One key to being able to hide your livingroom office in plain sight is by using furniture that can either collapse or fold away. You’ll want to have furniture that doesn’t stick out and flows with the theme of your living room.
Another key is storing away any office-related items, so it’s out of view. Keep the area neat and tidy, rather than having stacks of paper cluttered all over.
Use a hidden foldable desk
Hiding your desk in your living room is one way to blend your office with your space.
You can transform your living room into your office when it’s necessary.
You can either make or purchase a foldable table that you attach to your wall. When you fold it up, the bottom of the table serves as a beautiful wall piece.
It could be a frame that could hold artwork or a simple wood piece on the wall.
Use a coffee table desk
There are coffee tables where you can raise the table, and it operates on hinges that support some weight.
By raising the table slightly, you can use it as a desk.
And when you’re not using it as a desk, it serves its function as your living room table.
The neat thing about this is that you can use the table as storage to store your office items away when they are not in use.
Use a bookshelf with a built-in desk
Using a bookshelf with a built-in desk is a great option to blend your bookshelf with your work.
Many times you won’t even notice that there is a desk there.
Use a sofa table
You can use sofa tables as a desk since they are the same height as standard desks. They are tall but narrow. Keep this in mind if you plan on using a desktop instead of a laptop.
These sofa tables, sometimes called console tables, can come with drawers. But, because they aren’t built with a lot of depth, you will not have much storage space.
They go against the back of your sofa, if you have a living room, dining room mix, then it serves as a great room divider.
Use a floating wall desk
To save some space, you could install a floating wall desk in your living room. As long as the area is neat and has minimal decoration, it can blend in the wall well and will go unnoticed as a table.
Use ottoman for chairs
Ottomans are multipurpose furniture. You can easily tuck them away under a coffee table. Some ottomans serve as coffee tables themselves.
Use a foldable chair
Having a foldable chair that you use when you sit at your desk is great because you can tuck it away when it is not in use.
Minimize paper
Go digital and limit the amount of paper in your home.
Not only are you doing good for the environment, but the chances of you having paper clutter is minimal.
Switch to doing everything you can online.
For those documents that come to you via paper, and are essential, scan them and digitally file them.
Get into the habit of doing it immediately, to cut the chances of leaving documents around.
Use your cellphone or tablet and install an app that scans documents using your phone. You can use a free app called Adobe Scan, it’s a game-changer!
Use an ottoman as a filing cabinet
Convert your ottoman by putting folders in it to separate your documents, the ones you can’t live without. Or highly essential documents.
Makes sure your digitizing them as well, so you have a backup.
Opt for a laptop
The best way to blend your office in your living room space is by having small furniture and equipment. Using a laptop for your computer rather than a desktop will ensure that you have less bulk. It will take up less space.
Use an all-in-one computer
If you do have to use a desktop, check out all-in-one computers. You’ll get the benefit of a powerful desktop, without the bulk. Since it’s all built into the monitor.
The benefit of this is that you will also have a larger screen to work with. As long as you style it right, it won’t look so bad in your living room space.
Cast on TV for larger screen
The ability to cast almost everything has been a game-changer. Technology has really helped us advance in being able to make our home cozier and simplify our lifestyle.
Working on a larger screen helps a lot by being able to fit more on the screen and seeing better.
You can cast your laptop as long as you either have a casting device attached to your tv or if your tv already has casting ability built-in.
You can use Google Chrome on your computer and be able to cast easily.
This is also a great way to show any presentations to clients if they visit your home office.
Organizing storage
Being organized is key in making your space not look like office space. You can blend your office equipment and supplies in your living room, by organizing and storing them in nice storage compartments.
Use organizing storage for your loose documents, store your pens in a beautiful pen holder, place other items in jars.
You can use small stackable drawers and even hide all your office supplies in there.
Use nice boxes or DIY boxes designed to hold your supplies.
Hide what you can
Keeping your office items away from sight will allow you to hide your office. You can place your printer in a drawer, maybe even your television consol.
Make sure to organize and tuck away any wires.
Multipurpose furniture
It’s already been mentioned earlier, but it is worth mentioning again, using furniture which serves as a multipurpose piece will allow you to blend your office in your living room.
You will be able to use the furniture as a living room piece and when necessary as your office furniture.
For example, ottomans, tv consoles as drawers or storage for printer, filing cabinets as your side tables.
Get a desk that matches the decor of your living room
Even if you have a dedicated desk in your living room, which looks like a designated office area. By matching the style of your office with your living room, you create uniformity. Therefore your office will blend to your living room nicely.
Select office furniture that matches your living room furniture to create flow from one space to the next.
Conclusion
Having an office in your living room, especially if your home doesn’t accommodate separate office space, is a great idea.
Generally, the living room is the most spacious area in the home. Therefore, it’s a nice place to work in.
You can easily combine these two spaces, and they can feel like separate spaces in one moment and a cohesive space the next.
All by simply using multipurpose furniture that blends both areas.
