An Easy Open Living Room + Office Layout

For many of us, working from home has been an adjustment. If you happen to rent or be in a smaller home (like me), finding a space for a functional and non-invasive home office has been a challenge. Lucky for us, we have a large living room and was able to divide the space to be half living room and half office.  Even though I don’t have a “true” office space, being able to have a dedicated area for my desk, computer and office supplies allows me to concentrate better during the work week.

Here’s what our living room looked like prior to moving in:

And here’s how we were able to lay out the room:

Even though this is a temporary home for us (we are planning to move into a larger space before the baby arrives), it absolutely works for now! Here are a few tips to creating a functional, aesthetically pleasing space when you have make it work all-in-one.

+ Ground each space with a rug. We used a 9×12 area rug to place our sofa and our coffee table on to clearly designate this as our “living room”. Having a sectional with a chaise lounge helps too, as it creates somewhat of a divider in between the rooms.

+ Keep the design cohesive. When I bought my desk, I purchased one that went with the flow of the room – not necessarily one that I was eyeing (when I have my own office room, I’ll get a different one). Since our living room has a monochromatic color scheme with gray, cream and natural wood, I opted for a natural wood desk.

+ Minimize the bulk. One other main criteria I had when desk shopping was a parsons style one with no drawers or bulky legs. It’s basically a table top with four legs which looks clean, minimalist and doesn’t draw the eye. The ghost chair is another great piece as it takes up zero visual space and can be easily moved over to our living space if we have another guest.

+ Eliminate desktop clutter. On my desk, I have my laptop stand (highly recommend!), a (faux) potted plant and a small ceramic vase which holds my cords, pens, etc. There is little to no clutter and I tried to style as I would a console table versus an office desk.

Is anyone else working from home in an unconventional way also? I’d love to hear your tips as well.