Over the last few weeks, I've been sharing ideas on how to get the most out of a small multi-purpose home office on a $400 budget. The challenge with this small 8'x10' bedroom conversion is that we wanted to use it as a home office, craft room, and sewing room without it feeling cramped.

Also, working with such a small budget limited the option for furniture purchases so we had to get creative and plan for DIY projects to meet our goals. We took our time planning this space on pen and paper and I'm happy to report not only did we meet our goals but the room feels more spacious now too.

Small Home Office Makeover On A Budget

If you're hoping to see a lovely vintage desk with curvy legs with a pretty rug underneath and a lovely bookcase behind the desk with a gorgeous painted credenza on the opposite wall - this ain't it! This home office design is all about function and maximizing the footprint of this small room.

It all started in March during lockdown we decided to spend our time stuck indoors painting the interior walls of our home. Of course, it didn't stop there and every room ended up getting a mini-makeover with a maximum budget of $400 per room.

If you missed them, you can catch up here on our Budget Home Improvements page. It includes the DIY home decor projects for each room as well.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a before photo when everything was still in place but this gives you a good idea of the OLD Behr Macadamia (3A10-3) and Behr Iced Espresso (PMD-91) paint colors. Can you tell by the patching how long overdue painting this room was?

Here is the same view after the room was painted a soft Behr Toasty Gray (N320-2). I love this subtle muddy gray color that makes the room so much brighter. We've painted the entire house this color.

Oh my goodness, I just noticed I didn't remove the heating pad off my office chair before taking the photo. What can I say, all this work has given this ole mama a sore back.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the office makeover, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Here's How We Did It

I waited for days to get decent light to capture the true paint color for the room reveal. Unfortunately, because the room is so small it made it impossible to set up my light kit. So I had to work with what mother nature gave me for light and my apologies for not the best quality photos.

Everything in the new office space was either a DIY project or upcycled from thrift store finds. First, we had to come up with a way to get two workstations plus a worktable without crowding the footprint of the room. We also needed valuable storage for all three zones and so we focused on vertical potential.

DIY Wall-To-Wall Floating Desk

After painting the walls the first thing we did was build a large space-saving wall-to-wall floating desk with two workstations. One side is a computer zone and the other a permanent spot for my Cricut Maker machine and crafting.

This double desk is a great idea for a children's homework or homeschooling zone or in a kid's playroom.

DIY Wall-To-Wall Shelving

We also built the handy DIY wall-to-wall shelf above each workstation for books, office decor, and hidden storage for essentials not used on a daily basis.

Pegboard Walls and Repurposed Pegboard Accessories

Above each workstation, we installed small pegboard walls for vertical storage to keep the desktops clutter-free. With the stores currently closed shopping for pegboard accessories isn't an option and so I shopped my home for items I could repurpose into pegboard accessories.

I upcycled a homemade stacking keepsake box to sit on the desk for small office supplies like paper clips, rubber bands, extra staples, etc.

Upcycled Portable Work Table

I also wanted a portable worktable to sit between the two workstations. On felts, it can easily slide out of the way when not needed. It acts as an extra work surface for my sewing machine, cutting fabric, craft projects, or a spot to place paperwork while working on the computer.

Instead of building a table, an old boarding house desk was given a French Farmhouse Table makeover in colors that match the floating desk. It's small enough not to take up too much room but large enough for an adequate workspace.

Upcycled Home Office Organization Cabinets

On the opposite side of the room is a large file cabinet that we found at Habitat ReStore several years ago and you can see that makeover here in my lateral file cabinet makeover post. The top houses our extra inkjet printer and a storage unit for printer supplies.

Beside it is an old solid oak bookcase that I got from a friend a few years ago. You can see that upcycle and how I used dollar store fabric on the back in my farmhouse vintage bookcase makeover post. It houses my Cricut Easy Press machine, vinyl supplies, crafting essentials, course manuals, and resource books.

Where Do You Keep Your Craft Supplies?

I've been asked by a few readers who have been following this office makeover where I keep my craft supplies?

In the closet. Thankfully over the Christmas break, I reorganized my craft supplies into plastic drawer storage units knowing we'd be giving this room a makeover in 2020. It is a constant work in progress and as you can see in the photo below, my fabric bin is already overflowing and the ribbon tote beside it could use reorganizing too.

Instead of installing a whole new closet organizing system that retrofits my craft supplies, we kept the existing closet organizer from when this room functioned as a bedroom. Why? Primarily for resale value because we have a five-year plan.

I've been working in this space for a couple of weeks now and I couldn't be happier with the results. Everything I need is at my fingertips, I have more than adequate work surfaces, and the room feels bright and spacious too. It's hard to believe it's the same space considering how dark and cluttered it used to feel.

So, here is a cost breakdown (rounded off to the nearest dollar) of the home office makeover. Our maximum budget was $400 and you can see we came in well under budget for this space by using what we had and DIYing what we didn't.

Home Office Makeover Cost Breakdown

• $  25.00  Wall Paint
• $  80.00  Lumber for Desk
• $  12.00  MDF Small Middle Shelving Unit
• $  30.00  Lumber for Shelves
• $  32.00  Shelf Brackets
• $  24.00  Pegboard Walls
• $  56.00  Desk Gel Stain
• $  21.00  Shelving Stain
• $  10.00  Protective Clear Coat
• $290.00  Total Cost

Had on Hand

• Vintage Bookcase
• Lateral File Cabinet
• Gooseneck Lamp
• Wall Mount File Folder Rack
• Storage Boxes
• Office Chairs
• Storage Boxes
• Pegboard Accessories (repurposed finds)
• Pegboard Hooks
• Bulletin Board
• Shelving Decor

Once the stores reopen and it's safe again to shop I will purchase a matching office chair for the craft zone and get more pegboard accessories.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this small home office space refresh. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

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