A modern home office features two desks with white chairs, a patterned rug, and a window in the center. Laptops and decorative items are neatly arranged on the desks and shelves, complemented by gray walls and white furniture.
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How Our Dual IKEA Home Office Saved Us

ByLisa
23 Comments

When we first purchased our 70s house, we were excited to finally have a dedicated home office. Our previous home did not have one and it always felt like administrative items were spilling into our kitchen and other areas of the house. It took us several years before we transformed our fourth bedroom into our IKEA dual home office, but I am so glad we did! It has one hundred percent saved our sanity during quarantine! I am sure many of you are now considering home office options too, so I wanted to share ours as it is, 5 years later.
Modern dual home office with two IKEA desks, ergonomic chairs, and decorative elements. The bright space features large windows and an inviting beige and gray rug with yellow accents. Organized shelves complete the design, creating a perfect home office ambiance reminiscent of quarantine days.This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my policies.

We added our IKEA dual home office in 2015 but up until then it was a very over looked space and we often kept the door closed. This is what it used to look like.A split image reveals a before and after room transformation. The plain room with closed window shades becomes a modern home office, featuring an IKEA desk, chair, shelves, plants, and a patterned rug. Arrows highlight the change.

So how did this save us during quarantine?

We have a home office

This seems obvious, but as a REALTOR I work with clients all the time who do not have a dedicated space for a home office because they do not work from home. As we have all learned, that can change pretty fast and even your kids might need a place for in home school. We were very lucky that we already had a home office set up and didn’t have to scramble to figure things out.A modern home office with a sleek IKEA white desk and chair facing a window. The desk features a computer, a lamp with a yellow patterned shade, and small plants. The room's gray walls complement the patterned yellow and gray rug perfectly, creating an inviting workspace.

Our space is set up as a dual home office

When I first started designing this room, we had no intention of it being a dual home office, but randomly realized it could be. At that time, neither of us actually worked from home, but we liked the idea of being able to share our small 100 square foot room. Little did we know, I would eventually work from home all the time and Barry would need to during quarantine. I don’t know what we would have done without our dual home office. We would have been fighting over the office or one of us would be set up in the dining room.A modern home office with gray walls features white Ikea desks and swivel chairs. A computer screen displays a design. The room has a window, a small potted plant, wall art, and a patterned rug with yellow and gray circles, illuminated by a ceiling fan light.

Our house hasn’t been turned upside down

I can’t tell you how many friends I have seen on Facebook set up at their dining room table or on a folding card table because they do not have a home office. Different strokes for different folks, but for me my environment really drives my mood. If the house is a mess I feel stressed. If all my work is sprawled out everywhere, I feel disorganized and scatter brained. Having a place for everything I need to function for work is very important.A modern IKEA home office features a white desk and filing cabinet, a patterned rug, and a yellow lamp. A white shelf hangs above the desk. The office chair boasts a colorful cushion, and sunlight streams through the window on the right.

We need monitors and keyboards

Call us old school if you like, but neither Barry or I like to work on our laptops. Maybe we are just used to that corporate environment or our eyes are getting old, haha, but working for days on end with a small screen and no full size keyboard sounds like torture! Luckily, we both have monitors and keyboards at home that dock with our laptops and we can both use two screens.Modern home office featuring an IKEA white desk, swivel chair, and wall art above dual monitors. The room includes a yellow-patterned lamp, bookshelves with decor, and a floral rug on a dark floor. The walls are painted a soft gray, creating a stylish and functional workspace.

Low distraction zone

I don’t know about you guys, but the struggle with distractions is real! Lets be honest. Our home office is actually somewhat separated from the rest of the house which helps a lot. All of the bedrooms are on our upper level except this one. It is at the end of the hallway by the garage so we are not distracted by snacks in the kitchen or the TV in the family room. We actually used to have a TV in here but we never turned it on because it was too much of a distraction, so we took it out last year. Having a low distraction zone has been really helpful in making it feel like an actual work day and allows us to get more accomplished.A modern home office setup featuring a sleek white desk with plants evokes a sense of calm. A small succulent in a textured pot and a taller plant in a gray pot on a wooden stand add greenery. A diploma and photo frame rest on an Ikea shelf, while a white chair completes the scene.

