Home office armoire

Armoire buyer’s guide

An armoire can be a brilliant answer to the dilemma of fitting an office into a home where there’s not space to dedicate a separate room to work. Designed to be a complete office in a cupboard, an armoire allows a home office to become part of a room that’s also used for other purposes but it won’t make the work area permanently visible. With the doors of the armoire open and the keyboard shelf pulled out, an armoire creates a comfortable desk with space for a large computer screen. There’s also room for paperwork on the shelves so documents are readily available. Underneath is space for any computer tower and a printer – there’s a cutout section at the back to accommodate the cables. There’s even room for noticeboards on the inside of the cupboard doors, letting you keep reminders, and even inspiration, where they’re easy to glance at. At the end of any period of working, the doors of an armoire can be closed leaving it looking like a handsome piece of furniture without betraying its function as an office.

Colour for your computer cupboard

When you’re choosing a computer cupboard to add into an existing room scheme, consider the design details that will make it complement the remainder of the space. With a computer cupboard concealing its function behind closed doors, you might want to draw attention to your attractive piece of furniture with a bold paint finish set against neutral walls. In a small room, though, you could choose a pale colour for your computer cupboard that will help bounce light around the room to make it feel as spacious as possible. If it’s set against a backdrop of wallpaper, repeating a shade from this design can also be a good approach. We offer a whole range of paint shades for you to choose from so you can follow any of these strategies – or you could order a computer cupboard unpainted and finish it yourself. When it comes to matching other furniture in your room, you could continue the colour of the painted furniture that’s already in the room, but it’s not essential. And painted furniture can also work harmoniously with the wood pieces you already own. 


Benefits of a desk cupboard

A desk cupboard is an extremely space-efficient way to get all of your home office essentials into a small footprint. Ours is 94cm x 52cm x 178cm, leaving floor space for the sofas and armchairs of a living room, the kitchen units plus dining table and chairs combination in a kitchen-diner, or a bed and clothes storage furniture in a bedroom. The cleverly configured design won’t leave you feeling cramped while you’re working, however, as the keyboard shelf lets you work ergonomically, and you can fit a good-sized monitor so prolonged screen work is comfortable. A desk cupboard also means you won’t have to find room for the extra furniture that’s often essential in a home office. The printer fits in the lower cupboard, where you can also stash stationery supplies, and there’s room for files within the design, too.

Finishing touches for an armoire desk

Think about whether you want to include noticeboards in your armoire desk. As well as being useful, an upholstered element can make the space feel more comfortable and hence a more enticing work area that’s far from the hard, cold designs found in many office buildings. If you want noticeboards, we can create these for your armoire desk using fabrics from our extensive collection, which can be searched by colour, or style, or both. Alternatively, you can send a fabric you’ve found for us to use for your noticeboards. You’ll need to supply 1m of fabric plus 14m trim (based on a fabric no less than 137cm wide). Our advice is to match or co-ordinate with the fabric of your office chair as well as the paint finish of the armoire when you’re choosing.