Built-In Home Office: 7 Things to Plan Before You Build
Planning a custom home office? Get the layout, desk size, storage, power and finishes right before the cabinetry is made.
To plan a built-in home office, choose the right spot first, size the desk to the way you work, plan storage for what you actually use, and work out power and cables before any cabinetry is made.
Kitchen & Home Renovations Co. (KAHR Co.) designs and installs custom home offices and built-in joinery across Sydney. These are the seven things we talk through with homeowners before designing one, from a small alcove desk to a full wall of storage.
Your Home Office Planning Checklist
- Choose the right location.
- Work out how much desk space you actually need.
- Plan storage around what you need to keep.
- Decide where power points, lighting and cables will go.
- Choose a durable desktop.
- Make the joinery feel like part of your home.
- Think about other built-in storage at the same time.
Jump ToLocation · Desk Size · Storage · Power & Cables · Desktop · Style · Other Built-Ins
Choose The Best Location For Your Home Office
Where the office goes shapes everything else about it. Most homes have a few options, and each suits a different way of working:
- A spare room. The most separation from the rest of the house, and a door you can close on work at the end of the day.
- A hallway or living room alcove. A compact study nook that uses space that is otherwise wasted.
- An open-plan corner. Handy for keeping an eye on the kids, but it needs storage with doors so the space doesn't look like an office all the time.
Think about light and noise too. Natural light from the side is easier on the eyes than a window directly behind your screen, and a spot away from the kitchen and TV makes calls easier.
Get Your Built-In Desk Dimensions Right
One of the biggest advantages of a built-in desk is that it is made to fit you and your room, rather than the other way around. Before it is designed, think about:
- Height. As a general guide, most desks sit somewhere around 720 to 750mm high. If you are taller or shorter than average, it is worth adjusting.
- Depth. A deeper desktop gives you room for a monitor at a comfortable distance, plus space for a keyboard and notes in front of it.
- Width. Allow for everything you use at once, such as a laptop, second screen, printer or paperwork, and for a second person if the office is shared.
- Legroom. Keep drawers and cupboards clear of where your knees and chair need to go.
If two people will work in the room, a long shared desktop with storage in between often makes better use of the space than two separate desks.
Plan Storage Around What You Actually Use
It is easy to design a home office around how you hope it will look rather than what you need to store. Make a quick list first: files and paperwork, books, stationery, equipment, and anything from the rest of the house that tends to end up on the desk.
Then match the storage to it:
- Drawers for files, stationery and small items you use every day.
- Closed cupboards for paperwork, printers and anything you don't want on show.
- Open shelving for books and a few things you like to see, kept to a sensible amount so it doesn't look cluttered.
- Overhead cupboards to use the full wall height in a small room.
Plan Power Points, Lighting And Cable Management Early
Cables are the most common thing people wish they had planned better. Once joinery is installed, moving a power point or finding a way to hide cords is much harder.
Before your office is designed, work out:
- where your computer, monitors, printer and modem will sit
- how many power points you need, and where
- how cables will run from the desk to the power, such as through a desk grommet into a cupboard below
- whether you want task lighting under overhead cupboards or shelves.
If power points need to be moved or added, a licensed electrician needs to do that work before the cabinetry goes in. Your designer can plan the joinery around the positions you settle on.
Choose The Right Desktop Material
A desktop takes a lot of wear from laptops, coffee cups, elbows and sliding paperwork. It is worth choosing a surface that stays looking good:
- Quantum Zero stone is a crystalline silica-free surface that is hard-wearing and easy to clean, and can match a stone benchtop elsewhere in the home.
- Laminate is practical and budget-friendly, in a wide range of colours and patterns.
- A timber finish adds warmth, particularly in a bedroom or living area.
For the cabinetry, door finish matters too. A durable, easy-clean door suits a busy family office. You can compare the options on our cabinet door styles page.
Make It Feel Like Part Of Your Home
A home office that looks like a corporate workstation can feel out of place, especially in an open-plan area or a bedroom. Built-in joinery helps because it is designed for the room it sits in.
A few ways to make it fit:
- Use the same door style or colour as your kitchen, so the joinery feels connected to the rest of the house.
- Run cabinetry the full height of the wall for a clean, built-in look rather than a piece of furniture.
- In a shared living space, add doors that close over the desk area so work disappears at the end of the day.
- Keep open shelving styled with a few favourite things, not overflow storage.
Think Beyond The Desk
A home office is often the start of a bigger conversation about storage. If you are having custom joinery made for one room, it is worth thinking about the others at the same time:
- built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms
- shelving or cupboards in a living room or hallway
- a laundry or kitchen that could share the same finishes.
Planning these together keeps the finishes consistent across the house, even if you build them at different times. See our home offices and custom joinery page, or read about renovating more than one room.
Built-In Home Office FAQs
Is a built-in home office worth it?
For many homes, yes. A built-in office is made to fit the space, so it uses the full wall height and width, holds more storage than freestanding furniture and can be closed away when work is done. It suits anyone who works from home regularly.
How much space do you need for a home office?
Less than most people expect. A compact study nook can fit into a hallway alcove or the corner of a living area. A spare room gives you the most space and separation, especially for two people working at once.
What is the best desktop material for a home office?
Quantum Zero stone and laminate are both hard-wearing and easy to clean, which suits daily use. A timber finish adds warmth. The best choice depends on your budget and how the office connects with the rest of your home.
How do you hide cables in a built-in desk?
Cables are usually run through a grommet in the desktop into a cupboard below, where power boards and equipment can sit out of sight. Power point positions should be decided before the joinery is made.
Can a home office be built into a bedroom?
Yes. A bedroom office often works best as part of a wall of joinery with the wardrobes, using the same door style so the desk area looks like part of the room rather than a separate piece of furniture.
How much does a built-in home office cost?
The cost depends on the size of the space, the amount of cabinetry, the internal storage, and the desktop and door finishes you choose. A compact study nook involves far less joinery than a full wall of cabinetry. Kitchen & Home Renovations Co. measures your space and provides a detailed quote as part of a free in-home consultation.
Ready To Plan Your Built-In Office?
Book a free in-home design consultation with KAHR Co. We will measure up, talk through how you work and design joinery around your space. We work across the Sutherland Shire, St George, the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner West, the North Shore and South Western Sydney.