How to make a small space work for you

Small space workspaces with smart zoning through colour.

The office has gone mobile. We take our work with us wherever we go and the boundaries between time off and ‘time-on’ are more blurred than ever. For most of us, our laptop is our portable office. But few have the space to dedicate a whole room to working – so how do you define work in a small space?

Small space into smart space in four easy steps

Choose a dining table that doubles up as a working table.
Laptop at dining table

Rooms can be far more dynamic spaces than they first appear. They start out as four walls, a ceiling and a floor, but with imagination and the right tools, they can be so much more, as Marieke Wielinga, Senior Color Designer at AkzoNobel, explains: “Living in a small space is all about adaptability. Think about picking a table and chairs that suit laptop work as much as dining, with good overhead lighting to read by.”

Be creative in bed

Make your bed a multi-use space with clever solutions.
Bed with tray

Beds are not just for sleeping in, as the joke goes… “If you want to get work done from the comfort of your duvet, add a desk tray for writing and working on the laptop,” says Marieke. “It’s also important to make every room you use feel conducive to work as much as play by setting the right tone through colour.”

Which paints? Grey Mountain, Cameo Stone

Create versatile two-tone walls

Zone your workspace with a block of colour.
Workspace with block colour

In rooms that have many uses, you need a flexible atmosphere. “Denim Drift, the Colour of the Year 2017, is a grey blue that is the ideal base in these circumstances,” says Marieke. “It has a cool refinement that is both elegant but also allows for calm focus when working. It can be complemented by creating two-tone walls with cream or sap green, which you can divide with flashes of yellow ochre, rich russet red or burnt orange.”

Which paints? Denim Drift, Cameo Stone, Souvenir, Golden Garland, Downing Street and Southern Tip

Simple desk space ideas

Create a workspace integrated into a sideboard.
Wooden home workspace

“If you do want to have a dedicated work desk in your living room, keep it light and uncluttered with a small stool to work at and consider clever storage solutions such as shelves accented with bright colours or zoning the space with a block colour on the wall next to the desk.”

Which paints? Downing Street, Denim Drift

Watch the video and read more

For more simple solutions to creating work zones in your home, read Design work zones in your home.

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