8 Home Offices that Blend In

Working from home is all the rage these days, but not all of us have a room in our house to spare for a home office. While low-cost furniture makers like Ikea have been meeting this need for desks and office furniture that blend in for years, some higher end options have been appearing on the market as well. And that just makes sense with real estate square footage at a premium everywhere; many of our home spaces need to do double duty. So we’ve compiled a list of some great home office concepts that blend perfectly into other rooms.

1 – Kitchen Workspace

It can be very convenient to work in the kitchen, and not just because it means you’re closer to the cookie jar. Having the coffee maker a few steps away is a big advantage on Mondays, after all. The key to this look is to choose a desk that closely resembles the countertops and cabinet colors of your kitchen. This way, the desk blends in like just another kitchen workspace, and hey, in a pinch, you can use it as extra counter space as well!

2 – Choose a Non-Office Chair

This spare room is doing double duty, but its home office function is cleverly camouflaged. All you see when you first glance at this room is the big fluffy bed with its lush white pillows and billowing duvet. They key to pulling off this look is to choose a chair that looks like it’s there for comfort. In this case, the tufted white upholstery of the chair looks like it’s simply an extension of the comfy bed and your guests will never guess just how much work you’re doing in your guest room oasis.

 

3 – Dining Table as Desk

Why not make your current work surfaces do double duty? Keep all of your office regalia neatly stacked on shelves or in cupboards nearby and use your dining table as a cleverly disguised in plain sight office area. Sure you’ll have to carefully store all of your desktop necessities between each use, but if you’re a laptop user that’s not as difficult as it sounds.

4 – Occasional Table as Desk

We all know you’ve got comfortable chairs in your house already. You have to have somewhere to kick back when you marathon HGTV after all! The key to this blended in office is to use the seating you already have and plant a small, functional work surface in front of it. Cue the occasional table you use to keep your drink on when you’re binge-watching an entire season of Fixer Upper. This is the ultimate way to make your home office do double, or even triple, duty!

5 – The Built-in Blend-in

One key to maximizing a small space for multiple functions is to use the organizational power of built-in furniture. From desks to beds to dresser drawers, the customization of built-ins means you get exactly the features and option you need. Check out the built-in component systems from some big box retailers to get a custom look for a lot less. With built-ins you can also make a multi-functional space look visually harmonious.

 

6 – Dressing Table Type Desk

Here’s another guest room/home office option where the look of the desk helps it blend in to the bedroom look. With lots of storage that looks almost like a spare dresser or dressing table and a chair that marries well with the white and gold tranquil mood of the room, this desk looks like it’s there for the guest to put on their makeup in the morning rather than to serve as a much needed home office when there are no guests in town. The lamp and flower vase on top further serve to make the desk blend into the bedroom.

7 – Color Blend

This is a case of a true office desk and chair setup in a guest bedroom that relies on color to make it blend into the scene. This is a look that works best in rooms with an intense and uniform color story, but if you’re feeling creative, you could make it work anywhere. Note how even the heavy, ergonomic office chair doesn’t look out of place because it was purchased in white with a turquoise seat. This is a look to do with panache.

8 – Sofa Table as Desk

Much like the dinner-table-as-desk look, this one takes some additional organizational furniture to pull off, but can make your home office blend in seamlessly. The key to this look is to merchandise your sofa table with a few nice looking objets d’art. And choosing a beautiful or sculptural sofa table helps as well. And finally, your office chair choice is key. In this case, a fully upholstered look was chosen that can be stationed beside the table for additional living space seating when the desk isn’t in use.