Build a Home Office Within a Living Space

If you are a family man or woman, it is highly likely that you would like or may even need an office at home. Whether it is for luxury or necessity, home offices have seen a growth spurt in recent years. When you have a family, space is often limited, and you will have to inhabit a portion of your family's living space as your home office. While multi tasking is often looked upon as a great feature, it can really cramp up living quarters and if done incorrectly can make a room look disordered and more like it was designed by a child of elementary school age rather than an adult. If you are forced to make one room function as a home office and family living space, here is exactly how to do it with function, sanity and style.

Dividing Your Spaces

A home office is possibly the most important part of the room and should be as sectioned off as can be, especially if you or your partner works from home. A home office should be sectioned off but still maintain a cohesive look with the rest of the space, as if it belongs there. You don't want to hide your office in a corner covered by a curtain, because that will completely disrupt the flow within the rest of the room. But there is a way to maintain a high level of privacy while still keeping the flow and style throughout the entire room looking mellow, bookshelves!

When one room is serving as a multi purpose area bookshelves can be one of your best friends. Bookshelves are chic, pleasing to the eye, provide storage space, but most importantly they provide privacy when strategically placed. To maximize the space in the room and to attain the maximum level of privacy, place your desk in a corner (seat facing the rest of the room), and place a bookshelf directly in front of it. Ideally, your bookshelf will be backless and simply have little open compartments to place items or books in. This is the perfect opportunity to put your decorating style on display and proudly showcase some of your best looking vases, figurines, candles, and flowers.

Complementing the Space

When choosing storage boxes, stationery, calendars and any other office necessities for your home office, try to choose them in colors that complement your initial decorating vision for the rest of the room. If the rest of your room is pink and brown make sure to choose your office necessities in the same color range, with your desktop computer or laptop as the exception, of course. Your home office will have a much more cohesive look with the rest of the room if your desk, cabinet, shelving and chair have the same wood finish as the rest of your room.