More and more people are starting to work from home, so they will need a home office.
Whether you work from home full time, do a few hours of work after you get home, or just pay household bills from your home office, you will most likely need some sort of storage in your office.
Here are a few storage ideas for your home office that you may have never considered.
photo courtesy of Builders Design flickr.com/photos/buildersdesign/10447183916/
Store Digital
Typically, many home offices require paperwork storage which requires a great deal of space.
If at all possible, store most of your paperwork digitally using a scanner #ad to input them into your computer.
Make sure to create digital back up copies of your important paperwork.
Shred and recycle the originals.
Only print what is absolutely necessary.
Contact people who mail you bills and ask for them to be sent digitally.
Get rid of old paperwork that is no longer necessary.
Remove out of date paperwork that you do not need to regularly access in a different location, such as a storage room.
Technology
Technology has become smaller and many items have multiple uses.
Select a smaller laptop computer instead of a large desktop with a monitor and keyboard.
Buy a printer, fax, copy, scanner-in-one instead of 4 separate items.
The less you have, the less you will need to store.
Get rid of your old technology that you don't use to allow more storage for other items in your office.
Do you really still need to hold onto old floppy discs, software that you do not use, broken or out of date computers, old phones, or other "dinosaur" technology?
Go Vertical
Many people only consider floor space when decorating and organizing.
Consider using wall space as additional storage in your home office.
You can use kitchen cabinets mounted on your wall for extra storage.
You can cut into the walls between the studs to make shelving or hidden storage behind artwork.
Storage Pedestal
You can put a storage pedestal under your desk for items you need on a regular basis.
A storage pedestal does not take up much floor space; however you need to make sure you have enough leg room.
Luckily, a storage pedestal often can be used as a table leg, so you will not need both.
Multipurpose Furniture
You can use furniture for multiple purposes - one of which being home office storage.
You can get an upholstered storage ottoman that can be used for sitting as well as storage.
There are also side chairs with hidden storage inside the seat.
Inside the Walls
Reclaim some space inside the walls of your home for home office storage.
You might find empty space under your stairs or between your walls.
Review the architectural drawings of your home to see if there are any open spaces where you could store items for your home office.
Make it Pretty
If possible, store office supplies in decorative containers to make your home office feel like home.
You can use a decorative basket, pretty box, or antique cabinet.
Office storage does not have to look like it came from an office supply store.
