How to organize a study area (and keep it in order)

1. Make the most of space

If you don't know where to locate your study area, you can take advantage of a corner of the room like this one. With the table and two shelves in white painted MDF, this work corner occupies just 1 m2. And both the table and the shelves adapt to the wall column and make use of the gap that was left between it and a cabinet module.

2. Multipurpose solutions

You can also take advantage of the dining table and give it various uses, as in this space. Taking advantage of the wall that separates the kitchen, a shelf has been placed up to the ceiling and the table has been attached to it, which functions as a work table and quickly becomes a dining table just by leaving the desk and work utensils in the adjoining shelves.

3. Take advantage of the bedroom

Both at the foot of the bed and in a clear corner of the bedroom you can organize a study or work area with just a table, a chair and little else. But remember that you must leave passage areas of between 0.70 and 1 m around the bed and between 1 and 1.20 m in front of the closet to move comfortably and be able to open and close the closet doors.

4. Under the window

It is one of the places where desks and work tables fit perfectly because they allow you to save energy and rest your eyes from time to time if the views are beautiful. To shade the sun when working or camouflage unwanted views, the best solution are adjustable blinds, blinds and curtains.

5. In a gallery

If you have a gallery or a space gained from the terrace, for example, you can place the study or work area there. It is one of the most ideal places for the abundance of light and clarity. If you can, reorient your table so that you see green on the outside or decorate with a plant that oxygenates your space. Experts say that seeing live plants helps you focus, reduces fatigue and motivates you.

6. Study the space

To take advantage of every last millimeter of available surface, carefully study the space. Here, for example, the dead zone at the foot of the bed has been used to place a modular shelf connected to the desk. A solution as simple as it is effective.

7. If you don't have a place …

7. If you don't have room …

It is considered that a person needs about 3.5 m to work comfortably. But if you do not have space and you are only going to use it occasionally, you can improvise a study area with a bureau or a chest of drawers with a folding desk along with a light stool in a passage area –as in this case–, under a staircase, in a corner between columns or even in a wide corridor.

8. Multiply the work surface

A table along a wall or an "L" taking advantage of a dead corner is the solution when you need a work area for more than one person without invading the rest of the room. This arrangement makes the most of the meters and leaves the central space free. As a general rule, it is considered that the table should be about 78 cm high, and measures 150 cm long by 80 cm wide.

9. Work structures

Both masonry and plasterboard or made to measure are ideal for taking advantage of corners and dead zones between partitions. If you make the desk of the same material or color, you make the whole uniform and make it seem much lighter. The computer monitor must be positioned correctly, in relation to the height of the chair and the desk, to avoid stress on the neck, back, shoulders and eyes.

10. Shelves with doors

Whenever possible, opt for shelving with doors. They protect from dust, visually lighten and give a feeling that everything is more organized. If you opt for a wall bookcase, the ideal one is that it should be 1.50 m wide, 0.30 m deep and about 2 m high. It is useful and very practical that it has adjustable shelves, to vary the height. And if you opt for light tones, you will reduce the visual impact.

11. Corner shelves and adequate seating

Shelves of this type help you take advantage of the last millimeter of available space. And if you are going to spend many hours, you must choose the right chair: that is adjustable in height, that the backrest adjusts to the back and offers support to the lumbar area, and that the armrests allow you to maintain a comfortable posture with the arms forming an angle of 90º.

12. Light tables

Remember that to set up a study or work area you have enough with a board and some easels or a modular shelf as a base. Orient the table to make the most of natural light and check your chair for maximum comfort - straight back, adequate height to have the forearms straight on the table, slightly elevated feet and lower backs.

13. Trade furniture

Antique trade furniture is a perfect fit as a study or work table in a bedroom, for example. Both these furniture and the old desks add a plus to the decoration. If you don't know how to combine them with the other elements, look for the contrast. Mix styles (maximum two or three) so that the environment is not monotonous and uniform.

14. Don't forget the lighting

14. Don't forget about lighting

If you opt for an isolated table in the center of the room, you can solve the lighting issue with a pendant lamp at a reasonable height so that it illuminates you without dazzling you. But whenever you can, opt for a lamp with an articulated base or a flexo with a steerable light beam. If the table is next to a window, the lamp should be in the corner opposite the entrance of natural light, which will be the darkest.

15. Clear the workbench

It is one of the fundamental keys to work and study in good conditions. Try to store everything you don't have to use in drawers and shelves, and place bulky decorative elements on shelves or places away from the specific work area. It will help you focus.

