If you want to carve out a designated work area that’s not your kitchen table, take your cues from these compact workspaces. From built-in office nooks to stylish freestanding desk areas, these multitasking rooms will inspire you to reclaim space in your kitchen, living room and beyond. Scroll down!

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It’s hard to picture Gillian Gillies’ studio once being an industrial concrete and drywall box with nothing but two fluorescent lights and one big electrical panel. The 1,100-square-foot space in Toronto’s Leaside neighborhood did have a few things going for it, though: 18-foot-high ceilings, plenty of parking and walls of windows that let sunshine stream in from both the east and west.

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There’s something magical about rooms filled with stacks of novels or vintage records and found objets. From traditional libraries enveloped by endless volumes to unexpected book-lined spaces (see Brian Gluckstein’s signature ‘library bathroom’ below), here are some of our best libraries from the H&H archives.

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It’s never too early to set up good study habits with a dedicated area in a child’s room for homework or art projects. A bright, fun workspace designed with their personality in mind is inviting and makes it easier for kids to get comfortable, so they can be inspired to craft, color, or solve quadratic equations, if so inclined.

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Designer Shirley Meisels helped these homeowners transform their cluttered garage into a multifunctional work and play space. The backyard retreat now has two work zones, a, kitchenette and a hangout area for kids and adults. See how Shirley maximized every inch of space with clever storage solutions and expansive windows. Get the full tour here!

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A well-designed home office helps you do your best work, whether it’s answering emails, completing assignments or brainstorming your next big project. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite home offices and workspaces, each one full of character and impeccable design. From double-duty makeshift spaces to dedicated offices, these rooms will give you the inspiration to build the home office of your dreams.

Scroll down for 80+ home offices and work spaces. It’s time to get to work!

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“In designer we trust” is music to any creative’s ears, so when Aly Velji heard a client say just that, he knew he had to cast it in stone or, better yet, paint it on the wall of his new office. It creates a fittingly tongue-in-cheek first impression for a designer who doesn’t take himself, or design, too seriously.

The newly completed headquarters of Alykhan Velji Designs (AVD) is in Calgary’s industrial Highfield neighbourhood, surrounded by tool shops, craft breweries and plenty of Aly’s suppliers. “The location is a little unassuming, but I like that about it,” says the designer, who was born in Tanzania, and has been based in Calgary since 1988. He had been hunting for a new office for more than two years, and as soon as he saw the space — a blank canvas three and a half times larger than his last workspace and only 10 minutes from home — Aly knew his search was over.

“I wanted our studio to reflect how we like to design at AVD, which is very collaboratively,” says Aly, who made sure everyone at the firm had input. It was even more important that the team of five was at home in its new digs, after working remotely over the pandemic. “I really wanted our office to have a residential feel, a place where we all felt comfortable,” he says. Creating a cool and relaxed ambience was an important consideration for this project — and that goal has been achieved.

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Potted geraniums heavy with pink and crimson blooms are sprinkled throughout artist Virginia Johnson’s city garden. “They reward you with very little work,” says Virginia as she steps out of her west end Toronto house and heads down the pea gravel path that winds through her backyard. “My grandmother had a potted red geranium that grew to be huge,” she adds, a little wistfully. The nostalgic charm of garden florals, the wabi-sabi allure of imperfections, pieces with a story — in less than five minutes, we’ve touched on the hallmarks that make Virginia’s art and design work so sought after. They also distinguish her newly built studio, a separate, single-storey structure tucked into the back of her garden.

In the last three years, she’s authored and illustrated a travel book, launched a line of wallpapers, created home goods for Hudson’s Bay and continued to produce her popular textiles and clothing. But what she was really craving was some healthy separation from the demands of being a mother, wife and entrepreneur. “I’d never had an art studio,” she says. “Creating this space was about valuing that more and acknowledging that it’s important to me.”

Virginia’s deep, narrow yard presented the perfect spot to build. Spanning the full width of the property, the studio neatly replaced an untamed pergola and her kids’ long-forgotten sandbox. Its overall design is simple, with clean lines and poured concrete floors. But, the exterior caters to Virginia’s preference for time-honored looks. “I’m not a modern person, so I went with more traditional doors and used reclaimed bricks on the façade to give that old texture,” she says. Virginia credits the new studio for her being able to finish her latest book, which will be published by Artisan Books next year. “I could not have done it without this space,” she says.

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Designer Ali Budd’s new office is packed with daring design decisions: a bubblegum pink kitchen, a lavish powder room with a cool cubed marble vanity and a main work area energized with leopard-print wallpaper. It’s a perfect reflection of the unique style Ali Budd Interiors has become known for. The space was created after Ali’s nine-person team — whom she regards as friends — suggested it would be strange for the president of Ali Budd Interiors not to have a room of her own.

“Our whole vibe as a company is unoffice-y,” says Ali, who balanced work and life by adding a stylish nursery for her baby, Jemma, who turned one in April. And before Covid, her two older children, Joey, 8, and James, 6, would meet their tutor after school in the office, an arrangement Ali loved. “When you run a business, it’s challenging to dedicate time to your family and to the business,” says Ali. “They meld together, and I purposefully created space here for both parts of my life.”

She moved from her old office, just a few blocks over, when the team outgrew the space. “The second I walked in here and saw how big and bright it was, I loved it,” she says. The 2,300-square-foot former warehouse is located in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District. Many of the major design retailers — Elte, Stone Tile, Kravet, Kohler and Home Société, to name a few — are close by. “It’s very easy for us to pop over to them or vice versa, plus I live 10 minutes away. We signed a lease quickly.” She renovated it over four weeks and the team made the move in December 2019.

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