More and more families are finding it necessary to have a home office due to their busy work schedules, the family's needs and daily work demands. It is not always practical or possible to devote a room for a home office or computer room. Most families do not have the additional space or are able to sacrifice a bedroom for the use of a home office. Because of the demands and the lack of space, we have to become inventive and find a way to create the needed home office space.

As a Realtor for many years, I have noticed that a lot of homes have adopted the design of the working kitchen. At first it may seem unusual, but if your family is anything like mine, the kitchen is the heart of the home. We spend more time in out kitchen than any other room. In all fairness, I have a rather large eat in kitchen so it does provide a lot of extra space to gather. If you have additional space in your kitchen, this just may be the office idea you have been seeking.
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Making room for office~
When figuring out the space you have for your office area, keep in mind that you do not need to have the so called traditional computer desk for your office space. Most popular home computer is the laptop, so if this is the case, you have much more room to work with than you think. Extending your countertop is a very popular and common way to blend your office into your kitchen. Keep in mind that traditional counter tops are much higher than a desk so you have two options.

Your Options~
First is that you have a bar stool style chair that would give you more of the Island-Counter set up. This is a quick fix to your problem especially if you already have the extra counter top space ready and available for your use. Then all you need to do is make a few minor changes to accommodate your office area.

Second option, if you have to add the needed counter top, lower the counter to the desired height. It is common to do this because not only does it give the proper height for a regular office chair, but it also visually helps you separate the office area from the rest of the counter. Keep in mind that your office area does not have to be at the end of your counter space. You can have your work area within your layout and still have it desk height. You are only limited by your own imagination and creativity.
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Quick suggestions~

Typical width of a working kitchen space is 3 feet wide. This usually under most circumstances is more than enough to accommodate a fully functional work area. You do not want to cut yourself short on space or overdo the width as well.

Make sure that you have outlets available within your work area. You will need them for your computer as well as your printer or fax machine. If you do not have an outlet close by, it might be worth your while to see about having an outlet added to your office area.

Utilize the space above the counter for your work equipment and supplies. If you add and install a hutch style cabinet above, then you can house your printer, fax machine and your office supplies to prevent the catch all effect on your work space. It is also a great way to close off your office items when it is not in use. If you decide to add some form of hutch, try to blend it with your current cabinets so it will complete your space.

If you are planning on renovating or updating your kitchen, you may want to consider adding an office area into your plans. Just adding a small work section can truly unload the bulk of another space while creating that oh so needed work area.