If you work from home, do you have an office space?

[sanahoo]

I know it’s a luxury to have one but I do wish I had an office space of sort.

Bother is that we live in a 2 bed house with two rooms upstairs and two rooms down, and are reluctant now to upsize given interest rates and how expensive life is getting. We don’t have kids yet but hoping to try soon and so I don’t want to get too used to having the spare bedroom as my office if I will then have to uproot everything from there very soon

Currently I work from the kitchen table (for meetings) and the sofa the rest of the time, sometimes even outside if its sunny enough as we have lovely garden furniture. I feel unusual in this. I only work from home two days a week maximum and I’m in the office the rest of the time so don’t know if it’s a huge deal. What’s everyone elses set ups?

[allmyliesaretrue]

I work from my dining room table.

[frootie]

I have an office room with desk and ergonomic chair. When we bought our house in 2016 I felt very extravagant as I thought we didn't need a spare room. But then with Covid and the onset of wfh it's been really great. Plus it's somewhere to dry washing.

[KylieKangaroo]

I don't have the space, it's a source of much frustration as my kids can come and find me. I wish I had a shed or cabin and I'd lock the door!

[CrapBucket]

I needed to move house anyway, was lucky enough to get one with a box room which is great to work from. Before that it was horrible trying to carve a quiet space to concentrate/have meetings. If you are desk based you really shouldn’t base yourself on the sofa, it’s so bad for your health.

[bonfirebash]

Sort of. I've set a little alcove up by my patio doors, now have a giant curved screen on it too

[sanahoo]

@allmyliesaretrue

I work from my dining room table.

Where do you keep your laptop and office stationery, equipment etc if you don’t mind me asking?

[TheChosenTwo]

I do and it’s a blessing for sure. It’s a spare bedroom that we never bothered making into a spare bedroom. Absolutely feel so lucky having a totally separate space for my stuff to live, multiple screens and plenty of space. Plus I can shut the door if in meetings and anyone else is home. I don’t really close the door to it at the end of the day as it’s really tidy and I don’t hate my job!

[LouLou198]

I have a corner desk in my daughters room, with a proper computer chair. Dining room tables/sofas aren't the best to work on long term as your posture won't be correct. How about a fold up desk in your spare room?

[BarelyLiterate]

I have a desk with a large screen monitor to connect to my laptop and a proper office chair in my spare room. Not using a proper chair would cause back problems for me.

[TrueScrumptious]

I work from my dining room table too. It’s an open plan room with the living room but there are double doors to shut it off. I’ve moved the table against a wall as I need two monitors, and I have a PC.

[Clymene]

I'm self employed and have a dedicated office. I can't imagine how hard covid was without that

[mondaytosunday]

I work from the fourth bedroom- which is less than 6ft wide and about 7ft long. Apparently it is technically a bedroom, but if you put a bed in there nothing rise will fit.
But I've got an L shaped desk, computer, printer and filing cabinet and shelves above, a nice big window. Perfect!

[Taxo]

My spare room became my office, I wasn't able to function properly until I got a seperate space, so I was fine with giving up the spare bedroom basically!

[PurplePear7]

Yes I think it’s so important to have a space for work even if it’s just a desk in a corner!

I work in my spare bedroom (2 bedroom flat) but lucky to be moving soon to a 3 bedroom house so I’ll be able to shut the door on my office in the eve and not have to look in again until 8.55am the next day. I really hate that my home is now my work space.

I spent almost 3 years working in my living room and HATED it. Before that I studied for professional exams in my bedroom and again hated it. Never ever again.

[MelonsOnSaleAgain]

Yes. We’re fortunate enough to have an office room and then a spare room as a second office as we both work from home. It was one of the big appeals of the house tbh.

[noscoobydoodle]

I work from the garage and prior to that a desk behind a screen in our bedroom. I only work at the kitchen table out of core hours if the kids are at home and I need to hear them. If I were you I'd use the spare room and reassess if and when you need to repurpose -pregnancy and mat leave would give you probably 1-2years notice!

[idontknow54789]

DH world from home full time and has a desk in our bedroom. Probably not ideal but it's just part of the furniture now. I wfh part time and have a folding desk in our lounge. I love it as it's the bay window and can be nosy with our neighbours I used to work from the dining room table but I got too distracted cleaning the kitchen constantly.

[mackerella]

@MelonsOnSaleAgain

Yes. We’re fortunate enough to have an office room and then a spare room as a second office as we both work from home. It was one of the big appeals of the house tbh.

Same! We both started WFH during the pandemic and haven't fully gone back: DH goes in 2 days/week and I go in 1-2. For two years, I worked on the dining table, which was a pain for the rest of the family and made my sciatica flare up again 10 years after my last pregnancy (unsuitable chairs).

We moved last year to a bigger house, and one of the reasons we chose it is that it has two office spaces. Mine is absolutely minuscule but it feels like such a luxury to have a dedicated working space at home, and to be able to close the door on it every evening!

[mrsfollowill]

I work from my dining room table full time- generally go the office twice a month. The house is empty all day- DH and adult DS work outside the home so I'm not bothered with people. I have windows either end so lots of light/air. We have an unused box room upstairs and I have toyed with the idea of turning it into my office- but to be fair I prefer being downstairs- near the kitchen and back door - near front door for deliveries- I'm comfortable where I am so I'm staying this way.
It's very easy to pack my stuff away at the end of the working day - laptop/headphones and a few other bits- they go in a cupboard and the dining room is fit for purpose- we eat our meals there everyday. If I had multiple large monitors or actual documents or files then it would be different but all my work is images on a screen/emails.

[RoseMartha]

I have a desk in my bedroom. One corner is all work stuff and its not a big room

[latetothefisting]

yes, spare bedroom is. But then I wfh full time and don't see that changing any time in the next few years, if ever, so it was pretty much a necessity for me in terms of physical (having the right set up with adjustable chair, multiple screens etc) and mental health. Think I'd struggle to switch off if I couldn't literally close the door at the end of the day and always had my laptop staring at me! If I didn't have the spare room available I'd probably have built put of those small office cabin things in the garden.

[StarDolphins]

I don’t. I have my PC on my dining room table which is in my lounge. Depressing really but I do love my job. Sometime I put it all on the chair & put a throw over it.

[orangesea]

I’ve got a purpose built desk in an alcove beside a chimney breast, but it feels cramped and gloomy so I use the dining table instead. There is more space for the monitor, the laptop is closed on a stand to the side leaving loads of room for keyboard and books and papers and drinks and snacks. I like to spread out!

[OneRingToRuleThemAll]

I live in a 3 bed flat and the 3rd room is an office with a bed for 15yo DD who lives with her dad but is here every other week.

[Reugny]

I work from my DD's room. It was my office before it became her room but she doesn't play in it.

One of my SILs use to work in a cubby in the hall before they moved house.

One of my brothers works in their kitchen. It wasn't a problem until lockdown.