Home Office Storage Options

Home office storage is a crucial aspect of creating an efficient home office. The key is to find and use storage that allows you easy access to materials you use often while not having them take up unnecessary space. Effective storage also provides places for the material you don't use as often but still would like reasonably easy access to.

Go Tall

Too many people make the mistake of cluttering up their office floors with short storage options when there's the better option of using taller cabinets and shelves. Stay away from the standard shelves or cabinets that are waist or neck high. Spend a little extra money and get taller storage furniture. Sometimes you may need to order custom-made furniture. You may also need to keep a small stool in your office to access the upper shelves and drawers, but these are the ideal places to put any material you may not use as often.

Say Good-bye to Empty Walls

While excessive stuff on the walls can make a home office look more cluttered, carefully placed items will make more efficient use of space, help an office look more streamlined and provide you with easy-access to materials you need.

If taller furniture is not in your budget, you can still create efficient storage in your office with shorter filing cabinets or shelving units. Install inexpensive shelving above the cabinets to store books and files you don't need often. These can also be good places to display awards, certificates and diplomas.

Use hanging envelope storage racks above lower cabinets and shelves. These are available at any office supply store. Metal racks can also be used to organize papers or notebooks. Magnetic dry erase boards, although not a storage option, are also a good way to efficiently use wall space. They allow you to write notes directly on the board or magnetically pin paper notes.

Unconventional Storage Options

Filing cabinets and shelves are traditionally used as storage options in home offices, but you can also use unconventional storage options like glass jars and clothing bins. These options may not create a streamlined professional look that could be important if you have clients in your home office, but they're an economical option if you're the only one using the office.

Cleaned glass pasta jars or baby food jars work well to store items such as pens, markers, rubber bands, tacks and paper clips. Labeling isn't necessary since it's easy to see the contents at a glass. Glass jars can be lined up on top of a shelf or hung underneath a shelf by gluing or screwing the lids to the underside of the shelf. Screw the jar on or off the lid when you need it. This is a better option for any item you don't need to access often.