Five Ways to Transform Your Basement Into a Home Office

Working at home can be a wonderful privilege for people who have commitments close to home.Whether you’re at home or in an office building, a dedicated workspace is a must.

Working in a cold basement with linoleum floors and exposed insulation probably isn’t very inspiring or appealing, even if it is the only place in the house that’s unoccupied. However, with some creativity and hard work, that dingy basement can be transformed into an enjoyable, efficient home office suitable for everyday use.

Here are five different ideas for transforming your basement into a comfortable environment for productivity during the day:

The Office in the Closet

This is ideal for the basement that’s already being used for other purposes. A small walk-in closet can easily double as a small study. With mounted shelves (one for a desk and one or more for books and supplies) and a small chair that can be tucked beneath the lowest shelf, you can easily create a work cubicle free of distractions from whatever else is in the basement.

The Murphy Bed Office

This office can quickly transform into a guest bedroom. The flip side of this desk, as well as the shelves, actually contain a Murphy bed that can be pulled out and tucked away as needed. Filing cabinets on wheels can be used for additional storage that’s both mobile and efficient.

The Room Within a Room

Perhaps the most ideal type of basement office is the type that’s enclosed within its own room in the basement. The enclosed office can benefit from:

• Sound proofing.  The walls can be sound proofed so as to avoid disruption from activities happening in the rest of the basement. In addition, the basement ceiling can be sound proofed. Even the type of door chosen for the office can make a difference.

• Different flooring.   Carpet may seem desirable in this respect. After all, you’re at home, and you want to be comfortable. However hard floors are a better choice for office chairs with wheels, and are more durable. It’s easier to take yourself and your work seriously in an environment that is slightly removed from the rest of the house. After all, your non-working life is just beyond the office door.

The Alcove Beneath the Stairs

A simple home office design that utilizes seemingly unusable space and allows for a private space for working. A desk, shelves, and storage cabinets and drawers can all coexist to provide an efficient workspace. Or, the entire alcove can be used for storage, and a desk can be placed up against the adjacent wall.

The Open Concept Office

Perhaps the simplest design is to have an open concept office in the basement without any walls or doors sectioning it off from the rest of the basement. In the event that the entire basement cannot be used solely for the office, a corner or wall can be used to clearly designate office space. Computer monitors can be mounted onto the wall, along with shelves, in order to save space. The desk can then be placed against the wall, or it can be created with a lower mounted shelf.

What Kind of Basement Office do you like?

As you can see, there are lots of great ideas for a basement office.  Which office style do you prefer?  If you would like more great ideas for creating a basement office, check out these great ideas from Pinterest.

Shannon Ryan is the online community manager for the Nusite Group, a Toronto waterproofing company.  You can find more ideas about home renovations by following Nusite on Twitter.