Would you love to have a home office but just can’t spare a room? Don’t limit your thinking. You may be surprised at the choices you actually have. Let’s consider one.

Do you have a formal dining room? How often do you use it? Chances are most of the time it sits empty. Well, with a laptop and rolling file cabinet, you can turn your dining room into a temporary home office. The room has comfortable chairs and a large table for spreading out your work.

It’s up to you how deeply you want to convert your dining room to the home office role. For some, it may make sense to simply repurpose the room. If you’re not ready to go that far, can you use part of your buffet for office supplies? Would a wooden file cabinet look appropriate in the room?

One other temporary addition might be helpful – a good floor lamp. Depending upon your dining room chandelier, you may need different lighting to be really efficient.

If your dining room has wood flooring or an area rug such as this one, you may want to think twice about pulling a rolling chair up to your dining table. Pick up an inexpensive rug or pad to protect your floors and good rugs. Then enjoy the fact that you can have your office space when you need it and quickly convert it to a dining room for those gatherings of family and friends.