Advice from people who have "downsized"

Welshwoofs

I've worked from home for 6 years and am currently in a 2-bed place.

I have 2 mini wooden filing cabinets which double as side tables on either side of the bed in the guest room (there's a lamp on one and a clock on the top of the other and the cabinets get locked when people stay). I have a wireless printer in the same room and I actually work downstairs in the dining room on my laptop ... or if it's sunny I move to the garden. I use VOIP with an inbound number for all my calls so can do my phoning from the computer rather than jump up and down for calls.

It obviously is about what works for you, but if you get the right equipment it's actually pretty easy to fit business into a home of almost any size.

LE3

Welshwoofs wrote: »

I have 2 mini wooden filing cabinets which double as side tables on either side of the bed in the guest room (there's a lamp on one and a clock on the top of the other and the cabinets get locked when people stay).

Thanks Woofs - that's a great idea

I showed this thread to a friend over the weekend & he just laughed - he asked why everyone was so determined that I needed to make one of the bedrooms into an office-!!!-guest room & why noone had even suggested that I use the dining area as I originally had the idea for & then as it's just me most of the time get a barstool or one of those little tiny tables to eat in the kitchen and get a drop-leaf table to pull out in the living room (or even outside with a gazebo above it) when I do have guests & need a larger space (particularly as you often end up eating out or getting pizza or something less formal when you have guests! I often need to work when I have overnight guests (ie an hour after they go to bed) so having the office not in the bedroom is very important. He said that I had said that I didn't like eating in the living room, but that I'd also said an office in the guest room wasn't an option!

Seriously, thanks for all the replies - it has made me think about things differently & I do have much to consider. The original property is no longer an option due to another issue, but I think a 2-bed could work if it has the right configuration of rooms/some flexibility ...