37 Office Storage Ideas

A place for everything, and everything in its place: the mantra behind every efficient office space. A tidy office is far more functional than a cluttered one. Therefore, office organization is necessary to make your workday flow as efficiently as possible. Imagine no more wasted time shifting stacks of paper out of the way, and no more digging to excavate your paper clips or sticky notes. That’s what these office storage ideas will ensure, creating a more productive workspace. 

If finding the perfect office storage solution has been elusive to you so far, check out our top office organization tips and tricks. In no time at all, you’ll find yourself enjoying a workspace that’s free from clutter and chaos.

1. Innovative Modular Office Storage Ideas

A modular office has prefabricated working areas or cubicles. They are usually made with short walls covered in fabric or another simple material. Many modular items come with integrated storage options, such as storage cubbies or baskets that clip onto wall panels.

Modular storage is great for someone looking for an economical and easy way to create a functional workspace. However, they can look cold and uninviting. Including decorative accessories will help to personify your modular office. Add natural elements, such as a wooden floating shelf above your desk, topped with a potted plant and wicker storage baskets.

2. Enhance Security and Organization

Depending on where you work and the type of job you have, lockable office storage ideas may be necessary. If you need to protect your workspace from snooping eyes or office supply swipers, look for metal storage cabinets with sturdy locks. Locking desk drawers are also a good storage option for personal materials.

Most classic metal file cabinets have at least one lockable drawer. If you have a casual approach to work or home office storage, classic school lockers make excellent storage cabinets. Small lockers can fit under your desk, while taller lockers can securely protect blueprints and other oversized materials.

3. Optimize Space and Efficiency

When floor space is at a minimum, creative space-saving tricks are necessary to make the most of every square foot.

A foldaway desk gives you enough space for your laptop and papers, then tucks back up into the wall when your workday ends. It’s an ideal storage solution when you need to use the room for other purposes during the day.

Look for a storage ottoman, bench, or seat to add more hidden storage to your office space. These dual-purpose items are a must when you’re unsure how to make room for everything.

If desktop workspace is limited, store pens, sticky notes, paper clips, and other small supplies inside cups arranged on a lazy Suzan. This is a useful desktop organizer as it’s easy to spin to reach the supplies you need.

4. Industrial-Inspired Storage Ideas

Solid and edgy, industrial-style office storage ideas bring a decidedly masculine vibe to the workspace. Industrial office furniture relies on lots of metal, stone, and wood materials. Darker color schemes are the norm and black is a common paint color for industrial shelf units and storage containers.

A vintage industrial storage option might include repurposing a wooden chest into a file cabinet. Use black metal mesh panels instead of solid cabinet door fronts and replace drawer hardware with handles made from metal pipes. Collect vintage metal trays and arrange them inside your top drawer for an industrial desk organizer.

5. Effective Organizers for Streamlined Storage

Monochromatic office storage organizer ideas make your office space appear neat, clean, and spacious. Thousands of storage options for offices exist, so choose a system that makes sense to you. Fabric-covered lidded boxes may work in some spaces, but wire or wicker baskets might fit your personality better.

Clear plastic bins are a good choice if you need to find items quickly. Solid bins are better if you don’t care to see everything you have on hand. They also work better if you need a minimalist office that is not visually distracting. However, make sure you label each container well so there’s no doubt over what goes where.

6. Embrace the Warmth of Wood

Wood office storage furniture adds a warm, natural element to the home or work office. In a traditional home, a wood filing cabinet fits in better than a bland metal unit. While metal open shelving is a standard in corporate offices, wood shelves or built-ins add elegance to your home office.

Find a balance between open shelving and closed cabinets when choosing wood office decor. It’s helpful to have a cupboard or credenza with doors to hide clutter or bulky items you rarely use. If you are using antique furniture for your office storage, have a carpenter add portholes to keep unsightly wires hidden.

7. Closet Organization Tips

If you are lucky enough to have a closet in your office, you have the perfect storage solution for everything you wish to keep out of sight. In fact, an office closet can become a full shelving system or a hidden library.

Hanging closet organizers are just as helpful in the office as in the bedroom or bathroom. They make a convenient closet storage unit while occupying little space. 

A closet can become a complete home office if you wish. Have a carpenter remove any existing shelving and rods and build in a desktop and efficient open shelving above. Built-in cabinets are a great addition below the work surface if you have room.

8. Maximize Wall Space

Pegboard is an often overlooked idea for storage wall solutions. Every major office supply store sells attractive hooks, bins, baskets, shelves, and other organizational items that can easily be hung or removed as your storage needs change.

Magnetic knife strips are useful for wall storage of metal items including scissors, binder clips, and your stapler. Corkboard is another great wall product to use in home office design. Easily tack up pictures of projects in progress, to-do lists, family photos, and more. Wall-mounted wire bins and shelves make use of vertical storage space and add a funky, industrial vibe to your office. For a warmer appearance, look for copper or gold finishes instead of classic silver or black.

9. Smart and Practical Drawer Storage

A great office organization tip is this: never buy a desk without drawers and never let an office drawer go unused. These small hideaways can store a surprisingly large amount of paper and other items that would equate to clutter if left out in the open.

A good drawer organizer can sort binder clips, pencils, paper clips, and all the other little odds and ends you rely on throughout the day.

If you need more drawer storage ideas, look for a rolling drawer cart. You can park it next to your desk while working and roll it beneath–or into a closet–when you need to regain your floor space. It’s a bonus if you find a cart at the same height as your desk. Then you can use its top can as an extra workspace.

10. File Management Made Easy

Storing office files is one of the easier office storage problems to solve. File storage ideas include the classic file cabinet and all its new variations, such as baskets with hanging file folders and wall-mounted file holders. Paper trays can double as a file storage option and magazine boxes can also hold files.

File folders have come a long way since the days of plain manilla cardstock. Colorful printed folders can help you color-code and organize your papers inside your filing cabinet. They also serve as a small way to brighten up what can be a dull and uninspiring office environment.

11. Functional and Stylish Cabinet Ideas

A storage cabinet or cupboard is a must, provided that your office has room for it. Nothing tidies an office more quickly than shutting the door on stacks of papers and supplies. A cabinet-style desk is the perfect home office storage solution when the office is in a shared space, such as the living room or kitchen.

Cabinet doors are a great way to add design flair to your home office ideas. Replace plain panels with lattice or embossed tin panels. Add corkboard to cabinet fronts to turn them into useful wall space to hang things. Hang spice racks inside your cabinet doors and use them to hold jars full of tacks, rubber bands, and other office supplies.

12. Keep Your Desk Clutter-Free

Desktop storage helps keep your work surface clean and inspiring. An important part of your office decor, these containers and organizers come in a wide array of shapes, colors, and textures.

Keeping to one color palette makes the room look more coherent. It also creates a visually calmer environment that cuts down on distractions while you’re trying to be productive.

The space beneath your desk is one of the great hidden office storage ideas. Mount a small shelf between desk legs or tuck a small filing cabinet beneath your desk. Craft an easy DIY desk with wooden crates and a butcher block board, as shown in this video.

13. Built-In Storage Solutions

Wall-to-wall built-in home office storage is ideal to guarantee that you’ll never run out of places to put things. If you can’t build shelves on a full wall, try for corner shelves that extend from floor to ceiling. Closing cabinet doors are ideal to mix within open shelving, as some things are better stored unseen.

A built-in desk and storage unit is a great feature in an efficient and attractive small home office. If you need to make a dual-purpose craft room and office, build in an additional work surface across the room.

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