15 work-from-home setups for when you can't afford to sacrifice a room

With working from home still the default and looking like it’s going to be more than a temporary situation in Singapore, you may need to plan for a work-from-home setup in your new home. The best scenario? Having an entire room dedicated as a home office.

But what if you can’t afford to sacrifice a room or don’t have the space to do so? Rather than pull up a makeshift table and chair in the living room, we have a few stylish solutions.

1. Section off with a bi-fold divider

We love this idea of sectioning off a larger open space for the workstation with a bi-fold divider. It adds privacy to the work-from-home setup when needed, but you can retract it back during after-work hours so you still get the sense of openness.

2. Doubling your nightstand

In small bedrooms, where space is at a premium, you often cannot afford to have a separate nightstand and study table. Combining both will help you save some space.

This work-from-home setup sits next to the bed and features ceiling-hung cabinets for storage so that no extra floor estate is wasted. Notice also the task lighting concealed behind the cabinets.

3. Sharing with the vanity

This work-from-home setup shares the same table space as the dressing table. One of the drawers opens up from the top to reveal an LED-lit vanity mirror. A hidden mirror is a great choice, since you can choose to close it when working to avoid any distractions.

4. Creating a little nook within the built-in wardrobe

Don’t need a lot of space for working from home? Crafting out a tiny nook from your built-in wardrobe should suffice. Make sure you plan for enough lighting, storage as well as power outlets to charge your technology.

5. Working at the island

Kitchen islands are always good-to-haves if you prefer multifunctional zones in the home, since they can be incredibly multipurpose. Here, a portion of it doubles up as the homeowner’s work-from-home setup.

If you’re going the island route for your workstation, ensure plenty of storage so you can stow away things for work come dinnertime or whenever you need to food prep.

6. Concealed in the living room

A curvy workstation sits behind the sofa, functioning as a design element so the work-from-home setup doesn’t feel entirely out of place in the living room, while also serving to hide the clutter and mess on the study table. The woodgrain top is also the perfect platform for displaying décor and plants.

7. A workstation at the dinner table

Rather than a conventional living room, an ultra-long dining table takes up the entire length of this 3-room flat. It doubles up as workspace and an actual office for the homeowner, who works as an interior designer. The table helps to visually elongate the small space, while lending a sleek, modern appearance to the flat.

8. Keeping things lean behind the sofa

At the back of this living room is a work-from-home setup defined by sleek lines, dark hues and a warm, orange glow from hidden LED strips. The lean tabletop allows this home office to take up minimal visual and physical bulk in this area.

9. A nook by the window

Consider a work-from-home setup by the window if it doesn’t face the hot afternoon sun. The natural light is a great booster for productivity and energy levels. Here, a wooden frame helps to define where the workstation is, with the tabletop located all the way to the floor. Paired with a Japanese-style low floor chair (zaisu), it is the perfect work nook to spend the whole eight hours in.

10. An extendable solution

This extension worktable is a neat work-from-home setup, seeing as you can stow it away when you’re not working. What this means is you won’t need to take up unnecessary space during after-work hours, leaving the area free for other use.

11. Go with a ceiling-hung table

Table legs are so overrated, especially when they take up more room than necessary. A ceiling hung table means more leg room and more space for manoeuvring around your office chair.

12. Level up with a loft-style solution

If you are blessed with a double-volume space and are permitted to build a loft level, you can use it as your work-from-home setup. We like this glass office idea; it not only feels swanky, it also helps to reduce the visual bulk in the apartment.

13. Sharing a bedroom with separated workstations

The workstations in this teeny bedroom for two are joined together with the platform bed structure in order to minimise the amount of space taken up. The laminates are kept consistent to avoid a busy visual environment. They sit at the foot of the beds and feature wall-mounted shelves and cabinets for storage. Such clever use of the tiny square footage!

14. Enclosed in bookshelves

For when privacy is necessary but you don’t want to feel cloistered, consider sequestering your work-from-home setup with a see-through divider using bookshelves. Ventilation and light are allowed to pass through, so your workstation still feels comfortable. The bonus? Extra storage room on the shelves!

15. A workstation that moves about

In this BTO flat, the work-from-home setup is situated at the dining table. No big deal, right? But notice how the dining table was kitted out with castors, making it an incredibly flexible piece so you can literally work anywhere around the home—as long as the table fits anyway.

This article was first published in Renonation.