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Lots of entrepreneurs work from home at least on occasion. In fact, there’s a good chance that more than one person in your household may need a home office. Whether you and your partner both work from home every day or you occasionally bring in a coworker to help with tasks, you may benefit from having a home office that’s optimized for multiple people.
If you and your significant other both work from home, and you lack room, why not build a home office for two? Here’s 25 ideas to inspire you.
Home Office for Two
Double Workstation Desk
The first thing you’ll need when creating a home office for two is a desk that can fit both people. This option is a fairly simple choice.
Corner Desk
If your workspace only fits into a corner, then a setup like this where the desks but up against two different walls may work fairly well.
L-Shaped Desk
If you want to be able to face each other as you work, then a deep desk that juts out from the wall may be the perfect solution. You could even build it in so that the tabletop extends or pushes back up against the wall when you’re not using it.
Built-in Two Person Workstation
If you’re looking for a two person desk for a small space, you might consider a small built-in along the wall that can accommodate two small desk chairs.
Desk Shelves
Another two person workstation that’s perfect for those who need some division in their office, this desk comes with a shelf that runs down the middle so you can display books or decor and enjoy a bit of privacy without having to purchase multiple items.
Two-in-One Desk and Shelf
If space is at a real premium in your home office, you might want to make your furniture pull double duty. This desk fits both a workstation and shelving in one small area. You could easily get two to fit seamlessly into a small home office.
Built-In Shelves
Storage is often a concern when fitting multiple people into a single office. Built-in shelves can be very beneficial for giving each person enough space.
Built-In Cabinets
It may also be helpful to include some hidden storage. In that case, adding some custom cabinets or including storage pieces with doors may be a good solution.
Conference Table
If you do a lot of collaborating together, then a small conference table could be the perfect solution for your home office. If you have the space, you might use this in addition to your desks. Or you could use it in place of multiple desks.
Bulletin Boards
When it comes to the walls of your home office, it’s important to find something that offers a cohesive look while still allowing each person to personalize their space. Putting up multiple bulletin boards gives you the option to change things out regularly and add whatever you please to your side.
Area Rugs
For those who want to really separate their work spaces, you might place multiple area rugs in the room to really define the style of each individual office.
Desk Lamps
Desk lamps give you the ability to really personalize each individual office or workstation. Or you could get a matching set to create a more cohesive look between the two spaces.
Filing Cabinets
Filing cabinets add practical storage to your home office, while also helping you define spaces if necessary. Additionally, locking storage may be necessary if one person sometimes welcomes clients or visitors into the office.
Rolling Chairs
Rolling chairs are essential for giving each person easy mobility within the space. This is especially important if you have multiple desks and workstations.
Room Divider
For those who really value privacy in the office, a full scale room divider can help you basically turn one room into two.
Desk Divider
On a smaller scale, you could also put up sets of desk dividers around each workstation for added privacy.
Desk Trays
When you’re sharing a workspace, organization is even more important than usual. So you could invest in a few desk trays to keep everything in its place as it comes into your office.
Accent Chairs
Even if you have space for a dedicated desk, you may want to include other seating in your home office in case one of you wants to change it up. Accent chairs can serve as the perfect solution.
Removable Wallpaper
If your goal is to create two spaces that feel separate, you might add an accent wall with some removable wallpaper.
Gallery Wall
You could also personalize the space with a unique gallery wall. This allows you both to add pieces that you really love while still creating a cohesive look.
Rolling Cart
There’s a good chance you might need to move some things around as you share a space. A rolling cart like this one could come in handy in those instances.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Of course, there may also be times when you need to work independently and avoid bothering your office mate, which is where noise cancelling headphones are a must.
Large Houseplants
Plants are helpful for defining spaces and providing some noise insulation. Add a few around and on each desk to bring some life into the office.
Desk Fan
When you’re working with an office mate, there’s a chance you might each like the space at different temperatures. A small desk fan can help one of you stay cool if the temperature is a bit warm.
Space Heater
On the other hand, a space heater can come in handy for the person who’s always cold.
Image: Depositphotos.com
Aira Bongco
you first need to understand the dynamics between the two who will be working in the space. You should then design the space based on the unique characteristics of the two.
I think privacy and solitude is important as well as comfort in a home office. You need a space to call your own, and not be interrupted by noisy zoom meetings or gamer. My wife and I share home office and we went with the stylish couch design. The couch is perfect for the gamer and comfort while it serves as a room divider. The conference table was turned into a work bench for the paper minded workaholic. The small computer table now is the print server. Filing space is very important too. we bought a number of plastic organizers for keeping stuff off the tables.
Please update your website so we can post examples of REAL home offices and how others are coping?
Both of my parents are working from home in a small space in their office. They could use some extra storage in the room. Getting some new cabinets installed by a professional could be really useful for them. I liked what you said about how both should be able to personalize their wall space by changing things out regularly on multiple bulletin boards.
Wow! what a comprehensive article. One of the pitfalls of working from home with two people in the same area is the sound interference. I have found a number of large strategically placed indoor plants have dampened down the sound as well as brightening up the backdrop for video calls.