Decorating Rooms Home Offices 21 Home Office Storage Ideas for a More Productive Work Space Keep supplies, papers, and electronics tidy in your home office with these smart storage solutions. By Mary Cornetta Mary Cornetta Mary Cornetta has been in the professional organizing industry for over 5 years. She knew she had a passion for decluttering and organization upon graduating Marist College in 2007, however, pursued it as a hobby instead of a career. All of that changed when Mary founded Sort and Sweet Inc on Long Island in 2017. Since then, she has worked hands-on and virtually with hundreds of clients to clear their clutter and create functional systems in their homes and offices. Mary runs the Sort and Sweet social media accounts, creating content and writing captions with organizing tips and inspiration for more than 12,000 followers. Recently relocated to Savannah, she continues to own and operate the business with the help of a talented team. Mary has been a weekly contributing writer for House Digest and has been interviewed as an expert by Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and Health magazines. She is the owner of the blog, Organized Overall, in which she details how she creates organization in her home. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on July 13, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Paul Costello Work-from-home setups come in all shapes and sizes depending on the space available. Whether you have a desk slipped into a small closet or an entire room dedicated to a home office, it's important to stay organized. Regardless of how much space you have, these home office storage ideas will help keep your space tidy. Setting up an organized system for your office supplies makes them accessible during a busy day. It also makes it easier to wind down on the weekends if you keep your work materials tucked away and out of sight. Maintaining a work-life balance is particularly important when your home is also the office, after all. Take inspiration from the following home office storage ideas and use them to create a fully functional workspace for yourself. 41 Home Office Ideas for Creating a Stylish Workspace 01 of 21 Custom Supply Storage Laura Moss A sliver of well-designed open shelving in a small home office is all you need to hold necessities. Individual slots for folders, binders, and envelopes, wider shelves for storage boxes, and a slide out tray with a printer near an outlet makes for a streamlined system. Attach a desk with drawers to hold smaller supplies to the built-in bookcase and you’re ready to tackle the day. 13 Pretty Yet Hardworking Home Office Shelving Ideas 02 of 21 Dual Office Space John Merkl The reality is that sometimes you need to share a space with your significant other if you’re both working from home for the foreseeable future. Make sure to give yourselves enough room to spread out by installing an elongated table and sliding a few file cabinets underneath to hold double the paperwork. Equally long floating shelves on the wall above provide storage for books and baskets full of supplies. 03 of 21 Stacked Office Storage John Granen As paperless as the world has become, some professions still require a great deal of physical paperwork to be handled. If that’s the case for you, consider rejecting a typical file cabinet and opt for something slightly more stylish. A stackable system of drawers, in monochromatic white to match the office walls, keeps a plethora of paper organized and limits visual clutter. How to Organize Files So You Can Actually Find Important Paperwork 04 of 21 Desktop Accessories John Granen Regardless of the storage space within your desk, it’s good to have a few, often used supplies at your fingertips. Keep items like pencils and paperclips sorted in individual trays and corral at least some into a caddy. This not only looks neater, it also makes cleaning the surface of the desk an easier task. 23 Easy Ways to Organize Your Desk 05 of 21 Floating Surfaces Kritsada Panichgul Create a simple, yet fun area that can double for work or after school homework out of an underused closet. Patterned papered interior walls are the perfect backdrop for a floating desk and overhead shelving. Colorful boxes and bins can contain supplies and notes on the shelves while a mix of things like mason jars and a lazy Susan separate pens and markers. 52 Wallpaper Ideas for Every Room and Style 06 of 21 Privacy Partition Paul Costello Whether you need to share a workspace with your kid or your spouse, it’s not a bad idea to create a little separation by way of a bookshelf. Place an open unit between two desks and arrange books, plants, and family photos on the shelves for both parties to admire whenever they need a brain break. 18 Effortless Ways to Style Bookshelf Decor 07 of 21 Alcove Office Space John Merkl An arched nook in your home is a sweet spot to set up shop. Squeeze in a small desk, complete with drawers for basic office supplies and files. Hide clutter within matching baskets and stacking boxes on a pair of floating shelves. Keep desktop clutter to a minimum with magazine files and horizontal organizers. 