August 18, 2017 - Noel Jones

Whether you need a simple spot for the family laptop or you’re after a dedicated home office area, you may be surprised at the untapped spaces within your home that can offer a useful and practical study place. From an alcove in your living space to a nifty nook under the stairs, take inspiration from these clever ideas and create the perfect study that the whole family, not to mention potential buyers, will enjoy.

Transforming unused or redundant areas of your home into practical workstations can not only answer your storage woes, but they can also add value to your property’s price. Buyers are often attracted to homes with functional layouts that encourage easy-living, so converting under-utilised spaces, like landings or under-the-stairs, into super-practical working zones, will appeal to a wider range of potential property hunters and certainly catch their attention.

Depending on the size and function of your lounge room, it could be the ideal workable space for a handy study area. An unused alcove is a brilliant spot as it not only makes a cosy nook for a freestanding desk, but it also provides good support for storage shelves. Locating the study in the main living space also keeps you, or the kids, involved with the rest of the household action, although noise-cancelling headphones could be a useful accessory if the TV is in the same spot.

Similarly, commandeering a corner of the kitchen to a study area can keep the family together in one place, while still getting work or study done. Kitchens often have strong natural light and airflow to ease cooking and food preparation, which in turn provides a productive atmosphere for anyone working at a desk in the same space. If you don’t have room for a freestanding desk, cordon off a section of bench top and create a workstation for your laptop and notepads, possibly with a shelf above for a pot of pens. And when you or the kids are not using it for work, it can become a useful recipe resource station for the cook of the house.

Squeezing a study area into a bedroom might sound like an impractical idea if you’re trying to encourage a peaceful sleep retreat, however, if you apply the same principle as ‘hot desking’ to your study area and ensure it gets cleared entirely away when not in use, you’ll retain a calm and tranquil feel. The key is to have plenty of hidden storage below the desk, such as drawers or lidded baskets for notepads, laptops and pens, so that you can hide your work bits away with ease and efficiency.

You’ve heard about standing workstations in offices, but what about one at home? Great for compact spaces such as hallways or a corner of a bedroom, an electric lifter desk enables stand-up working options for those who are always on the go. Consider fitting bi-fold doors across the desk area and you’ll be able to shut the working day away when you’re finished.

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