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Steal these home office ideas from properties around the Boston area

Don't have a lot of space? Wondering what might work? Draw inspiration from these setups

By Tom Acitelli
A home office with a desk and a chair in a corner between two perpendicular windows. Photo via Compass

Never before have so many home offices been cobbled together so fast in the Boston area as in the past three weeks. Yes, the novel coronavirus pandemic sent workers across the region squirreling into wherever they could in their apartments, condos, and houses for adequate workspace.

Most of these home offices were ad hoc by nature—there just wasn’t time to plan. Now that it looks like many of us will be working from home that much longer in order to stem the virus’ spread, it’s time to better arrange those thrown-together workspaces. Here are some home offices from around the region for inspiration.

A home office in a bay-windowed area with shelves and a desk and chair. Photo via William Raveis

This home office in a 913-square-foot condo for sale for $685,000 on Crescent Street in Cambridge reminds us that houseplants and shelves are our friends when it comes to personal workspace. (And, as for houseplants, check out this guide to which ones thrive in southern New England.)

A desk and a chair next to some shelves on a stairs landing. Photo via Compass

Seize space. That’s the lesson from this home-office setup on a landing of the stairs in a 1,851-square-foot triplex for sale on Bunker Hill Street in Boston’s Charlestown for $1.135 million. As Anthony Goodh, owner of furniture and accessories store BoConcept in Cambridge, reminded us: “Most home offices function as more than just an office.” Be creative with the space at hand.

A room empty except for a desk, a chair, and a computer next to some flowers. Photo via Boston Residential

This setup in a 1,253-square-foot condo for sale on Jenkins Street in South Boston for a dollar under $800,000 is a reminder that sparse works too. Sometimes all you need—a desk, a chair, a computer—and all you have room for align.

A home office with a desk and a chair in a corner between two perpendicular windows. Photo via Compass

Shelves? Check. Houseplant? Check. Smart use of existing space? Check. Natural light? Definitely check. This setup comes from another Southie property, a colonial for sale on Preble Street for $569,900.

A home office in a corner of a bedroom, with a long desk and a chair, and a long set of shelves behind the chair. Photo via Leading Edge

From Arlington comes a home office that emphasis length rather than breadth. This setup with a narrow desk and long shelves is at one end of one of the four bedrooms inside a 3,039-square-foot Victorian for sale on Addison Street for $1.15 million.

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