Helpful Tips To Designing Your Perfect Home Office
Everyone around the world is spending more time at home. As lots of companies are allowing their employees to work from home and schools are allowing students to attend classes online. It is becoming more and more important to create a space in the home for work or study time as your own home office.
If you are one of the fortunate people that are able to work from home or attend classes online, designing your home office space can increase your mood, improve productivity and help you maintain a healthy balance between work life and home life. Luckily, we have provided some key tips that will help you create or upgrade your home office.
Choose The Perfect Spot In The House
The location of your home office is crucial. Think about it. You will likely be spending a lot of time in this area or location in your home. You want to be sure that you are putting your desk in an area that gives you plenty of room to stretch out, walk and move around easily.
If you have a guest room, consider turning that into a home office instead of setting it up in your closet or a small space in the living room. It is recommended that you place your desk near or in front of a window. Some natural light can provide serious mood boosters, so draw those shades, and enjoy some sun.
Also, keep in mind the amount of traffic flow that the location may receive. Too much traffic can cause distractions, but it ultimately depends on what works best for you.
If you are someone that thrives in busy environments with a lot of things going on in the background then maybe high traffic areas are the best fit for you. On the other hand, if you are someone who needs peace and quiet it may be better for you to pick a place around your place that gives you privacy and quiet.
Your Furniture Needs To Serve A Purpose
Think about shelves, your desk and other storage you will put in your home office. It can be tempting to impulsively purchase all the home office furniture, but before you do that seriously determine what you need at your fingertips to be productive. Look around for the best desk for your office and try it out to check you are happy with the height and space.
If you deal with a lot of physical paper files, a file cabinet is a great idea or maybe you need a file folder on your desk. The same thing can be said if you do a lot of writing. Having an amazing pen holder would be a great idea. Whatever it is that you need to be productive, you want to be sure that your home office furniture serves you and enables you to be productive as opposed to it just looking nicely decorated.
That does not mean that your home office should resemble that soul-less office at your job. By all means, give your home office some personality. Just remember the true function of your home office when considering office decor and office furniture.
Invest In A Great Chair
A great chair with correct ergonomics is crucial. You will be spending a lot of time in this chair and you want to make sure that you are comfortable. Not only should the chair complement your office decor, but it should also offer support for your neck, back and posture. Sitting in a comfortable chair might provide more motivation to power through those days when all you want to do is sit in bed watching Netflix or listening to audiobooks.
Paint Your Walls Your Favourite Color
Though your office can be an extension of the rest of your home decor, it can also be an opportunity to fully express yourself. Painting your home office walls with your favourite colour or the colour you love is a great way to do that. Seeing that colour on a daily basis can provide you with good feelings when you sit down to start work for the day.
Imagine what that good mood does to your productivity, creativity and ability to problem solve as you go through the rest of your day. It all depends on what colour drives you. Maybe you are someone who needs to stay energized and creative throughout the day, in which case colours like orange, yellow and red are great colours. If you are someone who needs to stay cool, calm and collected during work, maybe cool serene colours like blues and purples are the best colours to go for.
Homely, Useful Accessories Are Key
As mentioned you want to make sure that your home office fully serves its purpose first and looks nice second, in order of priority. That is why picking homey but useful accessories are key to creating your perfect home office. Choose a mug with a funny saying as a pen holder, stylish notepads and sticky notes as well as a decorative wastebasket that perfectly complements the style of your home office.
Turn your boring notice board into something uniquely you by wrapping it in your favourite fabric. Put up some interesting artwork. Display some of your favourite books on your bookshelf, but also accessorize your bookshelf with plants or flowers. Remember the importance of controlling the home’s temperature.
Make Use Of The Space For Organization
Keep in mind that you can use your horizontal space and your vertical space to organize things. Hang floating shelves or use vertical file folders. Make use of all your storage space. If you have a desk with drawers and you are the type of person who needs to work with a clean desk, free of the space of loose but important papers.
Put those papers in one of the desk drawers and designate that drawer for important papers. You can also use storage boxes. They are a great way to keep up with different odds and ends without clutter. Make some room on those bookshelves and use your storage boxes to further decorate the bookshelf.
Beautify Your Technology
Ok, so there is not a way you can beautify the devices you have to use, like your laptop, printer or desktop, but you can try to beautify the space they inhabit. Start by making sure that your devices are close to outlets and they are easily accessible so you can plug and unplug effortlessly as needed.
Plugging your devices near an outlet also provides an opportunity for you to hide your cords. You can either put them in a cord case or you can use a plastic or metal cap that is used to help guide the cords through a hole in the desk underneath. Prevent your cords from being a tangled mess by using cord winders, tubing or a wire organizer.
Position Your Computer
Having natural light in your home office is a must, but you want to be sure that you are placing your computer, desk or laptop in an area that will not give off a glare throughout the day whether the glare is coming from the window or the light above. If you frequently find yourself burning the midnight oil, you may not want to continue working in full light. In these instances, a task lamp placed by the desk is a great idea to keep you healthy when you are working late.
Keep Yourself Inspired
Do not forget about including the things that keep in you inspired like an essential oil diffuser, a picture of your family or whatever it is that you need to keep you going throughout the day. If you are missing being able to be out and about while working, hang a picture of the globe or your favourite destination.
Give Yourself A View
Staring at the wall all day is not ideal. That is why it is recommended that you place your desk and work area by a window as the natural light outside your window will provide an interesting view when you look up from your computer screen.
If you live in the type of apartment that does not have a lot of windows, do not worry. There is still a way you can create a view for yourself. Hang a beautiful picture above your desk. That is why when you take a break, you are not always starting at the wall.
Plan For Visitors
So, you may not be having visitors coming by your home office, but it may still be good practice to make a plan that allows room for them when the time comes. Place a few comfortable chairs that go well with the rest of the decor in your home office. If you have enough space, you could also create a space where others can sit and work with you.
A nice coffee table next to two chairs is a great way to give if not your clients and customers than your family members or roommates a place to sit and work with you. We all need each other and though you are working from home that does not mean that you have to work in solitude.