16. Everything in place

It is one of the fundamental principles to maintain order. Boxes, document trays and filing cabinets help you classify and store correspondence, invoices and all those objects that you have scattered on the desk or on the shelves. Choose elements of the same color or similar style, because uniformity gives a sense of order.

17. Tag and conquer

It is one of the keys so that, in addition to maintaining order, you find things in a pinch when you need them. To do this, choose the system that works best for you: put a label with its content, a little explanation outside, paste a photo, use different colors …

18. Everything by hand, but in order

Keep clips and other small objects grouped together. If you keep them inside the drawers, use the dividers. If you leave them on the table, put each item in a small pot. A good idea to have everything at hand but in order is to place utensil bars like those used for kitchens and, instead of ladles and spice racks, place all the properly classified stationery.

19. Moving parts

Aside from chairs on wheels, mobile drawers help you keep everything close at hand and corner it when you no longer need it. They are ideal, for example, when you set up the study in a room dedicated to other uses (the living room, a passage area …).

20. And keep the cables at bay

If you don't want to get tangled up with so much cable, you can opt for cable covers and other accessories that keep them hidden and tangle-free.

If you need a place to work on your things, study or create and you do not have a space for it, do not despair. Here you have good ideas to create a study or work area and all the keys to keep clutter at bay in your office.

Where to set up a study area

In a corner of the living room. Either on a wall that is free or attached to the back of the sofa, you can put a desk or a work table. In order not to invade the space, try to put a shelf nearby or some flown shelves to leave everything you need there.
In the dining room. Sometimes we only remember the dining room table for big celebrations. One way to take advantage of it is to add another use to it as a study or work area. The trick to differentiate each use is to have a piece of furniture or structure on hand that allows you to remove and put the things that you are going to use at all times.
In the bedroom. Whether at the foot of the bed, by the window or attached to a free wall, you can create your work corner with just a table, a board with trestles or a bureau. If you want to avoid the feeling of clutter, you can change the chair for a stool, which is lighter.
In the gallery. It is one of the ideal areas to set up a space to work, study or create. This way you make the most of natural light and give a meaning to these spaces, which are usually too small for other uses.
In a corner or a passing area. If you don't have any available space, remember that you only need a slightly wide corridor or a corner between partitions to put a small desk, a cute bureau or some shelves and a work table.

You can improvise a desk with a board and easels or a trade piece of furniture

Hide the disorder: eyes that do not see …

Closed shelves. The doors will hide any possible clutter. You can choose them fully or partially closed. They will give you a break.
DIY. If you are a handyman and your shelf is open, you can make a fabric cover, curtains …
Boxes and baskets. They are perfect for storing all those objects that you have scattered on the desk or on the shelves. Choose boxes of the same color or similar style, because uniformity gives a sense of order.

Take advantage of the walls by placing shelves up to the ceiling or putting shelves

Label and classify: so you will always find what you are looking for

Lasting order. Labeling filing cabinets and boxes indicating what's inside will allow you to easily find what you are looking for, but also to put things back in their place and keep the space tidy for longer.
Personal system. Choose the one that works best for you: put a little explanation outside, paste a photo, use different colors …
Do not complicate yourself. For the rating system to work, it needs to be straightforward, otherwise you won't be keeping it for long.

Drawer units on wheels are very useful because you can move them from one side to the other

Clear the desk: you will work better

Less is more. Leave only the essentials and what you use often on the desk. To determine what those objects are, put them all in a box, and take out what you need. After a week, whatever is still in the box, put it somewhere else.
Advantage. The clearer the table, the less it will cost you to focus and clean.
Keep it. Take 5 minutes a week to reorder. Set a day and time that works for you and make it a habit.

To hide cables and chargers, use specific boxes for it

Stationery

Clips and other small objects. Keep them grouped: all the clips, the posters, together … If you keep them inside the drawers, use the dividers. If you leave them on the table, put each item in a small jar and group them all in a box.
On the wall. If the table is facing a wall, you can hang organizers on it. You will have the material at hand without taking up space on the table or drawers.

If you don't have much space, instead of a lamp on the table, use a pendant

What to do with the paperwork that I have accumulated?

Throw away old receipts and manuals. You can always ask for a duplicate and you can check almost all of them online.
Scan. You can scan many documents and throw away the originals.
Reduce the paperwork you receive. Ask them to send you the receipts and bank statements by email.
Apply logic. When ordering, put the ones you use the most by hand.
Ongoing topics. Have a box on the table or a panel in front to put there what you have to do before.
Filing cabinets and boxes. Keep the most recent documents in accessible filing cabinets, and those that you hardly consult, in boxes.