DIY: Office Furniture

In today's world, nearly everyone needs some elements of a home office in his home. For some, it's as simple as somewhere to park the laptop and charge the cell phones, while other people may need full-fledged office spaces. Unfortunately, good quality home office furniture can be quite costly and may not fit your personal style. With a little thought you can make your home office an easy and fun do-it-yourself project, whether you have an entire room or just a corner of the living room. Does this Spark an idea?

Desk Solutions

The key piece of furniture in most home offices is the desk. Your desk should be large enough to meet all your needs. If you just need space to rest a laptop, a small desk may be adequate and still be able to function for bill paying or other tasks. On the other hand, if you use your desk to do artwork, play computer games on a desktop machine, or do crafts you may need substantially more space. One classic option is a hollow core door placed on sawhorses, filing cabinets or another support. This still works quite well in many cases if you have the space. You can also opt to use cube-style shelves and a piece of medium-density fiberboard cut to size to create a large work area. If you need a smaller work area, consider recycling a small side table or other vintage piece. Replace the legs with taller ones if necessary.

Storage

While classic filing cabinets and bookcases can provide a lot of storage, these may not fit well with your decor. Floating shelves are one good option in a more modern space. Hang shelves over your desk or on the walls near your usual work area. Use baskets, bins or even galvanized pails to hold office supplies of various sorts. You might also adapt an infrequently used closet to serve as a home office. Install a wide flat shelf as a work area, then narrower shelves above. Use plastic drawers for storage under the desk. Adjustable track shelving systems painted to match your wall color can provide significant storage at a reasonable cost, and a wide shelf can even be used as a work area.

Hiding the Mess

Unfortunately, especially if you work at home regularly, your office may have a tendency to be a mess. The last thing you want to look at when you are trying to relax is the mess work has left behind. If you have a dedicated home office, this is not an issue; however, for the rest of us, it is. Consider installing track-mounted sliding wooden panels to hide your home office. Use wallpaper, fabric or paint to cover these panels. Curtains can also work. If your office is tucked into a corner, frame out the corner and install doors, creating a computer-cabinet type arrangement around your desk and shelving.