For many of us, we’ve been spending a lot more time than usual in our home office over the past few months. Even now when offices are opening up again, working from home is becoming part of the new normal.
With all that being said, it’s only right that you should build a space that you want to work in at home. One that promotes creativity and is both comfortable and practical.
We’ve listed a few key changes you can make to your WFH space to make your 9-5 all the more enjoyable.
The Star Of The Show
The desk for a home office is undeniably the star of the show. It’s where the magic happens, so it’s important to get it right.
First and foremost, is the matter of the size of the desk. Whether you want the desk to cover the whole side of one room, sit under a window or in a corner. You should always measure a desk before buying to ensure it won’t crowd or cramp a room.
The height of the desk is important, to fit with an appropriate chair. Ensure that you can sit with a good posture so not to end up with an aching back.
For smaller houses or flats, it may be that your home office is a corner within a lounge. If this is the case, you can opt for a floating desk mounted to the wall or within a shelving unit. This means you can fold it away at the end of the day, and not have your office eating into your precious living room space.
Make Sure To Declutter
This seems like an obvious one, but can often be overlooked. When it comes to working from home, it can bring a lot of extras along with it. From folders, to stationary and documents.
A cluttered home office doesn’t help to promote creative and clear thinking. So it should be essential to invest in some clever and simple storage ideas.
A desk and wall shelving are the fail safe spaces to store, but there are more creative concepts that can double as an interior statement. Using vertical space is a good way to declutter, and make use of space you have available.
For one, you can mount a cork or wire mesh board on the wall. You can use this to hang important documents and to use as a productivity based wall art for your latest project. Even pinning mini baskets on to store your mobile phone or notebook when not in use.
Even incorporating something like a vintage style pouffe or ottoman footstool that doubles as a chest. An easy way to that add comfort and style, while also storing some of your clutter
For more creative storage ideas outside of your home office, check out our post on creative decluttering here.
Something Soft Underfoot
What’s important for a home office is to ensure that it’s a practical space to enhance your working mindset. However, comfort is equally as important and not something to be overlooked.
Using a rug in a home office is an easy way to add something soft underfoot without having to rethink the whole space. It’s an easy way to bring a spot of colour and creativity to a space that may have limited room for decoration.
Using a rug like this Prismatic abstract rug is an easy way to bring some personality to a room, without being overwhelmed with busy colours in a room that should be calming. The blues and purples and abstract, soft lines will bring a zen to any home office space.
Equally, if your home office is in a corner of another room, a rug can help to split up the space and create tangible borders from office to living space.
Light It Up
In a home office space, lighting is something that needs to be considered carefully. Natural light is always the best option where possible. However, not all office spaces have the luxury of windows, plus in winter months sunlight is limited.
While some may think that a bright desk light is the best alternative, this can create a harsh and bright light. One that is practical, but brings no comfort into the space.
Using a variety of different lighting options together can create an ambiance in your home office. For your home office, you need lighting to be able to see what you are working on, but a softer take on it is always preferable.
The best way to soften light is to use something to diffuse it. That could be a fabric style lampshade, or something like a rounded glass shade.
Ensure when setting up your lighting, that you place it carefully. You want to ensure you don’t have annoying shadows that cast on your desk. On the other hand, you should bear in mind a light directly behind you can create an annoying glare on your screen.
To combat annoying shadows, you can build your lighting options using accent lights such as fairy lights, or more decorative styles. These are pieces that can add to the design of the space, without being the main source of light.
Bring Some Colour
Colour can be a great way to bring some creativity to a space. When it comes to colour schemes, it really is down to personal taste.
Using colours like green, blue or purple can be a great way to breathe some calm into a space if you have a fast-paced and hectic job.
If your job is more based within the creative, using patterns and prints can be a good way to inspire and stimulate your mind. You could even choose accent colours that fit into the theme or logo of your company to help tie the space to your everyday.
Using posters like pop art designs or abstract watercolour styles can be a way to bring colour without having to paint or decorate. This can be useful for a smaller home office within another room.
You can have a neutral office style, while bringing pops of accent colour through decorative baskets, vases or lamps.
Go Green
As always, plants and flowers are an essential for an office space. They help to clean the air to make sure your home office isn’t too stuffy, plus greenery has been proven to improve productivity and employee satisfaction by 15%!
If you have a smaller space, using trailing plants can add a decorative touch to a space while adding some green. String of heart plants are a perfect option for this method.
For potted plants to sit on your desk, choose something like a peace lily, spider plant or snake plant. These all need minimal care and aren’t too fussy with light, and are still good at oxygenating the space.
If even that seems like a bit too much work on top of your daily tasks, then buying cactus’ or good quality fake varieties can be an easy alternative.
Comfort Is Key
With no ten minute coffee breaks with a colleague, working from home can mean that breaks are few and far between. Even for lunch, it can be commonplace to be sat in the same space all day.
This is bad for mental health and productivity. Create a secondary space within your home office where you can sit to eat your lunch or have a breather. Somewhere that isn’t your desk.
If you have room, incorporate a small armchair or sofa into the space. This instantly gives the room a more relaxed and finished feel, while giving a practical and comfortable ‘break out’ space.
If you’re limited for space, use something like a bean bag that can be moved and stored away when not in use. Something that you can sit in to truly relax and recharge over lunch.
The Finishing Touches
When it comes to a home office, never forget that it is an office but also another room in your home. Small additions can help it feel comfortable and homely so it’s not merely a room you work in.
Adding in curtains can be a way to help to frame the room, while also adding comfort. Additionally, in the winter months it can add warmth to make sure your fingers aren’t turning blue while typing away.
We love the wandle curtains by Morris & Co to add that finishing touch. It’s neutral so won’t overwhelm your home office space, while adding some design with the subtle print.
Thoughts?
We hope we’ve been able to give you some well needed inspiration for your home office space.
Let us know in the comments what your working from home interior style is!
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