Increasing your storage space should be a priority when converting your dining room to an office.
While a formal dining room may be an attractive feature in a home, it is often wasted space because it is only used on a couple of holidays and special occasions. If your house is on the small side and you work from home, you may find that converting your dining room to a home office is a better use of the space. However, to create a functional office, you may need to make significant changes to the room.
Think About Wiring
A functional home office usually requires plenty of electrical outlets to power office equipment, as well as phone and data jacks. probably has only a couple of outlets and likely isn't wired for phone, DSL or cable modem connections. Before planning any other details of your home office conversion, determine how many additional outlets you will need, and hire a qualified electrician to install them. If you need phone and data wiring, contact your utility companies about installing the necessary connections as well.
Add a Door
Ideally, you should separate your home office from the activity in the rest of your house, so you can concentrate on your work. If your formal dining room has an open archway or door-less entryway, noise from nearby rooms can enter the space and may provide a distraction when you convert the room to an office. Adding a door can provide the necessary quiet and privacy for a home office. If you're concerned about closing the space off and reducing the amount of natural light that it receives, French doors are an ideal option. Add sheer curtains on the inside portion of the door to maintain your office's privacy.
Change the Lighting
A formal dining room usually features soft mood lighting to create a pleasant ambiance for dining. However, when you are using the space for a home office, brighter, direct lighting is usually necessary. If your dining room has a chandelier with small light bulbs that don't produce much light, swap it out for tracking lighting. Track lighting is an effective option for a home office because you can move its heads to direct the light where you need it. Combined with a desk lamp and a couple of floor lamps, it should provide plenty of light when you are working in your office.
Increase Storage
Your formal dining room probably doesn't contain much storage space beyond a china cabinet. When you convert the room into an office, you will likely need additional storage for office supplies, equipment and books. If your china cabinet is a built-in, you can repurpose it for office storage. However, if it has glass front doors, add fabric panels to the inside of the doors to provide discreet storage. Add a large bookcase and filing cabinets to a free wall. You can also install wall-mounted shelves for items that you don't mind storing out in the open.
Tags: home office, dining room, dining room, formal dining, your dining room, china cabinet