Phoenix Patrick
Small bedroom office ideas get a bad rep. Seen as poky, they’re the last room to get allocated in a multi-gen or family home, evoking negativity amongst siblings because of their - apparent - lack of space. An opportunity to show off your logistical and decorating skills and prove to everyone that, with a sprinkling of imagination and a can-do attitude, you can turn a small space into a desirable and practical one.
Contrary to popular belief, small bedroom office ideas can really work a bold color on the walls.
Experienced decorators would advise you that, if you really want to use that striking wallpaper or eye-catching paint color somewhere, then do it in the smallest room of the home. Here, Farrow and Ball demonstrate that a tiny shelf can be transformed into a work area, and it’s a vivid, energizing, and fresh space thanks to the use of one of the best green paints. Their contemporary aesthetic (all their shelving and desk solutions have a now-iconic linear design appeal to them) looks altogether effortless and timeless in one neat package.
Splicing the room to separate your bed and desk space needn’t involve building physical barriers within the space, and the cleverest small bedroom layouts might just be a case of shifting your surface texture or paint color, to zone the desk area and give it a different identity. ‘A great way to find a space within the bedroom is to divide a small portion of the wall and paint it in a contrasting color.
Underneath the roof beams or, in this case, in a dormer-shaped window nook, look to carve out a little piece of workspace heaven at the top of the house. Keeping the bedroom neutral and light maximizes the feeling of being ‘up top’, and by opting for twin desk lamps, as seen above, you give the workspace area a real presence within the room. ‘For smaller spaces which you want to be calm, such as bedrooms, work with a soft neutral scheme such as 'Stone Dark Cool’ combined with ’Slaked Lime’ on woodwork or your desk, which will provide a gentle, yet brighter contrast, creating an elegant and functional space, perfect for creating a tranquil and comfortable work and sleep room.’ If you are looking to have both a desk and a bed, and within a smaller bedroom space, then be prepared to evict other items of furniture which aren’t so high on your priority list.
‘Use a desk to collate interesting objects, plants, and other memorabilia that will add a touch of personality without dominating the room. Light colors will work together to help even a large workspace blend with the wider design, keeping it spacious and relaxing despite its multi-function use.
Sure you can keep some form of clothes storage, and even a bedside table and floor or wall lamp, but you might need to leave the full-length chaise in another room… By focusing the design attention on the two main elements - the bed and the desk - the room still manages to have breathing space. The team curated something truly special and befitting, by carefully selecting a color palette that is fun but not childish, and creating a space that is chic but also highly functional.
The bright yellow provided an unexpected and playful contrast to the blue/grey paint (Edward Bulmers Aerial Tint). Sarah kept the bedding neutral, but then added a dash of daring design with a cow print club chair in another corner of the room.
‘Dark, moody colors that absorb light can add a sense of sophistication, while deep hues can help to promote that much-needed level of concentration required in your ‘work corner’ of the bedroom,’ says Dominic Myland. Bringing to mind the rich, mahogany tones that we can often associate with traditional Wall Street banking offices, and - to an extent - the old-worldly home office ideas found in Hampton’s mansions - this Mylands’ hue (FTT-015) really hones in on the right kind of color palette, but with a contemporary twist.
Classic, rich mahogany offices of bygone eras certainly inspire the color palette, but the furniture is strictly on-trend. Whilst some people can make do with just a laptop, a pen, and pad, others - fairly so - need to get into the right working mindset by creating a bit more clutter around them and in front of them. I went for abstract shapes, with a variety of colors, to set up a contrast with the yellow patterned curtains and plain painted walls. Affordable art feels a little less formal, heaps more inspiring, and, the kind of corner that you don’t mind looking at when you wake up on a weekend!
With its beautiful brass arm and fabric shade, it’s a delicate and inspired addition to your bedroom workspace area. Ok, we’ve furnished you with a host of different small bedroom office ideas and tricks to design and incorporate your workspace and desk. Sharps offer up a selection of neat and chic ways to design a desk space into a bedroom area.
‘If your bedroom is now also your working area, a clutter-free tidy desk space, in a previously unused corner, will aid a healthy work-life balance.
