Home Office Design Ideas for Two

Lisa Rivera • Aug 13, 2021

Now more than ever people are working from home, which means you might be sharing your home office with a roommate or spouse. You each have work to be done and need a productive workspace but are sharing one area. How do you create an efficient space? What can you do to reduce noise and distractions?

The most effective home offices utilize:

Location and light
Form and function
The right furniture
A pleasant atmosphere
Your favorite accessories
Vertical and horizontal organization

With these home office design ideas, you’ll quickly and easily create an efficient, distraction-free workspace for you and your officemate.

Bring in The Light

Besides a good cup of coffee to help you feel motivated to get to work, the right location with adequate light can also help you be productive. You don’t want to constantly squint at your computer or have too many overhead lights obstructing your view. Choosing a location with plenty of natural light is key to creating a productive home office.

Sometimes you may need more light, so it's a good idea to invest in a couple of good free-standing lamps. Desk lamps and floor lamps are also excellent sources of added light.

The Importance of Location

When it comes to location, consider turning a spare room into a duel workspace. If you have some extra space in the living room, leave that option open as well. Sometimes rearranging your furniture slightly can give you added space to create a functional home office.

Choose a location with limited traffic, especially if you are also sharing your workspace with kids attending online school. You want this space to help both of you focus on the tasks at hand. If you have a window, try positioning your desks in front of it for a good view. Brain breaks are healthy, and watching nature helps hit the reset button.

Form Meets Function

Depending on your space, you might be limited on where you can design your home office. If you don’t have an extra room to use, consider finding a space where you can place two small to medium-sized desks, facing or next to one another. Oprah Daily suggests hanging a decorative curtain between the desks for added privacy and to enhance productivity. You could also try a room divider depending on your personal style.

Furniture is Your Friend

You and your officemate need to remain focused, comfortable, and productive throughout the day. Sitting on an old desk chair or feeling crammed into a desk that is too small makes staying on task extra difficult.

You could choose furniture that:

Is on wheels and easy to move or reposition
Utilize built-in cabinets and drawers
Help keep cords, wires, and other technology in a useful place
Offers two desks for side-by-side work
Allows both of you to sit or stand when doing work
Features extra outlets
Is easily accessible for people using assistive devices

Discover Your Atmosphere

You and your officemate might have different needs when it comes to atmosphere. You may work better in the quiet, but your officemate might need to listen to light music. Communicate your individual needs with each other. Here are some questions to ask:

What kind of work atmosphere is best for you?
Do you prefer to work in the quiet or do you like to listen to soft music?
Does your work require you to be on the phone often? If so, do you need a space to talk to clients in private?
What temperature is best for you when working?

Be honest when you talk about atmosphere, so you both feel comfortable and focused when working from home. If your officemate likes music but you don’t, consider buying noise-canceling headphones.

Add Accessories

Accessories will make your space unique and less like a traditional office cubicle. You don’t have to break the bank to add accessories either. Choose simple items like using a special pencil holder your kids made for you, hanging prints of an artist you like, and keeping your notes in decorative notepads. Accessorize drawers with colorful dividers, so you can easily find the files you need.

Certain professions, such as graphic designs, writers, architects, and others, need to visualize projects they are working on. Instead of laying everything on the table or the floor, try pinning items to a bulletin board.

Use Vertical and Horizontal Organization

Have you ever noticed how much vertical space your home has that is underutilized? According to HGTV, you can make your home office function better by using all available space. For example, you can hang cabinets or purchase desks with built-in cabinets to keep important files close by without having them cluttering your desk.

Additionally, if you tend to have stacks of papers, you can organize them with baskets for each type of paper or communication. You can keep the most important baskets on your desk to tackle the next day. Some people can’t stand anything left on their desks, so having decorative bins stored underneath might be a better option for you.

Conclusion

Your home office needs to work for you – not the other way around. Optimizing and organizing your space will help reduce eye strain, fatigue, and other occupational hazards. Plus, you and your officemate will get to have fun making the space comfortable and functional. Designing a home office for two may sound daunting at first, but with these simple tips, you and your officemate will feel focused, comfortable, and ready to tackle your tasks!