Setting Up a Home Office in Your Apartment
Remote working has become increasingly more common over the past few years. More companies now offer hybrid working conditions or even fully remote opportunities. With that being said, nowadays, more and more employees are in need of having an efficient home office, no matter what space they are living in.
While that’s relatively easy in a house, an apartment home office can be more complicated. You’ll have less space to work with, and it could already feel a little cramped. And, that’s before you even think of adding a desk and chair! With the right steps and some small home office ideas, however, it could be easier than you’d think.
In this article, we’ll help you put some inspiration together and highlight some of the best home offices setup ideas you can try.
How to Set Up a Home Office in an Apartment: 5 Steps to Take
1. Know Your Surroundings
The first step in setting up a home office is to assess your surroundings. You’ll need to figure out where you’ll put everything, as well as how much space you have to work with. It’s one of the most important things you’ll need to do, as it affects every buying decision you’ll have to make when finalizing your space.
Take the time to get your bearings, and you shouldn’t have a problem figuring things out. Start by picking where you’ll put your home office, and work your way outward from there. You’ll make the process much easier for yourself. It could even be worth measuring things out so you know exactly how much space you have to work with and how many things you can include in your design.
2. Use a Space-Maximizing Desk
Your desk naturally takes up the most space in your home office, but that doesn’t mean you’ll need to settle for an option that takes up a lot of space. Instead, there are plenty of options that are relatively small, despite being large enough to work from, making it easy to find the perfect size for your home.
Aim to get a desk that only offers enough space for your essentials while making sure you’re comfortable working from it. Anything larger than that could be a waste, so these desks might not be worth considering. You’ll be surprised by how many options you have.
3. Focus on Vertical Storage
You’ll need some office supplies, documents, and other essentials when you’re working from home. These naturally take up a bit of space, which can be a problem with an apartment home office. You simply might not have the extra space in place for a lot of storage.
You don’t need to settle for not having everything that you need, though. By focusing on vertical storage, you won’t clutter the floor or walkway of your home with too much extra stuff, making it much easier to comfortably work and live from home.
4. Get Organized
One of the more overlooked parts of setting up a home office is making sure you’re organized. You don’t just need to focus on making sure that’s the case when you’re putting everything together and utilizing vertical storage, though. You’ll also have to make sure you can stay organized when you’re working.
Having the right supplies and tools helps with this, so it’s worth investing in them as early as you can. Once you do, you can work from home much quicker and more efficiently, allowing you to focus on the work rather than locating all your supplies.
5. Get a Smaller Chair
Outside of the desk, the chair you use for your home office is the second largest factor to consider. It can take up a lot of space which you might not have a lot to work with depending on the square footage of your apartment. Keep an eye out for smaller desk chairs rather than investing in a standard desk chair that is meant for an office. You’ll end up in a much better position because of it.
You wouldn’t need to compromise on ergonomics or comfort with this, though. Instead, focus on getting a chair that’s just big enough for you without taking up much more space. You’ll still be comfortable, and you won’t end up feeling too cramped.
Apartment Home Office Ideas
Setting up a home office means you’ll have to decide on a space and fully dedicate that space being solely for your office. If you’re reading this article, you probably already know that, but you might not know where you can actually do this. Fortunately, it’s far from complicated.
With some small home office ideas, it’ll be easier than you’d think:
- Small Entryway Office – If you have a compact desk, then your entryway can make a great place to set up your home office. It’ll be less cramped than you’d think, and it’ll be quick and easy to set up.
- Walls With Shelving – If there’s already shelves on the wall, then you have a great start for an apartment home office. Use this as something to jump off from.
- Repurposed Closet – If you have a relatively large built-in or walk-in closet, you can change this into a small office. At a minimum, it’ll be a great place to have a small desk to work from.
Considering one of these home office setup ideas allows you to set up an apartment home office with ease. You’ll be working from home before you know it!
Tools to Get
When you’re figuring out how to set up a home office, your mind will naturally turn to the tools and equipment you’ll need. Some of these will already be obvious, like a desk, computer, and chair. Others might not be, however.
While some of this depends on your actual job, a few tools could be notable:
- Laptop stand
- Wireless mouse
- Wireless keyboard
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Mini bluetooth speaker
With these, you shouldn’t have a problem working from home comfortably and productively. You’ll have a better apartment home office than you would’ve thought possible!
Setting up a home office in your apartment doesn’t need to be complicated. No matter how little space you have, there is always a way to create something you need with the layout that you have to work with. Once you know how to set up a home office, it’s just a matter of adapting some tips and tricks to your needs.
Add in some small home office ideas, and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. You’ll be working from home and in comfort before you know it and your apartment home office will be nicer and more comfortable than you’d think.
Contact your leasing office at Copper Creek Apartments today if you need help understanding the property layouts in your apartment community.
