For many people, there was hope that life may have returned to normal at this point since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic began. But since it’s starting to become clear that life as we know it may be changed for the foreseeable future, it’s time to get serious about how you’ll implement these new routines into your life, including spending more time working or doing school within the walls of your own home.
So if you’re someone who’s been procrastinating creating a designated space for a home office or home schooling, here are three ways you can turn your kitchen table into your home office space without having to put too much time or effort into the redesign.
Get The Right Lighting
One of the biggest problems of using your kitchen table as your home office space without any additional features is that you likely haven’t been working with adequate lighting. And for the sake of your eyes, you’ll want to be sure that you have the lighting you need to see everything clearly and sharply.
To get the right lighting for your table office space, Michael Desmond, a contributor to The Spruce, recommends that you get a light fixture that can give you direct lighting for whatever tasks you’re doing. If you work on a computer for most of your time, you may simply want an overhead light that gently illuminates the space around you. But if you’re doing any kind of paperwork, having a small desk lamp sitting on your table is ideal.
Display What You Need
Because you’re likely still using your kitchen table to eat at or gather around, it can be a real headache having to get your work items out each morning and then put them away at the end of the day.
To save you from this trouble, Debra Immergut, a contributor to BobVila.com, suggests that you use your work or school items as a form of decoration by creatively and beautifully displaying them around the space rather than hiding them away. This can help you still feel a separation between work and play without the pressure of redesigning your dining room every night.
Control Your Cords
As with any work desk, you’re likely going to have a lot of cords plugging in things like your computer, monitor, lamp, external accessories, and more all around your space. With actual desks, there are usually built-in ways that you can keep your cords under control. But with a kitchen table, you’ll have to get creative.
To help you with this, Gregory Han, a contributor to Apartment Therapy, suggests that you find a way to mount your cords under your table so that they say out of your way. This will help your space feel more organized as well as keeping it safer for you and anyone else who comes around your table.
If you’ll be using your kitchen table as your office space for now, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you turn this area into something safe, comfortable, and functional.