Space Saving Ideas for Your Kitchen Office

In the last couple of years, the idea of the home office has had a major image change. These days, a quiet corner of your home is just as likely to be the beating heart of a business as a swanky office building once was. Many of us are planning to work from home long after the pandemic is over. And if that quiet corner happens to be in the kitchen, you’ve got the perfect excuse to create a hybrid working and living space right in the centre of your home.

But just because working remotely is no longer unusual, that doesn’t mean all of us have got around to setting up that proper working space - somewhere comfortable, practical and calm that gets you into the right mindset for the working day.

Life is hectic, and even two years into the home working revolution it’s all too easy to keep perching on a bar stool at the kitchen counter or balancing a laptop on the edge of a crowded dining table - but if you’re in it for the long haul, now’s the perfect time to create a kitchen office that’ll be the envy of your colleagues in a video call.

What is a kitchen office?

A kitchen office isn’t half-kitchen, half-office, it’s fully both. Having a kitchen office means much more than just squeezing yourself into a space between pots and pans and piles of washing. It means remodelling the most important room in your home into a multi-functional, convenient and stylish space that lends itself to productive work as well as delicious dinners.

A kitchen office merges your work and domestic lives together in a way that will complement both - by bringing the calm and relaxation of home into the workday (as well as putting you within easy reach of a good cup of tea). Since the home working boom began it’s become an increasingly popular option for busy professionals, putting the days of hiding away in the spare room firmly in the past.

What’s more, in smaller homes a kitchen office can be a real space saver, encouraging clever design and organization that maximise the room’s potential while reconfiguring it in ways you’d never have thought of if you’d kept it as a plain old kitchen.

What are the advantages of a kitchen office?

Having a kitchen office needn’t mean compromising your existing kitchen. Remember - you’re not trying to squeeze two rooms into one, you’re maximising the potential of the space you’ve got. Keep that approach in mind when you’re designing a kitchen office and you’ll create a workspace that encourages creativity and minimises distraction. And that’s not the only benefit…

1. It maximises limited space

Smart interior design is all about looking at a space differently. Learn how to design a kitchen office space and you’ll be amazed at how you can make even the most awkwardly-shaped kitchen work for you.

The key is to make sure you don’t need to “put away” the office at the end of the day and turn the room back into a kitchen - it can be both at the same time, and the more you think about maximising space, the more seamless that transition will be. 

2. It makes your kitchen multi-functional

The benefits of a multi-functional kitchen go beyond the practical. Mental health has been at the top of companies’ agendas more than ever during the pandemic - and working in a space that you associate with the joys of home is sure to boost your mood and your productivity, providing comfort without distraction as long as you get the balance right. 

What’s more, everyone loves a multi-functional space. The more cleverly designed your kitchen office is, the more you’ll gain from both cooking and working in it, and the more you’ll be driven to create similarly inspired spaces throughout the rest of your home. 

3. It’s perfect for working from home

Placing your workspace in the heart of your home makes the trickier elements of working remotely that bit easier. You can keep half an eye on the kids if they’re around, and you can make a cup of tea within seconds (especially if you incorporate an instant hot water tap). Of course, having the fridge within such easy reach can have its advantages and disadvantages!

Working in a kitchen office will also encourage you to take breaks when you need them, and even being among a more visually busy space - as opposed to the blank walls of the spare room - can help keep your eyes from staring at the same screen for too long.

The 5 best ways to save space in your kitchen office

So you’ve decided that a kitchen office is the perfect way to refresh your home working routine. How do you incorporate an office into a kitchen while making the most of the space that you’ve got? Here are some ideas to get you started…

1. Use your walls to create storage

Putting up shelves on the wall instead of buying standalone units makes a huge difference in reducing wasted space - and even if you’re not planning on creating an office kitchen, increasing kitchen storage space is always worthwhile. You can customise your own unique shelving pattern which takes advantage of every contour and every tricky angle, leaving nothing unused. 

Incorporating hanging storage into the space is also a great way to make sure the smart design goes all the way up to the ceiling - whether it’s pots and pans freeing up cupboard space by hanging from a rack or some extra filing trays hanging underneath your desk.

2. Find smart kitchen waste solutions

Banishing clunky waste bins from the corner of the kitchen is an easy way to free up a few precious square feet. A bin that tucks neatly away in a cupboard not only tidies up the room but helps keep it smelling fresh, too - ideal if you’re spending upwards of eight hours a day in there. 

On top of that, a smart food waste disposal system will seamlessly integrate with your kitchen plumbing and remove the need for a food recycling caddy in the corner. This not only keeps food waste smells away, but it also helps the environment; the food waste is flushed through the disposal system and ends up in waste water treatment.

3. Opt for roll-out kitchen cabinets

You’ve worked a long day. Just because you’ve cut your commuting time to around 7 or 8 seconds, that’s no reason to spend half the evening fishing around in the backs of the cupboards for long-forgotten condiments when you’re cooking up a midweek dinner. Install roll-out cabinets and your cupboard will bring those tins and bottles to you. 

In a kitchen office or even just a kitchen, roll-out cabinets will change your life - giving you easy access to everything in your cupboards and making you wonder how you ever put up with anything less.

4. Pick furniture that can be collapsed or hidden

A sleekly designed space is a stress-free space, and if you’re prone to mess in the kitchen then the last thing you want is work mess cluttering up the space too. 

So opt for easily tucked-away furniture - a fold-away desk will work wonders, and a folding chair will avoid the sizeable footprint that a big office-style seat can have (just make sure it’s supportive enough for your back).

You could even put your desk into a cupboard that can be closed away at the end of the day - the effect will not only be that bit more tidy but it’ll help keep your head out of the office in the evenings and create a much-needed boundary around the working day. 

You can also make space on your countertops for your diary and notebooks by replacing the kettle with an instant boiling water tap. 

5. Take advantage of unloved corners

Focusing on refreshing and maximising space when designing your kitchen office will encourage you to think about every inch of it - and corners are the key. Suddenly that awkwardly-shaped area under the stairs will be the perfect place to sit at your computer and concentrate on work.

Before you know it, the multifunctional design of the space will mean your kitchen office seems twice as big, even though it’s still only the size of a regular kitchen - or office. 

Click here for more ideas for a stylish kitchen office.