Using Ikea home office ideas could be an option if you're creating a new work from home space. Whether you're kitting out a whole room or simply creating a cosy nook in the corner of a bedroom, the high street can be a great source of ideas and inspiration when it comes to merging business and pleasure.
And while visiting Ikea on a bank holiday weekend is never advice we'd offer, using it to buy your home office design fixtures and fittings is something we would consider. Reasonably priced and designed with style in mind you can find solutions to most of your home office needs in a variety of finishes.
Not sure where to start? We've done the research and found a variety of Ikea home office ideas we think are worthy of promotion. And, to make your job even easier, we've provided clickable shopping lists after each idea to save you searching the Ikea website yourself.
Ikea home office ideas
1. Fit monitors to a wall and run a ceiling curtain track to disguise them at night
Work from a bedroom? Follow the lead of this Ikea home office idea and mount your computer screens to the wall, but then add a ceiling mounted curtain track and floor to ceiling curtains to pull at the end of each night.
Although your desk and chair will still be in sight, it will make the overall space feel calmer and more conducive to sleep. The colour choice here is also ideal, with green having scored highly in our research into the best bedroom colours.
Pick a simple wooden desk and plain office chair and your work from home bedroom idea is balanced and calmer come night time.
Just be sure to use the best plasterboard fixings when it comes to mounting your screens.
Ikea shopping list
2. Inspire creativity with a gallery wall
If your home office layout needs are fairly simple, and all you require is a small desk, table lamp and minimal storage, a corner of your living room may be ample enough to fit the bill.
If so, don't be scared to position your desk in front of a feature wall such as in this where an eclectic gallery of prints and artwork inspires and provides distraction from the desk.
To ensure the gallery takes centre stage, choose a simple desk in white or cream, a chair without arms so it can easily push under the desk when not in use (or even a chair that matches the rest of your living room furniture), and a minimally detailed desk light.
Ikea shopping list
3. Kit our your garden home office with matching white Ikea furniture
If you've allocated space and budget for dedicated garden office ideas then there's a chance you'll be looking for a range of office furniture as part of your plans.
Start by using the Ikea office planner to figure out what you can fit into your new home office, making sure you take into consideration your desk, lighting, storage and meeting table needs. Then, pick the range of furniture that best suits your needs.
Choosing white and natural woods is a great option for garden offices as it's the perfect neutral backdrop and won't detract from the view outside. Choosing a simple white design allows you to easily add the same or similar additional fixtures and fittings should your office needs expand.
Ikea shopping list
- White sit/stand desk
- Office chair
- Storage shelves
- Pedestal on wheels
- White picture frames
- White pendant light
4. Use contemporary trends for concealing clutter
If using dark wood in home offices appeals, but it feels a little too corporate for a home environment, give your wooden doors a twist with a more contemporary, on-trend fluted finish.
Add in a lighter wooden topped desk, a brown leather desk chair and be sure to add plenty of handy storage inside your cupboards to keep clutter to a minimum. Choose shades of green, beige, brown and cream throughout the room for an overall sense of sophisticated warmth.
And don't forget to opt for wood flooring ideas if you have a chair on wheels and find yourself needing to move around regularly. A harder flooring surface will make it much easier to move.
Ikea shopping list
5. Create a Scandi inspired work space
We couldn't write an article about Ikea home office ideas without referencing a Scandinavian inspired scheme. Light, bright and filled with natural elements, this home office is a master class in using nature's colours and materials to inspire your work space.
Practical with a hard-wearing wall panelling idea, shelving, trestle table legs for extra storage and plants to improve your air quality, it would be another great solution for a garden office retreat or as part of your conservatory ideas.
Ikea shopping list
6. Make your office space portable for a work from anywhere solution
If you work from home in a busy household and sometimes need to change your location, a portable laptop stand could be a good addition to your office essentials.
However, instead of just buying a simple laptop riser stand to make your set up more ergonomic, consider this Elloven monitor stand with drawer instead. the built-in storage saves searching for pens and notebooks every time you move, and provides a handy spot for storing chargers and cables.
