If your new normal involves eating and working in the same location, use these tips to get the best setup possible.

You can consider turning your Dining room into an office. Dining rooms come with a table and chairs and are often one of the most underutilized spaces in the house. Here are some design ideas to help you turn your dining area into a workable workspace.

1. Make a Desk if you don’t already have one.

Make yourself a flat workplace and think beyond the box. A wide plank from the hardware shop might be stained or painted and used to cover crates. You may go to a yard sale and buy a cheap coffee table to paint and sit on. Perhaps you could turn a closet into your workplace. You might also acquire a movable Desk that you can place in a corner when not in use. More often, there is already a table in your dining area hence all you need is to invest in a beneficial ergonomic chair. If you’re sitting on the floor, use soft pillows and lean against a wall. Invest in a comfortable kitchen mat for your feet if you decide to use a standing workstation.

2. On your workstation, place a monitor stand.

Make sure you have a monitor for better viewing and use a monitor stand on your desk to keep it at the proper ergonomic height. You could buy one with storage below, or you could just use something you already have, such as a crate or a stack of books but the latter comes with some risks. The idea is that you need to position yourself in a way that your eye level with your monitor or screen.

3. Use little shelves to your advantage.

Take advantage of vertical space for home office storage of papers, notes, glasses, and other items you need every day for work, whether you put a small shelving unit on your desk or hang a shelf on the wall above. Organize and arrange office work materials from dining or kitchen materials.

4. Mugs, cups, vases, and even tin cans can be used.

Repurpose existing goods into tool and utility storage, such as pens, scissors, paper clips, thumb drives, and so on. Wrap rope, colorful yarn, or appealing paper around repurposed tin cans for a unique look. Keep them on your desk so that everything has a place to go. It will help you keep track of the minute materials you need in a way where you don’t need to purchase a new one. Recycling is highly encouraged to foster good stewardship of the planet.

5. Hang items up with pegs.

Use the wall space around your dining area and home office duo.  You may use recycled tote bags to put office materials and hang them conveniently when not in use. This will help you remember where to locate office stuff easily. Hang things like tools, headphones, glasses, and memos with pegs, hooks, or even a full pegboard.

6. Have adequate illumination.

The dining table makes a great desk so all you need is proper illumination. During the day, task lighting will make it easier on your eyes, and during Zoom meetings. A clamp-on lamp is ideal for small spaces. Even though your dining room has plenty of natural light, adding one or two work lamps to reduce eye strain is crucial. Convert the dining room into a full-time personal office space and include a tiny, attractive desk lamp to provide optimum illumination. 

7. Make storage more interesting.

Toss printer paper, reference books, and extra electronics and cords into beautiful bags and baskets that may be hung on hooks or placed on the floor. Alternatively, acquire a rolling cart for storage that you can move about. This may serve well with office work materials for easy access and can be movable when you adopt flexible work in different rooms within the house.

8. Incorporate a natural element.

Nature is relaxing to the psyche, so having a green plant, or even a piece of driftwood or a container of seashells at your desk might help you relax. Use a modern plant stand with simple lines to free up desk space or you can have your little aquarium or anything that can give natural relaxation. It may act as your breather during long hours of work with your laptop or desktop.

9. Obtain additional cords.

Investing in extra cords for your computer, monitor, and all other extra gadgets you need for work is one of the most convenient factors when you live at home. Set them up permanently at your workstation, complete with a USB hub to hook everything into. You may then easily get set up when you bring your laptop back to your work area after lounging about in bed watching movies. Keep them tidy by using clips to keep them in place on your desk. If you’re spending a lot of time at home working, you should take it seriously. It is both safe and effective. 

10. Make a height investment.

A simple tabletop converter is a more elegant and less precarious alternative than making a standing workstation out of a tall stack of cookbooks. When you need it, collapsible models give height to your kitchen table, and they store effortlessly when you don’t need them. If you want something attractive and adjustable that folds up fully when not in use, go with a wooden scaffolding version or check websites that offer a plethora of work-from-home accessories.

11. Add the ability to print wirelessly.

The Apple Airport Express is a handy little gadget that turns any USB printer into a wireless printer. You can keep the printer concealed in the closet but accessible throughout the day. You may even share it with other household members by sharing it wirelessly, and this will save a lot of space in your home. The scene of you working at home, with your junior high school boy studying remotely and a 5th grader having a Zoom class is very common recently. 

12. Install a desk grommet in the dining table’s center.

This is a more involved installation than necessitates drilling a hole in your table, but these types of desk grommets are relatively easy to install, provide a variety of useful connections, and can easily be hidden by placing a centerpiece on top when your desk needs to be transformed into a dining table for entertaining.

You can now begin planning your convertible dining office with the 12 tips listed above, which will assist you in becoming successful because one of the best offices you can have is your dining room, which comes with a table and chairs and is often one of the most under-utilized spaces in a home.

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