Box Room Office Ideas: How to Fit a Proper Workspace into Ireland's Smallest Room

Nearly every Irish house has one. It's the small room over the stairs or at the end of the landing: too small for a double bed and too useful to leave empty. Then a lot of us started working from home, and the box room suddenly had a job.

We're a small family business in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. When we started working from home during Covid, we made do without a proper setup and our backs paid for it, so we know the struggle. This guide covers what we've learned about turning a box room into a workspace you'll actually want to sit in.

1. The Irish box room: what you're working with

There's no official size, but a typical box room is roughly 2 metres by 2.5 metres, and plenty are smaller. They usually come with a few familiar problems:

• One wall is taken by the door, and often another by a window or the bulkhead over the stairs.
• There's one double socket, usually in the wrong place.
• They're often the coldest room in the house, especially over a garage or porch.
• There's not much natural light in the winter months.

The good news: a box room only needs a desk, a decent chair, light, and somewhere to put things that isn't the floor.

2. Measure up before you buy anything

It's the step most people skip. Sketch the room from above and mark:

• the width of each wall, and where the door swings
• the window, including the sill height and any radiator under it
• the sockets and the broadband point
• any slope in the ceiling

Then allow about a metre behind the desk for your chair. That one measurement decides almost everything else.

3. Pick the right kind of desk

In a box room, the desk shape matters more than the desk style. You have three main options.

A corner desk. If you have a free corner, an L-shaped desk uses space that's otherwise wasted. Our Small Corner Desk with Bookcase (€109.99) sets up as an L-shape (120 × 110 cm) or a long straight desk, with a 3-tier bookcase built in, so the desk and the bookshelf are one piece of furniture. Check those numbers against your sketch first.

A compact straight desk. If the room is narrow, a slim desk along the longest wall usually works best. Look for something shallow enough that you can still pull your chair out comfortably. Our Compact Desk with Storage Shelf (€69.99) is 90 cm wide, and you'll find more in our small desks.

A fold-down wall desk. This is worth thinking about if the box room also has to be a guest room or a nursery. It folds flat when you're finished, which also helps you "leave work" at the end of the day. Our Fold-Down Wall Desk with Storage Cupboard (€99.99) opens to a 100 cm desktop and closes to just 18 cm deep, and there's a more compact 64 cm version too. See all our folding and wall-mounted desks. Measure the depth when it's open, not just when it's folded, and use fixings that suit your wall.

Don't forget the chair. A kitchen chair is fine for an hour, but not for a full working week. Our High-Back Ergonomic Office Chair (€96.90) has adjustable lumbar support and a seat height of 45–55 cm, which suits most standard desks.

4. Go vertical: use the walls, not the floor

When floor space runs out, look up.

Get the screen off the desk. A monitor on its own stand takes up a surprising amount of room. A riser like our Extendable Monitor Riser with 2 Drawers (€49.99) lifts the screen closer to eye level, adds two drawers, and leaves space underneath for your keyboard at the end of the day. It stretches from 60 to 116 cm, so it fits narrow desks too. Working off a laptop and a monitor? Our Monitor & Laptop Stand (€76.65) holds the monitor above the laptop, so both screens fit in the space of one. You'll find more options in our monitor risers, stands and arms collection.

Put shelves above the desk. A shelf or two above your screen holds files, chargers and the odd plant, and it gives you a tidier background on video calls. Browse our wall shelves for the home office. Irish houses have everything from solid block walls to plasterboard, and many shelves don't include screws or plugs. Use fixings that suit your wall, and if you're not sure what it's made of, ask someone who knows before you drill.

5. Light and warmth

Box rooms can feel gloomy and chilly from October to March.

Light:

• Put your desk side-on to the window if you can. You'll get daylight without glare on the screen or your face in shadow on calls.
• Add a desk lamp for the dark afternoons, and choose one bright enough to light the whole desk, not just a corner of it. A warm, lower light is easier on the eyes in the evening than a harsh blue-white one.
• If your one socket is already taken, go cordless. Our Cordless Touch Dimmable Desk Lamp (€79.99) charges by USB, runs for about 12 hours at full brightness, and dims with a touch so you can set it to suit the time of day.
• Light-coloured walls and a light desk top help too.

Warmth:

• Check for draughts around the window and under the door. A draught excluder is cheap and works.
• Dress for the room: a warm layer, warm socks and a throw over the back of the chair.
• Keep your feet off a cold floor. A footrest like our Adjustable Under-Desk Footrest (€34.99) or even a thick rug helps more than you'd think.

For anything electrical you bring into the room, make sure it has an Irish (three-pin) plug and is suitable for the space.

6. Tidy the cables and clear the desk

With one socket, you'll probably end up with an extension lead under the desk. Get it off the floor, away from dust and chair wheels: a no-drill cable tray that clamps to the desk edge holds the lead and power bricks out of sight. And if the WiFi router has ended up on your desk, a clip-on Monitor Top Shelf (€17.99) gives it a home on top of your screen instead. Pens, chargers and sticky notes can go in a Bamboo Desk Organiser (€29.99), which fits 7 compartments and 2 drawers into a 33 cm footprint.

7. Three example setups: €150, €300 and €500

These use real prices from our shop as of October 2026, at the lowest-priced colour option. Delivery isn't included.

About €150: improve the desk you already have

Already have a table or desk in the box room? Start here.

About €300: desk and chair for an empty box room

About €500: the full small-room setup

For a box room that also has to be a guest room now and then, this setup adds a folding screen to hide the desk when you have visitors.

For more ideas, have a look at our full range of home office furniture for small spaces, or read our guides to setting up an office in a bedroom and small space storage ideas. If you sometimes work from the sofa or bed instead, our laptop trays and lap desks are worth a look.

Frequently asked questions

Is a box room big enough for a home office?
Usually, yes. A box room only needs to fit a desk, a chair and about a metre to push the chair back. Measure the room first, choose a desk shape that fits your free wall or corner, and use the walls for storage.

Where should the desk go in a box room?
Ideally side-on to the window, so you get daylight without glare on your screen. If the window wall has a radiator under it, a corner or the longest free wall is usually the better choice.

How do I stop a box room office feeling cramped?
Keep the floor and desk as clear as you can. Lift the monitor onto a riser or stand, put shelves above the desk instead of units on the floor, hide cables under the desk, and stick to light colours.

How long does delivery take?
Orders are processed within 1–3 business days. They usually arrive at Irish addresses within 7–14 business days after dispatch, and can take a little longer to rural addresses or in November and December. If it's a Christmas present, order early.