DIY Study Rooms: Big On Design, Low On Budgets

by Charmaine Kenita | January 10, 2024 | 7 mins read

DIY study table tips for your home

Tips, hacks and types of study nooks that anyone can build and use for their children.

If there’s one space in the home children just don’t like getting into often, they are study rooms. Study rooms are generally functional and designed for a specific purpose. They may or may not be a part of every home interior design. But for families with kids, a well thought out study room design can get them to be disciplined, orderly, calm and finish homework on schedule. If a DIY study room hasn’t been a part of your thought or you didn’t grow up with one, you’re not alone! Most of us used temporary spaces such as the dining table, coffee table and more for study when we were kids. But just imagine the peace such a space will entitle you as a parent? Here are a few study room interior design ideas that will ensure you have your home to yourself while kids have theirs too.

Study rooms don’t have to take up a lot of space. Unlike a carefully planned room DIY study spaces can be built-in anywhere. A space under the stairs, an empty corner of your living room, and even a closet can make a home study room. This is not expensive to create and you can even do this using your imagination. 

Like any DIY project it just needs creative skills, you might think. Well, to some extent it does but most importantly it needs patience and a bit of work. What you get at the end of it is something for yourself, made with your own hands, to foster your child. Below are a few ways to utilise spaces creatively to design your own DIY study nook.

Study Nooks Hidden Away In Small Spaces

What defines a small space? Is it an empty one around the house or an unused area? Small spaces can be anywhere, generally where you know nothing much is happening. An awkward space atop your staircase or a corner area where no chair or seating fits in can be used as a study room in the house. With some DIY hacks, a few basic tools and ingenuity, a bookshelf and table can be reconfigured into an L-shaped workspace. Cordon off the area with a bookshelf and attach it to a table using L-shaped brackets. Here you can create a discrete area complete with electric sockets, wall hangings and more. Cover the back of the bookshelf with a chalkboard or pegboard to make it into a wall. Nail baskets to the side of it to carry stationery, stack books, and files for easy access. There are many different things that can be done to complete the study. The lack of a separation wall or makeshift divider should not be a deterrent.

DIY Study table for you to study with peace which suits with your home interior study space
A small discreet study nook beautifully blending with the surrounding home interior design

Also, check out Peaceful Study Room Design

Loft-Bed Combo Study To Keep It All Together

The best way to build a study is to have it under the sleeping area. Most children love the idea of a loft bed and this also uses bedroom space efficiently. While not all loft beds have this setup, you can specially create one to have a bed up while below is the seating and homework area. Bunk beds optimize space, are better to maintain, and do away with the need for separate sleeping/study spaces. They are often created for two-child families but isn’t this idea so much fun for single-child ones as well? In case you have a double-decker loft bed bought from a store, you can get rid of the lower part and convert it into a study.

Loft-bed cum kids study table DIYed under the sleeping area
Old-school and charming, this bedroom with a study keeps everything together and easily accessible
Multifunctional interiors designs that spark motivation to work

Study Nooks That Keep Kids Engaged

When there are two kids, there’s often mayhem especially with both wanting separate spaces for themselves. This will be quite a task when it comes to multiple kids. In order to achieve the best study room design with such cases, especially if you want to homeschool or need dedicated activity spaces, multiple study areas are great. Take a long table and create shelves beneath them. Or occupy one wall and stack cabinets on the wall for each kid. You can choose to add seating as well as individual chairs for the study room. You can also use benches, pegboards on the wall, and makeshift cabinetry beneath. When you DIY, the possibilities are endless. From color choices to material for furniture, accessories and more, study nooks for multiple kids are a whole lot of fun!

DIY study table decor with furniture, accessories and more
Doodling on a chalkboard backdrop, chairs stacked next to each other, this study room design is well laid out for storage yet attractive.

Also, check out Study Table Organization Ideas

Built-In Study Spaces That Resemble Alice In Wonderland

Seen the movie Alice in Wonderland where the little girl falls into a hole surrounded by all things nice? You can make this same wonderland for your child at a much lower cost in one such study room idea. Use your creativity to craft a built-in study space. One that feels like a hidden nook, built into a window, at the end of corridors, or even in the bedroom with partitions surrounding it. Although this needs a slightly larger budget, a built-in study room can be designed and hidden away in a jiffy. Fit in a sliding bench with castors that can be pulled out or hidden away after use. This is one cheap study room idea. Bookshelves backed with cork boards can be stacked on the walls. Chalkboard paint can create a surface where kids can doodle away. Use a pegboard that can be removed or added to walls at will. Sliding cabinets even provide storage. Basically, built-in study nooks can be put up and dismantled anywhere and used according to convenience.

Two Kids study table DIY, Yellow and brown
Two-toned and resembling a tiny home, this study nook is cozy, bright and affords lots of possibilities for many activities

Important Hacks For DIY Study Spaces

Make A budget

Consider your budget before going DIY. In the runup to create something yourself, you might push your budget incredibly high and then be left with something you aren’t satisfied with

Create A Design And Choose Materials

Make a rough sketch of just what you want and choose materials accordingly for your study room interior design. If you’re creating a divider, for instance, use cardboard or one painted with chalkboard paint that serves dual purposes.

Create Multifunctional Spaces

Understand where this study nook will be and design as per space. For window ledges, make built-in study nooks that can be dismantled whenever the need arises. Try seeing whether the spaces can double up for anything else.

Be Mindful To The Needs Of Your Child

If possible, incorporate your child’s needs at every step. A chalkboard panel in the study room designed for a creative child will do well while one who is visual will like his/her worksheets pegged on a pegboard.

DIY study space ideas for your kids where you can make a study table as per your budget in diy study room decor
DIY study spaces can tap into everything, storage, study, craft, and more. Imagine endless possibilities and create them for you

Study room design is crucial given it needs to have the right ambiance for your child to concentrate in. The interiors, design, and plans for children and teenagers vary. There are several ways to do it and yet nothing takes away from the pleasure of getting it done with your own hands.

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Charmaine Kenita is a content writer at Design Cafe home interiors blog.

Charmaine Kenita

Charmaine Kenita is a content strategist, editor, marketer, & doctor. A professional storywriter providing content across various verticals, she searches for metaphors in everyday experiences connecting ideas and thoughts across industries. She mentors startups & women entrepreneurs, and works with NGOs in the handloom sector.

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