Carve Out Space for a Home Office

Turn a corner of any room into a work area that really works with these tips.

In Your Kitchen

Create your own corner (of the kitchen) office using furniture that blends into the room (here, the pieces match the clean, contemporary lines of stainless-steel appliances). And take cues from the countertops: Pasta- and cookie-storage jars and spice and cutlery receptacles adapt perfectly to office work.

What You'll Need

• A message center: A steel bulletin board is a sleek stand-in for traditional cork. Affix papers and notes with magnetic clips, and store paper clips, file tabs, and the like in magnetic spice containers.
• Lighting: A lean brushed-steel lamp pivots in two directions (up and down, side to side) and projects bright halogen light exactly where you want it.
• Furniture: A stainless-steel work table (here paired with a brushed-aluminum chair) provides ample surface area for writing, as well as lots of legroom. Casters keep things mobile. Glass food-storage jars prevent rubber bands and other odds and ends from taking over the desktop, while a letter sorter keeps postage, tape, and outgoing mail organized.
• File storage: A rolling cart pulls out from under the desk for easy access. Binders and a bin for files or magazines slide into the lower compartment, papers get tucked neatly into a box, and pens and pencils hide away in a plastic flatware divider.