How to Create a Tiny Home Office In a Small Home

As small business owners, we tend to have home offices. Creating a tiny office in a small space is easy if you do some planning first. A home office doesn’t have to be too large; you don’t need sizeable square footage to make it functional. My home office is 10 square feet by 10 square feet space and has two desks, a crafting armoire, a cabinet for client files (Affiliate Link), and a filing cabinet (Affiliate Link). It is my home’s most functional work space because everything is near where I need it.

Remember that a small home office gets revised as you use it. Mine was made more effective as I started using it over several years. I have been working from home since the early 2000s.

So, to learn from my experience, I am sharing small home office ideas that will help you get your tiny office placed in the correct area and organized. Let’s begin.

First, you need to find the right dedicated home office space.

This task is usually the most challenging part of the process. Below are some tiny home office ideas that may work for your small home.

Look for unused awkward spaces throughout the home.

You can find many spaces that work perfectly for a small home office—unused closets, under steps, in basements, or attics that are partly finished. An awkward nook would be another great place for your office. These places will give you some unique inspiration to create your new office.

Subdivide extra long rooms

If you have a long living room, move the sofa away from the wall and place the desk (Affiliate Link) on the other side of the sofa.  Divide the room with the bookcase. Bookshelves make great room dividers (Affiliate Link).  I used an armoire and added paneling to the back of it so it was finished. You can check it out on my blog (

Below are some room dividers (Affiliate Link) you can find on Amazon (affiliate).

Room Divider 6 Panel Folding Bamboo Screen with Chinese Calligraphy Design

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Room Dividers, Folding Wood Privacy Screen with Three Display Shelves Suitable

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(Affiliate Link)

Use exposed walls in odd places.

Do you have a wall that is not being used? Mount a floating desk (Affiliate Link) or a wall-mount folding desk (Affiliate Link) like these from Amazon. Unused walls between doors or in hallways may be helpful in a tiny office.

Wall Mount Desk with Storage Drawer and Shelves, white

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Wall Mount Desk Storage Shelves & Hooks, with chalkboard

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(Affiliate Link)

Pop-up Coffee Tables work well for a mini office.

Use your sofa as the chair (Affiliate Link) with a pop-up table coffee table. Below are some sofa tables or pop-up coffee tables (Affiliate Link) (lift-top coffee tables) you can roll away for later use.

Pop-Up Coffee Table w/Sliding Slatted Door, 48″ Mid Century Modern Wood Center Table

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(Affiliate Link)

Use the dining room for your tiny home office.

If your dining room isn’t used often, you may be able to use a part of it for your home. A beautiful armoire that closes would work nicely when family and friends come over. Keeping closed bins and filing cabinets with a more home design works nicely for storage in the dining room.

Lateral Filing Cabinet by Bush Furniture

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(Affiliate Link)

Use part of a Guest room.

If you have some extra space in a guest room, you can use that for a home office. Use part of your guest room close to a corner, which works nicely.  Some people have used their guest room closet and built a desk (Affiliate Link) for their office. These are great suggestions.

Use an unused hallway.

You can use that space for a small desk (Affiliate Link) if you have a wider hallway with a window. The window light will help it feel like it is not a tiny space.

What should be stored in a Tiny Home Office?

When finding a place for your home office, it is essential to have storage space in there. Whether it will be a place to store papers or an area to hide the laptop when visitors come over. This tiny home office needs to house items you will use while working. Some things you may need homes for are:

• Long-term files
• Client files (Affiliate Link)
• An area to hold pens (Affiliate Link), pencils, etc…
• Drawer to hold stamps and envelopes
• Bin to hold bills
• A place to hide cables or chargers
• An area for frequently used folders
• A place for your planner
• Surface space for working large enough for your papers
• A place to store paid and unpaid bills

List the top 5 essential things that need to be housed in your tiny home office area. Ensuring this area has all these important things will keep you more productive during the workday.

Other tips for your tiny home office:

Pick a well-lit area or add light.

Ample light is important in a small home office space. Whether it is natural light or focal point light like a lamp, you will need to see what you are doing on those rainy workdays too. Below are some minimalist-style lamps I found on Amazon(affiliate).

Protect private client information.

To protect your client’s private data, It is a good idea to make sure this storage space has room for a locked cabinet to help you stay organized but also keep your stuff private when you are finished for the day.

How to organize a tiny home office

After you decide where you will place your small home office, here are some organizing tips that will help you make your space more organized. 

First, use items that have more than one use.

A table could be used for storage and a surface place for stuff. A chair (Affiliate Link) can be used for storage as well as being a chair (Affiliate Link). Get creative with multipurpose items.

Items should be stored away when not in use.

Some filing cabinets can be used as an ottoman as well. To keep the clutter at bay, only leave paper items out when they are being used. They should all have a home hidden behind something else.

Store most frequently used items within arm’s reach.

Have a small filing cabinet (Affiliate Link) with the most frequently used items near you. They can be in a decorative box or storage bin so people can tell what is inside.

Have an in-the-bin and a to-do bin near your small desk.

Maximum in-bins of two is a good indicator. If you leave more than two bins out, it will look too messy.

If you have many client projects with personalized papers, you may want to try a cubby bin system for paper management like the ones I found on Amazon. (affiliate)

In-Bin Wooden Desktop Organizer Paper Storage Letter Tray File Sorter 3 layer

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(Affiliate Link)

Things to Hide in a Tiny Home office to minimize mess

To keep your tiny home office looking magazine-ready, you need to have homes for everything. Below are just some of the things you may have out during your workday that will need a home when you are not working.

• Long-term files
• Pens (Affiliate Link), pencils, etc…
• Stamps and envelopes
• Client files (Affiliate Link)
• Cables or chargers
• Frequently used folders and papers
• Planner
• Paid and unpaid bills
• Laptop, mouse, keyboard, headset

Having a home that is hidden for all these items will give you peace of mind when you have to clear out the space when company comes over.

I hope these tiny home office ideas inspire you to make a wonderful tiny office in your small space. You will truly appreciate it!

Now it is your turn! Where do you have your tiny home office? Do you have any tips to help others make their home office more efficient? Please leave a comment below.

We have a service for you! We can meet with you to talk about your space and what you need in place to make your business run more smoothly. Visit our Virtual Consultations page to get more information and contact us! Virtual Consultations

We have a ton of home office tips and ideas for you!

Feel free to visit the posts below to inspire you to organize your tiny home office effectively!

• How to Create an Ideal Home Office for your business
• How To Make a Great Home Office Even Better
• 5 Easy Steps to Create an Organized Home Office
• 10 Home Office Hacks For Better Productivity In Your Small Business
• 9 Home Office Spring Cleaning Quick Tips