08 of 21 Cubby Storage Brian McWeene Cube units, while often popular toy storage systems, are ideal for offices as well. If your kids have outgrown the one in their playroom, repurpose it in your home office to keep books and binned up supplies neat. Intermittently add in decor items to create a chic, yet functional, look. 09 of 21 Floor-to-Ceiling Shelving Dane Tashima If your line of work comes with its fair share of supplies, you may need to designate a whole room to a home office. Rather than cluttering it with cabinets and furniture, however, keep the floors (and your mind) clear by utilizing built-in bookcases wherever there is wall space. Use the color coding method to arrange your books and store the rest of the supplies by category in minimalistic, matching containers. 10 of 21 A Maximized Cloffice David A Land The cloffice trend, or closet-turned-office, has risen in recent years. It allows you to create an assigned workspace where no other room is available. If it’s something that will solve your limited space woes, make sure to maximize the storage space when designing it. Build in a desk with plenty of drawers and hang shelves as high as they’ll go to accommodate both supplies and decorative pieces that reflect your style. How to Create a Cloffice for the Ultimate Work-from-Home Setup 11 of 21 Minimalist Design Marty Baldwin Another small space desk idea is to add a narrow console table behind the couch. Keep only the essentials nearby by including a stackable organizer, pencil cup, and headphone stand on the surface. In lieu of standard office seating, choose an accent chair that goes with the rest of the living room. The 13 Best Office Chairs of 2024, According to Lab Testing 12 of 21 Closed Storage Cabinets Blaine Moats For a sleek office style in any area of the house, consider flanking a set of cabinets on either side of a modest desk. Organize work supplies by type within baskets and place them on shelves behind the closed cabinet doors. This keeps everything easily readily available but also hidden away on your days off. 13 of 21 Concealed Kitchen Workstation Nicole LaMotte Kitchens are often overlooked as a possible home office. Usually, it’s because there may not be enough space to carve out a corner for a desk. But, the reality is that only a small amount is needed to make it possible. A pocket door that opens to reveal a slight desk with a drawer and accompanying shelves for supplies provides just enough room to concentrate on calls or let the kids study while you prep dinner. Workspaces and Desks for Kitchens that Add Function and Design 14 of 21 Pretty and Practical Adam Albright A home office that makes you happy to be in can also help you be more productive. So, when designing your workspace, look for organizing tools that will keep your things tidy and bring a smile to your face. Gold accented supplies, such as ceramic trinket dishes, a magnetic memo strip, and a mail sorter, will have you feeling luxurious even when presented with a mundane task. BHG Editors' Favorite Finds: The Home Office Essentials We Can't Live Without 15 of 21 Vertical Supply Storage Edmund Barr When faced with minimal square footage, always look to the wall for additional storage space. Next to your desk, hang a set of floating shelves for supplies, a calendar, and one or two wall-mounted file organizers for important paperwork. This keeps your desk clear of clutter and the necessities still within reach. Small Office Ideas for Every Kind of Work-from-Home Setup 16 of 21 Stylish Office Storage Adam Albright However you decide to design your home office, the organizing products you choose should be the finishing touches. Match them to the overall look of the workspace so they blend seamlessly. For example, an office filled with live plants deserves other earthy accessories. Look for a file cabinet and tray in natural wood tones along with a desk and pencil cup in shades of green. 5 Feng Shui Office Ideas for a More Balanced Workspace 17 of 21 Choose Versatile Furniture Jessica Klewicki Glynn A minimalist, do-it-all table serves as a desk with loads of energetic style. This stylish furniture piece blends into your home naturally and can be easily converted into an after-school gaming station for the kids or a buffet station for your next party. 18 of 21 Office Wall Decor David Tsay An acrylic wall calendar is equally functional, stylish, and easy to use because it can be easily updated each month. Plus, it matches with just about any design style. 19 of 21 Personalize Your Supplies Jason Donnelly A desk area outfitted with organizational tools can fulfill an array of filing needs. Here, open envelopes hold important bills and notices while magazine files below are used for archiving previous work. For a cohesive look, find containers of the same color, but offer different kinds of storage solutions for various tasks. Tack paper organizers to the wall for a place you can easily access, and use closed containers for hiding things like unsightly charger cords. 20 of 21 Maximize Wall Space Helen Norman Work board or work of art? You decide. The whole family will love this chalk wall perfect for jotting down notes or creative doodling. Once you have an office space carved out, paint one wall or a section of a wall with chalkboard-style paint. 21 of 21 Corner Desk Storage Kim Cornelison This corner workspace for two involves some serious storage. The open shelving unit is great for everyday needs. Having office supplies so easily in reach makes it easy to remember to put things away. Adjacent to the desks, a cabinet unit keeps bulky, unsightly items out of sight. If your work involves confidential files, consider adding desk drawers that lock to keep curious minds out of your things. 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