10 DIY Storage Projects That Will Make The Most Of Your Small Home Office Space

If you are short on storage space but want to make the most of your small home office, you can make every inch count with a few clever DIY projects. We've rounded up a collection of ideas that boost efficiency and save space. The best part is that these DIYs do not require expensive power tools and woodworking skills. In fact, the most complex tool required is a handheld electric drill. Overall, these projects are doable for beginners with only simple tools and materials.

Use the ideas presented here to make your own desk and shelving units in sizes and configurations to fit your home office. Additionally, you might install vertical storage solutions like pegboards and floating shelves that don't take up valuable floor space. If you're a crafty type, you'll have fun as you create a stylish desk organizer that keeps your workspace neat. Get some inspiration from talented vloggers who offer helpful how-to videos for an array of simple DIY projects that will give your home office a makeover.

YouTuber Elizabeth Logsdon shows how you can nix the tools and make these sturdy bookshelves with cinderblocks and pre-cut boards from a big box store. To dress up the cinderblocks, you can apply interior/exterior primer and sealer followed by Behr exterior flat paint from The Home Depot. The next step is to stain the boards with Minwax wood finish from Lowe's. Because this is customizable, you can create the size that fits your small office. For a pleasant, natural touch, you can insert small, potted plants in the cinderblock openings.

YouTuber Kaitlin Rose demonstrates making a storage unit for books and office materials using unfinished wood crates like these from Walmart. Add color and protection for the wood with an application of Minwax wood finish. Finally, stack your crates in a desired configuration and secure them with screws. For this step, you'll need a handheld power drill like the Ryobi cordless drill from The Home Depot. With this project, you're free to adapt the shape and size of your shelving unit according to the number of crates you use and how you stack them, making it customizable and convenient for small spaces.

In a small home office, it's helpful when one piece of furniture serves two purposes. For this simple project, you'll need to start with a storage bench like the Amazon Basics upholstered storage ottoman. Inside the bench, insert a hanging file folder frame from Amazon and fill it with hanging organizer file folders. The result is an efficient filing system inside a piece of furniture that does double duty, since it can also be used as a seat. It's easy to access the files by lifting up the seat of the ottoman. As an added bonus, this DIY requires zero tools.

It's easier to keep your small office organized if your desk has plenty of storage. For this project, you'll need two matching base kitchen cabinets such as the Hampton Bay unit from The Home Depot. Next, you'll need a piece of wood cut to size to extend across the two cabinets, allowing a kneehole and workspace in the middle. Most big box stores offer the service of cutting boards in requested lengths so that you won't need a power saw. This is a project that you can customize to fit your small office, as you can make the desk longer or shorter as needed.

A wall-mounted, drop-down desk is a great way to maximize your small home office space. You'll need a tabletop or sturdy wooden plank, as well as two folding shelf brackets from The Home Depot. Attach the brackets to the wall and the desktop using a handheld drill like the Ryobi cordless drill, also from the Home Depot. The folding brackets will support a desktop up to 18 inches in depth, from the front edge to the wall. That's plenty of space for a laptop and simple materials like notebooks and textbooks.

Here's a DIY hack to create paper storage in your small home office. Start with the C&A Home wire cube storage unit from Amazon, but don't assemble it like the picture on the box. Instead, build a tower with three of the cubes. Then, use the leftover metal pieces to create shallow shelves. You'll need zip ties like these from Walmart to attach the metal wire shelves. The paper storage tower occupies only a 12-inch by 12-inch space in your small office. Yet, it holds a lot of paper, keeping it flat, dry, and clean.

When square footage is limited, it's always helpful to employ vertical storage options. For this DIY project, you'll need a pegboard like the Tidihauset pegboard wall organizer from Amazon. Additionally, you'll need accessories such as those in the Everbilt pegboard organizer kit from The Home Depot. A pegboard on the office wall provides storage for pens, markers, scissors, tape, paperclips, small notebooks, and more. By keeping items on the wall, you have more space on your desktop, shelves, and in your cabinets and drawers.

You can easily transform your space with floating shelves and free up surface space and floor space in your small home office. To install floating shelves, you'll need pre-cut boards from a big box store like The Home Depot or Lowe's. Additionally, you'll need brackets like the solid steel floating shelf brackets available on Amazon. To complete this DIY project, you'll need screws and a power drill. Floating shelves transform wall space into storage space for office supplies. As a bonus, they offer perches for attractive décor objects that make your home office a pleasant place to work.

This simple DIY requires only a screwdriver, but it goes a long way toward helping you maintain an organized home office. Install the Storage Theory power perch socket outlet shelf from Amazon on each of your electrical outlets. The task is as simple as removing one outlet cover plate and replacing it with another. Each perch is 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep, holding a variety of electrical gadgets weighing up to 10 pounds. Place chargers and smart speakers on the power perches to free up your desktop and shelf space.

With this DIY, you can make a space-saving office organizer from recycled and inexpensive items. Start with seven empty, plastic water bottles, cutting six of them to equal heights and leaving one taller bottle for the center. Attach the bottles at their sides, using double-sided tape from Michaels. Next, apply strips of double-sided tape to the outside and wrap the entire unit in jute twine and cotton lace ribbon, also from Michaels. You can save drawer space by corralling your pencils, pens, markers, and scissors in this compact desktop organizer. It's a decorative and useful solution for a small office.