Just like in real estate, location is everything when considering home office placement in a shared living space. Many nooks under the stairs have enough room for a small desk and chair, though ...

Salma pegged the one-time sitting room as the perfect location for a new office. "We didn't need a big room - just enough for the two of us and some storage for [our] online business," she says.

This home office belongs to a woman who loves the traditional French style. The classic French ormolu desk, which sits on a traditional French custom-made carpet, is the centerpiece of the room.