7. Use Ikea frames but upgrade your doors
Although most Ikea storage units come with a range of doors, there are also companies such as Superfront who make doors, handles, sides, lets and tops to suit a number of the main Ikea products: Pax, Metod, and Bestå.
When it comes to designing your Ikea home office ideas, it's the same as any office design says Sara Pantzar, marketing co-ordinator at Superfront.
"For an office, we suggest having quite a lot of storage in different sizes so you can easily hide pens, paper and other things needed," says Sara. "Adding an open shelf with “pretty” things to this makes the space feel more homely with a calmer vibe to it. Often the easiest part to make a big impact is to change handles and legs on existing furniture."
So if you fancy turning your standard Ikea units into something more bespoke, without having to swallow a hefty price tag, this could be your solution.
Shopping list
Ikea:
The frame is made by attaching the following units together and installing drawers (not shown on the image):
Superfront:
For doors, drawer fronts, sides, handles and legs, you will need the following:
- 1 x front Metod 40x100-L / Plain / Alabaster Wood / Left hung door
- 1 x front Metod 40x100-R / Plain / Alabaster Wood / Right hung door
- 2 x front Metod 80x20 / Plain / Alabaster Wood / Drawer front
- 2 x side Metod 39x140 / 9 mm / Alabaster Wood
- 1 x top Metod 80x39 for two sides / 9 mm / Alabaster Wood
- 2 x handle Bar 100 / Alabaster Wood
- 2 x handle Bar 80 / Alabaster Wood
- 2 x leg Angles Low / Black
8. Also create a bespoke desk and pair with simple but beautiful shelving
The Metod system may have been designed for kitchen, but with some creativity and out of the box thinking, the simple white frames can also be transformed into a fully customised desk as part of your Ikea home office ideas.
It could be a great solution if you're looking to create an office space in your open-plan kitchen diner ideas, or even trying to find a desk that slots into a spare room alcove.
You can find these beautiful Takumi wooden shelves at Superfront and here's what else you'll need to make the desk.
Shopping list
Ikea:
Superfront:
- 4 x front Metod 40x10 / No Pattern / Ashton Grey / Drawer front
- 4 x front Metod 40x20 / Illusion / Ashton Grey / Drawer front
- 4 x side Metod 39x60 / 8 mm / Ashton Grey
- 1 x front Metod 40x160-L / Plain / Alabaster Wood / Left hung door
- 8 x handle Mini Circus / Aluminium
- 8 x leg Clean / Ashton Grey
Tips for building flatpack furniture
No Ikea home office idea is complete without some advice on how to build flat pack furniture. We asked Homebuilding's DIY expert, Steve Jenkins for his top tips.
“Invest in a bottle of wood glue like this Gorilla Wood Glue from Amazon to strengthen joints when building," says Steve Jenkins. "Add a dab in the dowel holes when putting furniture together. Keep a damp cloth nearby to wipe off any excess glue before it dries. “Make sure that you also use all the nails provided to attach back panels - throw in a few extras if you want," he suggests, "and add a little glue along the exposed wood before attaching a back panel.”
“To speed up putting together IKEA furniture - and help get a tight fit - use a cordless drill and a Hex head drill bit like this Hex Head Allen Wrench Drill Bit Set from Amazon," says Steve. "Don’t go full throttle on the drill trigger though" he warns. "Use short bursts until tight. This also helps over tightening and pushing a screw too deep into the wood."
If you're fitting shelving together, Steve shares some extra tips.
“Shelving units are typically fixed top, middle and bottom, like the famous Billy Bookcase. To add extra strength and stop the outside panels bowing under the weight of books, invest in additional cam lock and dowel screw fittings like this 20PCS 3-in-1 Furniture Connection Kit from Amazon, and fix in a couple of extra shelfs or all the remaining shelfs.
"Alternatively, use screws and screw through from the outside and fit a plastic cap to hide the screw head. This is easier but not as attractive.”
Steve Jenkins is Homebuilding's resident DIY expert with over 20 years of experience in transforming and renovating homes.
Seeking more inspiration for renovating your home on a budget? Find inspiration for updating your outdoors with our budget garden ideas and cheap fence ideas for clearly marking out your boundaries.
