How to maximise a small office layout

Create an office to suit all your needs with our ultimate guide to small office design…

With space often being at a premium in both homes and businesses, it’s essential to ensure an office suits your needs even if you don’t have much room. Having an effective and efficient workspace has been shown to provide numerous benefits, including boosted productivity and job satisfaction, so why miss out just because you’re short on space?

We’ve taken a look at how to make the most of any space and set up the ideal small office for you here in our ultimate guide.

Compact office desks

The first way to maximise the available space in your small office is with a compact office desk. Though larger desks can provide extra room for work and storage, a more compact set-up can still ensure you have ample room and plenty of storage options, as long as you know what you’re looking for.

Slim-built desks, such as those specifically designed for home office use, will provide the amount of space you need to work efficiently, while sleekly fitting into even the smallest of rooms. These smaller desks normally range from 600mm-800mm wide, so one desk should fit perfectly into a home office, or banks of these desks can easily be created in any workplace. For extra guidance on understanding office furniture measurements, check out our informative guide.

Another great way to utilise space in your office is to opt for a standing desk. Originally a Scandinavian design, sit-standing desks allow you to adjust their height so you can work while standing, and if your working space is really tight, being able to get rid of your chair for a few hours a day could help your set-up feel less cluttered. We offer a range of height-adjusting desks, and you can read more about these desks and both their mental and physical health benefits in our blog.

Office chairs

An ergonomic office chair is a must for any office space, big or small, so a compact yet comfortable chair would suit best. Though there may be a temptation to try and save space with a chair that isn’t optimally suited for a day in the office, ergonomic chairs are specifically designed to benefit your health and posture, and if you’re already in a smaller working space you will definitely feel this impact. If you are saving space with a compact desk, there will be extra room in the workspace to allow for your ideal ergonomic chair.

Take advantage of vertical space

Though storage is essential to any office, who says you need to clutter a whole room with bulky units? Instead of spreading your workspace across the room, making the most of the vertical space you have is a great way to add to the space efficiency of your office.

One option for utilising this vertical space is investing in a desk with added shelving and storage above it – such as our Home Work Goalpost Desk with Storage or others from the Home Work range. These units can work as an all-in-one office set-up, with an area to work and study, areas for storage and cable management options, while still remaining compact and sleek.

If you have larger storage needs, narrow standalone filing cabinets and tall cupboards are also a great tool to help you save the all-important floor space. Another useful tip: wall-mounting cupboards means you can easily make use of space above radiators!

Modular Cube Storage

For an alternative office storage solution, create something perfect for your exact space and needs with our Modular Cube Storage. This range allows you to build cupboards, shelving, storage, lockers and more all into one handy unit, providing the storage you need without taking up too much extra room for individual units. It also adds a contemporary and creative feel to any office space, allowing for personalisation and style to shine through.

Keep your cables tidy

If you have a lot of computer equipment in your office or on your desk, it can easily start to look cluttered, which isn’t ideal for small spaces., One of the big issues with equipment like this is the numerous cables you have to deal with. We recommend you always label your cables to avoid confusion or accidental technical disasters while working. Another super handy tool to have is a cable tray underneath your desk to keep cables in a safe and secure position, which will also help reduce health and safety issues caused by trailing cables.

There are a number of stylish cable management systems including Slinkys and spiral tubes, however, most of our desks come with cable management ports to make life easier. Ranges of desks such as our deluxe cantilever desk have cable management built into the legs, though come at a slightly larger depth.

Consider monitor mobility

If you’ve got the basics of your small office set-up covered, why not go that extra step and consider a more mobile monitor? Putting your monitor on an adjustable arm so you can easily move it out of the way when you’re wanting more desk space will make your office life much easier, and allow you to make the most of your desk even if it is slim.

Monitor arms are available in a few styles and are usually clamped to the edge of your desk. Alternatively, if your desk is up against a wall you could wall-mount your monitor to permanently save desk space!

Control the clutter

Everyone is guilty of letting their desks get a little cluttered sometimes, but in a small office space, each little bit of clutter feels bigger and more intrusive. Not only can this impact your productivity whilst working, but it can also affect your job satisfaction and mental health too. For more advice on protecting your mental health when working from home, check out our wellbeing blog.

One thing we do recommend is spending five minutes every morning decluttering your desk. Even a quick tidy round to sort your files and clear out all of those old snack wrappers can make a huge difference to your day and your mental wellbeing. One great option for keeping control of your desk clutter is investing in a mobile storage pedestal or a desk with in-built storage to make organisation that bit easier.

Lighting

When working in a small office space, lighting is everything. Research shows that natural light is always helpful for productivity, so a spot that benefits from a lot of natural light is always preferable, and can even make a room feel more spacious. However, even if you don’t have much natural light in your office space, artificial lighting can be used to add a spacious feel to your workspace – this can be achieved by reducing shadows and brightening up dark corners of your room.

Another thing to consider about the placement of lamps and indoor lighting is to ensure you don’t ever have to strain your eyes to see your work, especially if you work long, late or irregular hours. This can be achieved by ensuring you don’t have direct light shining onto your monitor (another reason to invest in an adjustable monitor…) and by making sure your room is always adequately lit.

Why Bluespot Furniture?

Here at Bluespot, you’ll find a wide range of furniture to create your ideal small office space. Our Home Work range is specially designed with small offices in mind, meaning a range of compact, stylish and sleek office desks, storage units and more. We also offer a full range of office furniture suited for all spaces and business types, with a variety of measurement options allowing you to build the perfect office to match your space.

With an unrivaled range of styles, materials, colours and finishes, all of our competitively priced units are made here in the UK from high-quality materials to exacting standards.

Choose Bluespot Furniture, and you’ll benefit from free standard delivery, honest advice, and a 10-year guarantee on all our products. You can also opt for Next Day Delivery if you can’t wait to get your new set-up created, or go for our delivery and installation option and leave the assembly to us!

For further information on any of our products, services, or just some guidance about maximising your office space, call our friendly customer service team on 0800 8044 760, or email help@bluespotfurniture.com today.