More people are taking advantage of the opportunity to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding adequate workspace at home without taking up valuable household space can be a challenge. While some people may be living in a small space, others may reside in a home with lots of extra room. Obviously, the worker living in a residence with limited space might have more of a challenge creating a workspace in the home than the worker who has plenty of unoccupied space. Some basic things to consider when planning a home office are finding available space, how to make the space simultaneously comfortable and functional and what finances are available for the necessary conversion.

Finding space

A home office can be set up in a corner of the kitchen, an unused closet or take up an entire room depending on how much space is available. With a little creative thought a small workspace can be incorporated into almost any place in the home. If a dedicated room isn't available, the office space will need to be set up in an existing room.

Coral Nafie writing for The Spruce says, " If you must share an area of a room, you should use a divider screen to separate your space from the rest of the room."  A divider screen of some other type of room divider will provide a little privacy while creating a separation of work and home life. However, even with a divider screen, if you need a quiet space to work, a room with a door that closes or a finished attic or basement might be preferable to a desk in the family room or kitchen.

Budget considerations

Using the corner of a room that is already functional like a kitchen, dining room or guest room will be the least expensive choice for creating a home office. Since the room is already furnished, a little rearranging of furniture or the addition of a small desk, a chair and a power strip will most likely complete the basic office. However, setting up an office in a corner of an attic, basement or converting a closet into office space might take more work and money. Budget in any necessary office equipment purchases before spending limited funds on remodeling and décor.

Comfort plus function

Unlike an assigned space in a company office, a home office can be comfortable, stylish and still be functional. While there are limited décor options in the company office, a home office can be an unrestricted reflection of your personal tastes. Livingspace.com says, "letting your unique style shine through your home office space isn't just good for aesthetics – it can also help to fuel your creative thinking, and there's no better way to get that inspirational feeling than with decorative office accents that reflect your personality." However, the space chosen for the home office can affect design choices. If the office is set up in a dedicated room, there's more opportunity for unique décor and furnishings. Alternatively, if the office is in a corner of the kitchen, the preferred choice of décor may be more compatible with the existing room.

Furnishings

Depending on the size of the home office budget, infrequently used furniture can be repurposed into the new office space or new furnishings can be purchased. For example, an accent table can be repurposed into a desk and an unused chair can be used as an office chair providing the pieces work well together and will be comfortable. If repurposing existing furniture isn't an option, inexpensive used office furniture can be purchased to keep costs down. With a larger budget new furniture is readily available from big box retailers, mail order companies or interior decorators.

Lighting

Unlike a company office that probably uses fluorescent lights set in the ceiling, creating a home office offers the opportunity to choose lighting for individual production needs as well as personal comfort. For example, if a job requires long hours of focusing on a computer screen, make sure the light in the room doesn't cause glare on the screen by positioning the light from shining directly onto it. If the light comes from a fixed source such as a ceiling light, reposition the computer monitor to eliminate glare. Glare is also something to consider if the main source of light is natural light. As the sun comes up or goes down, it may shine directly onto the screen if the window gets direct sunlight. For other jobs that may not require much screen time but need lighting that focuses elsewhere in the office, such as a drafting table or workbench, task lights can be helpful. The type of lighting and intensity should match the job requirements for ideal productivity and eye comfort.

Storage space

Some jobs require a lot of physical space to store materials or equipment while others may rely mostly on computer space to store digital files. In any case, some sort of office storage space will probably be needed. As is true for furnishing choices, budget and available space will also dictate home office storage options. A dedicated room allows for an elaborate storage system while a small corner, closet or nook office will require more creative ideas for storage. If limited space reduces options for necessary storage, portable storage containers like totes and baskets can be used for tools or utensils and stacked or stashed away during time off. Limited budgets offer an opportunity for used storage items and repurposing. For example, to create storage by repurposing, Better Homes & Gardens repurposes used items such as old kitchen graters to store utensils and framed bed springs to hang over the desk to hold memos.

With a little imagination and motivation planning a productive and comfortable home office can be accomplished with available space and resources.