fabric.

The open shelving is simple and brilliant.

This is an easy DIY project. Take a 1×4 and mount it vertically into a stud. Add shelves spaced apart as you desire. These are probably 12″ wide board cut to length of books.

Additional storage items used: stacked mason jars, a decorative box for cords/chargers, wall hung baskets.

I love how Chris mounted the pencil sharpener to the upcycled desk. So clever!

CLOSET CLEANSE

A good cleanse always feels good! Don’t you agree?

Once it’s done, you then wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

This closet had a bit to be desired, so it was cleaned out and painted. Shelves were installed on KV brackets. Storage containers in 3 different colors create a unified pallette. And a handy rolling cart makes things mobile.

I bought a similar cart for my daughter’s dorm room and it works so great that I might buy myself one.

Beautiful Protest, closet organization, declutter

Beautiful Protest: Closet Organization BEFORE

Beautiful Protest, closet organization, home office

Beautiful Protest: Closet Organization AFTER

HOME OFFICE IN MASTER BEDROOM

Sometimes a home office has no other place to go than in a bedroom. When that is the only solution, make it super stylish with loads of function. Take this home office for example.

A simple IKEA desk was paired with some gorgeous distressed shelving. The homeowners took new 2 x 12 pine boards, banged ’em up, and then chisled away at them to give them a time-worn look. The shelves were then stained and mounted atop simple and affordable Ikea metal brackets. Decorative boxes, storage bins and fun artwork finish this space off.

I also love the mix of chairs. How bout you?

The Lettered Cottage – Master Bedroom/Home Office

LOW ON SQUARE FOOTAGE?

Wall-mounted desks or built-in work surfaces can be a great space-saving solution. This “murphy desk” takes up about the same amount square footage as a small freestanding desk, when open. Should you care to close it when guests arrive, simply rotate the chair for a cozy nook to sit in…no work required!

AD, Architectural Digest, Murphy Desk, Wall Mounted Desk

Wall Mounted Murphy Desk

CORK YOUR WALL

Here’s a small space that makes use of a big wall. Designer Tina Hellberg corked it and turn it into a functional display, art and task wall. You can easily do the same thing.

Use fun pins that tie into the theme or look you desire. Mix in 3-dimensional items among your pinned pieces to add interest. The natural light from the window enlarges this area by letting you sit and look out for inspiration or a short break. Add a fun lamp, few desk accessories and a storage tray to collect papers, and you’re good to go.

P.S. How cute are those baby tennis shoes hung from a clip?!

Scandinavian Style, Tina Hellberg Interior, Cork Wall, Home Office

Tina Hellberg Interiors – Corked Wall

MAKE IT POP!

What I love about this space are the pops of color! They took a cozy little nook and maxed out storage while keeping an “airy” feeling with the use of open shelves and a floating desk. Storage boxes, binders, and magazine holders create a unified look with their selected color palette.

The walls painted a softer shade of blue keeps the room from being overpowered. Additional storage is found below the desk with fun baskets that can hold whatever you need.

home office, eclectic space, organization

One Kind Design – Eclectic Home Office

EXPERT DECLUTTER & STORAGE TIPS

Office space, organization, storage bins

Office space via Twenty One Two Designs

I asked a couple home organization experts to share their best tip(s) for decluttering and orgnaizing your home office. Here’s wha they shared.

“My best organizing tip would be to establish a paper system. Use file trays or wall trays to keep paper organized. Label the trays to stay organized, seeing the visual label will make a big difference.

Another thing I highly recommend is for email and that is eliminating folders and just archiving everything. If you need to find an email, the search function will help you tremendously. It will also eliminate the indecisiveness which email file that should go to.” Marie Jackson, Organized Marie

Bonus Tip: Marie hosts Online Organization Parties! Now for those of you who get a little giddy when things are neat and tidy (like me), you’ll LOVE this!

Tracy Anderson shares “I do like to help people understand three things.

First, you can’t organize clutter/junk. You must get rid of it.
Second, I find people do best when they have a supportive friend or family member there to tell them to get rid of the clutter. Don’t choose someone who is going to try and make you feel sentimental about what you are getting rid of.
And third, the task is not finished until the trash is taken out.

Make a decision to throw it away or donate it, then do so. The weight is not lifted from your shoulders until everything is gone!”

Great tips! Thanks, ladies!

ONCE YOU’VE DECLUTTERED

When you’re all done decluttering, here are some next stesp you can take to get a home offic you love!

Pick your color palette. A good rule of thumb is to work with 3 main colors, one of which can be the “pop”. You can also select the “pop of color” using a variety of shades for interest.
Research online to find the style of accessories you’d like to use to update your space. Pinterest can be your best friend.
Set your budget and begin to roll out your plan.
Remember, if you have to take some time to acquire all you need, do so. There’s no rush. You can buy as you go or save what you need to shop all at once. However you care to accomplish organizing your home office, layout a plan that you can put into motion.
If you need a little help, don’t forget the Home Project Planner which is available to all our subscribed readers. It’s a great tool to help you through any project. To get your copy, go to our Free Resource Library, use your code. find the Planner and download. (If you’re new, subscribe to our newsletter to get your access code.)