How to turn your baker’s rack with drawers into a portable home office

Bakers racks are really in fashion right now, and people are finding all kinds of ways to use them throughout their home. One of the best ways you can use a baker’s rack is as a portable home office. If you’re working from home and don’t have a dedicated remote workspace, a portable office such as this could be the perfect solution, allowing you to move throughout the house as needed for quiet or privacy.

Here’s how you can turn your baker’s rack with drawers into a portable home office.

Look for baker’s racks with wheels

If you can find a cute bakers rack that already has wheels, it is the ideal way to get started with your portable home office. If your baker’s rack doesn’t come with wheels, read the product descriptions carefully to make sure that it will be easy to add casters without posing a hazard from the weight of the rack. If you’re unsure what size casters to use, talk to your local hardware store for guidance.

Steer clear of top heavy baker’s racks

When you’re talking about a piece of furniture that you want to wheel around the house, you need to make sure that it isn’t going to be a hazard. If your baker’s rack doesn’t come with wheels, make sure you choose one that is not top heavy. It shouldn’t have a hutch, and you should make sure that wall mounting is not recommended. 

Look for baker racks with at least one drawer

Many baker’s racks only have shelves, but more modern versions do offer drawers on occasion. If you know you want to use the baker’s rack as a desk, you should look for one that has durable drawers of a size that are actually helpful. You should at least be able to store a notepad and some writing implements in the drawers so that the mobile office can be fully functional.

Choose a baker’s rack with vented shelves

The original baker’s racks were made to allow baked goods to cool properly, and as such they have vented shelving. This shelving can be very beneficial when using it as a home office, because it can help keep your electronics and computer cool while in operation.

Make shelves more useful

Most baker’s racks just have long shelves, unbroken by any type of organizational structure. To use them for organizing your portable home office, you’ll need to either break them up into cubbies using metal or wood inserts, or you will need to purchase bins and trays to organize all of your office supplies. A desk drawer organizer should fit inside one of the drawers as well for additional organization.

Install breaks

A baker’s rack that comes with wheels attached should already have breaks. The break is a small metal lever that is on at least two of the casters, locking those two (or more) wheels in place. This is important so that the rack doesn’t move at the wrong time. If you install casters yourself, make sure you get ones that can be locked in this or a similar way.