Small homes can be one of the most wonderful homes to live in. Thanks to their size, there is that instant feeling of comfort and ease as you walk into the space and feel the connection between all the rooms. And while it may have an atmosphere that spoke to you when you first moved in, there are also challenges to living in a small home. Often storage can be a bit tricky to say the least, and if you need to designate a particular area in the home, making it quiet and private, it may not always seem possible.

Here we’ll take a look at how you can go about creating a home office or even a study space in a small home. How can you approach the design when you aren’t given extra space to work with?

Anytime you’re looking to make more space in a small home, the first place to start is with decluttering. That doesn’t just mean decluttering one room, rather it means the entire house. The more items you can get rid of that are unnecessary or unwanted, the more space you’re going to have to work with. Even if that just means you can better organise, it will help in the end. 

As for the decluttering process, don’t be afraid to be a little ruthless. Sometimes it’s necessary to make those difficult decisions and be honest with yourself about what you should keep and get rid of.

Because small homes don't tend to have extra rooms that you can just take over as your office, it may be necessary instead to create an office zone. A good way to explain an office zone is an area of an existing room that you can create an office space in. Sure, there will be a lack of privacy, but if it’s workspace you need, then this may be the only way to go about it.

Perhaps you can tuck a small desk behind the sofa, against a wall, etc. Now is the time for a little creativity.

While it would certainly be great to have actual walls that enclose your office, sometimes you need another solution, and privacy screens can be just that. Let’s say you are using the area as study space for an online program or course such as the business analytics MSc online program at Aston University. 

Because it's not an office, you don't have to worry about chatting with clients on the phone; you just need a spot to get your work done that is free of distractions. A privacy screen will block out everything else surrounding you, allowing you to focus on your computer and your notes. At the same time, it isn’t permanent, so you can easily fold it out of the way when not in use.

Finding extra space where it doesn’t exist can seem like an impossible task, but in reality, it’s about making small changes and seeing things in a different light.