Did we plan to ever share this office for two plus months? Nope. But we are so glad it was an option! Instead of scrambling to figure out how to work from home, we just walked downstairs everyday and turned on our computers. Now we may have worked many of these days in our pjs, but nonetheless, we went to work 😉A modern home office featuring sleek white IKEA furniture, including a desk and filing cabinet. A patterned chair, geometric lamp, and wall cabinets enhance the space, while a colorful rug with circular patterns brightens the dark wood floor.The white desk, accented by a yellow patterned lamp and a small potted succulent, creates a cozy IKEA-inspired office vibe. The gray wall backdrop features a sleek white shelf.A modern IKEA-inspired home office with a white swivel chair, two monitors on a sleek white desk, and minimalist shelves showcasing books and decor. The walls feature framed art, while a yellow and gray patterned rug adds warmth to the dark floor.

Shop Our Office

Chairs | Pillow Covers (similar) | Lisa’s Monitor | Barry’s Monitor | Keyboard | Mouse | Rug (similar) | Lamps (similar) | Drawer Cabinet | Shelves | Filing Drawer | Countertop | Potted Grass | Succulent Planter | Agate Book End | Flooring

If you don’t already follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, I would love for us to be friends! Plus, I am also sharing all the behind the scenes in my stories on our stock tank pool! We are making progress and I can’t wait to splash around on my lunch breaks 🙂A tidy home office showcases an Ikea white desk with a keyboard, adorned with a patterned yellow pillow. Shelving above holds diplomas, books, a yellow jar, a potted plant, and framed photos. A vase and other decor items add a personal touch.

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Split image of a home office with IKEA furniture. Top shows a stylish desk, ergonomic chair, sleek lamp, and practical wall shelves. Bottom features another well-organized desk with decor and smart storage solutions. Text reads, "How our dual IKEA home office saved us during quarantine.This post, How Our Dual IKEA Home Office Saved Us, appeared first on Garrison Street Design Studio.

23 Comments

  1. Great setup! Thank you for sharing this…this will be my inspiration to get our home office setup. We’ve both been working from home since March.
    I have a question about your room…did you create anything with the closet area, or just leave it as a closet? I was considering putting some shelving in ours, maybe for a printer area, and more book storage in our home office.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much! The closet is still a closet. I have contemplated changing it, but half of it has a slanted ceiling which makes things a little more challenging. You could definitely take the doors off and create more open storage though.

      Reply

      1. Awesome! Thank You so much for replying! Gonna start this asap! Thank You so much for sharing your idea. I absolutely love it!

        Reply

    2. Thank you for sharing! Can you please link the shelf that’s in the corner under the bookcase shelf? Bottom right on window side??
      Many thanks!!

      Reply

      1. Hi Vivian, unfortunately IKEA no longer sells that particular piece. It is 31.5 inches tall and the closest alternative is the IKEA Kallax. It is close in size, but would be just over an inch short of the other pieces. You could probably add some feet to the bottom to bring it up to size. Hope that helps 😉

        Reply

  5. Hi Again! Can you please tell us how you fused the two countertops together to make the Lshape? How do you keep it stable.?

    Also, where did you get the floating rectangular floating shelf above the desk? TYSM

    Reply

    1. The left side of the desk has three IKEA legs under the desk supporting it and the two countertops are joined from underneath with a flat bracket. The other side is supported by the cabinet and shelves. The floating cabinet is Besta from IKEA. Hope that helps 😉

      Reply

  6. Great set-up! One question- where you get the shelf you are using for a base in the corner (used to store printer etc.)

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Maria! I am glad you like it 😉 The whole setup is from IKEA. We have had it for several years now and unfortunately, IKEA no longer sells that piece. It was part of the Galant collection.

      Reply

    1. I did link the items under “shop our office” close to the bottom of the post. They are also noted in the original post which I linked at the beginning 😉

      Reply

    1. There are two bookshelves and both are free standing. The one under the desk stays in place from the weight of the countertop and bookshelf above it but you could definitely secure the one on top to the wall.

      Reply

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