As the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, a growing percentage of the workforce is given the option of working from home. In fact, as of 2019, over 40% of Americans work from home at least part-time, with many giving up their daily commute altogether.
If you’re in the midst of making the transition from a traditional office to working from home, you need to ensure that you have a space in your home specifically for work. And while it’s true that home decorating can be expensive, with a few DIY home office tips, you can create your ideal workspace without breaking the bank.
Read on to learn everything you need to know to outfit your office space on a budget.
Choose Your Workspace
An entire room in your home dedicated to your office is ideal. However, not everyone has the space to do so – and that’s okay. But even if you can’t use an entire room for your office, you still need to have a corner of a room just for work.
This will help you to focus and increase your productivity, as your brain will create an association between work and this area of your home. This can be a corner of your living room or bedroom, or simply your dining room table. As long as you aren’t working from your bed or couch, you’re good to go.
Plan Before You Purchase
One of the best ways to save money on your home office design is to have a solid plan in place before you begin purchasing items. Take a survey of your belongings and decide what can be rearranged or repurposed to suit your needs.
During this process, you’ll also need to measure the space you’re working with and any furniture you intend to use. It’s best to have the room (or space) drawn out before you begin moving furniture around to ensure that everything will fit as you imagine it to. The last thing you want to do is heft around a heavy table or bookshelf only to realize that it won’t fit in the space you want it to go.
Make a List
Now that you know where your home office is going to go and have a rough idea of what you will put in it, you need to make a list. This list should have three different columns: repurpose, purchase, and build.
In your repurpose column, include any pieces of furniture or decor that you already have that you’ll move into your office space. Your build column should be made up of the items you don’t have, but that you can create yourself, and the purchase column should be the remaining things that you don’t have and cannot build.
Before you put your DIY hat on, be sure that DIY is truly the cheaper option. When you’re working with a small budget, considering your options carefully is an extremely important step.
Repurpose What You Can
Let’s start with your repurpose section, as this one should the biggest, if possible. That said, don’t worry if you don’t have a great deal of furniture or decor to spare. There are other ways to save that we’ll get to later.
Even DIY costs a bit of money, so it’s best if you use the furniture you have as office products. For example, if you have a cozy chair in your living room but also a couch, consider moving the chair into your office. Or if you have an abundance of knickknacks in your bedroom, move a portion of them to a shelf near your desk.
Don’t be afraid to consider pieces that aren’t in the best condition. Let’s say you have an old dresser in your garage, for instance. You could refinish it and use it as storage for your office supplies.
Likewise, a table that’s seen better days could be painted and used as a desk. Which brings us to your DIY section.
DIY Your Office Essentials
The two main pieces of office furniture are your desk and chair. Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to discuss your office chair. If you can only splurge on one item, it needs to be your chair.
An unsupportive, uncomfortable chair will be more trouble than its worth. Remember, you’re going to be sitting in this chair for hours at a time. Going with a cheap option can lead to serious conditions like chronic pain in your back and neck.
That said, you can absolutely DIY your desk. If you don’t have a table that can be repurposed or refinished, building a simple table is an easy carpentry project.
Or, to make this project even easier, simply lay a sanded and painted board across two small bookshelves or filing cabinets. Using this method, you take care of both your desk and storage space in one swing!
DIY what you can, but be careful not to get in over your head. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you run the risk of spending more money than you would have otherwise or worse, injuring yourself.
Take Your Time Shopping
When looking at your list of office decor ideas, there will almost certainly be some items that you neither have nor can make yourself. In this case, you’ll need to go shopping. Believe it or not, shopping can sometimes be less expensive than building things yourself – if you go about it correctly.
The best advice we can give you is to take your time. Don’t rush into any purchases, and gather multiple options before making your decision.
Shop Secondhand
The first place to look when shopping for bargain office products is going to be thrift stores. These might not be places you’d typically shop in, but don’t underestimate a good thrift store! You can find a wide variety of quality products at a fraction of the price you would be able to buy them at a regular store.
Take advantage of technology as well. There are multiple secondhand shopping apps and websites, where thousands of people are selling or giving away their old furniture and decor. You’ll have endless tables, desks, and shelves to choose from.
And remember, even if something doesn’t appear to be in the best condition, sanding something down and restaining or painting it is an easy project that can be completed in an afternoon.
Look for Sales
Secondhand stores aren’t your only option when bargain shopping. Stores offer great deals on furniture, technology, and decor all the time. You just have to be on the lookout.
It’s a good idea to sign up for your favorite stores’ newsletters. That way, you’ll get email notifications of any good deals that you might want to take advantage of.
Pro tip: if you go this route, create an email account specifically for these newsletters. You don’t want your regular account to get inundated with online shopping emails.
This is where taking your time shopping will come in handy. If you aren’t in a rush, you’re more likely to stumble upon a bargain. Shop around both online and in physical stores, especially with the most expensive office products, such as your computer and speakers.
In the market for a computer as we speak? Lenovo is offering deals on everything from laptops to monitors – check this out!
Trade With Friends
Notify all of your family and friends that you’re about to start a home office project. Not only will they be able to give you some cheap home office ideas that you might not have considered previously but they might have some furniture or decor you can use.
If you have pieces of furniture that don’t suit your style or fit well in your home, consider offering them in a trade for office furniture. That dining table that’s far too large for your breakfast nook might look great in your friend’s home.
Design Your Workspace on the Cheap With This DIY Home Office Guide
It’s understandable to be hesitant about designing a workspace in your home. After all, the expense of home design projects can easily get into the thousands if you aren’t careful.
By using this guide to a DIY home office, however, you’ll find that putting together a workspace you love doesn’t have to be expensive. And with a little creativity and elbow grease, you’ll be enjoying your workweek in your new home office in no time.
For more home design and decor tips and tricks, be sure to take a look at our blog!
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