How to Lay Out a Home Office
The dimensions that decide whether the room works, whatever it ends up looking like. Built-in desk, real storage, and a wall you can be seen against.
BeforeAfter
- 1
What the room is arranged around
A home office remodel is joinery plus a lighting plan. The desk becomes part of the wall, the storage goes vertical, and — since half the room's job is now being a background — the wall behind the chair gets as much thought as the one in front of it.
- 2
Rule 1
A built-in desk wants 28–30in of depth for a monitor at a comfortable distance.
- 3
Rule 2
Allow 36in behind the desk for the chair to roll back.
- 4
Rule 3
Set the desk at 29–30in; a counter-height run at 36in is a standing desk, not a sitting one.
- 5
Rule 4
Position the desk so a window falls to the side, never behind the screen or behind the chair.
- 6
Rule 5
Leave 15in of clear worktop beside the monitor for anything on paper.
- 7
When it is tight
In an alcove under 6ft wide, run the desk the full width and take the shelving to the ceiling above it. A freestanding desk in a small office wastes the two inches at each end that make it feel built-in.
Questions
- What should I decide first in a home office remodel?
- A home office remodel is joinery plus a lighting plan. The desk becomes part of the wall, the storage goes vertical, and — since half the room's job is now being a background — the wall behind the chair gets as much thought as the one in front of it.
- What goes wrong most often?
- The desk facing a window, so the camera exposes for the light and the face goes dark. Shelving stopped at picture height, wasting the most useful storage in the room.
- Will it work in a small home office?
- In an alcove under 6ft wide, run the desk the full width and take the shelving to the ceiling above it. A freestanding desk in a small office wastes the two inches at each end that make it feel built-in.
- Can I see it on my own home office before starting?
- Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.