How to Design a Home Office
In the recent months, most of us are started to work from home and I believe this is something that we are still getting used to it so I thought it would be great to make a blog about how you can design your home office in order to improve your productivity and keep yourself organized. So I will explain the things that you should consider before you start designing your home office and also give you useful home office design tips in order to make your work experience more efficient and comfortable. Let’s start!
BEFORE YOU START THE DESIGN PROCESS
First of all, you should ask yourself questions like what do I need in my home office? Am I going to have business meetings in this space, if yes how many people do I need to accommodate in once or am I just going to work alone? Do I need big storage space or am I just going to work from my laptop? Is my work space going to be a multifunctional room or is it solely going to serve for my business purposes? We can obviously make this question list longer but the main aim is to specify the most important things before you start shopping for your home office. In this way, you also don’t waste any money so make yourself a list of things that you specificially require for your home office and always do furniture layout sketches and take measurements of the space in advance because this will make your process so much easier and faster. With that being that, now let’s start the useful home office design tips that can improve your productivity and make you feel comfortable.
CLUTTER FREE SPACE
When you work from home, it is really important to keep your work space clutter and distraction free because it is much more easier to get distracted compared to working from an office. Using too much decor like art frames or shelves everywhere or using distracting colours like red, orange dominantly in your space is not a good idea.
I know some of my friends don’t like working in front of a window because they kinda start watching outside rather than working but I personally feel more motivated if there is a window in front of my desk so I plan my furniture layout with that being considered.
Another thing is that if you have so many technical stuff going on in your home office like laptopcables, printer cables, please make sure that you keep your cables neat and properly because it will cause visual clutter and I guess you may even stumble and fall so be careful about that and again, make your work space distraction free as much as possible and also remember that practicality and functionality comes first in home office design.
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ENOUGH LIGHTING
If you don’t have enough lighting in your work space, you will either zone out or feel depressed. When I say lighting, I don’t only mean artificial lighting but also natural lighting but let’s start with the artificial one. First of all, you should avoid having harsh overhead light above your desk because it will be eye straining overtime so instead go for lampshades that soften the lighting in the space and combine that with a adjustable desk lamp just in case you need more ligting in the evening.
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click here to get this modern soft lighting fixture for your home office!
Click here to have a look this functional dimmable desk lamp with 3 color options for your home office.
Now when it comes to natural lighting, you have to make sure that you don’t cover your windows with heavy dark curtains and please if you work from your laptop, do not locate your desk opposite the window because obviously you may not see your screen properly so it is better to place your desk in front of your window or on the side of your window. So yes having both enough artificial and natural lighting is really important to keep you productive throughout the day.
COMFORTABLE DESK CHAIR
When you design a workstation, the most important element is your desk chair because you don’t just sit there for only couple of minutes but couple of hours so it is important to feel comfortable. So make sure that it has a nice back and side support so that your posture will be on point all the time and you will stay comfy.
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This velvet desk chair looks very stylish as well as it is comfortable. It is a great option for a small work space! It also comes in variety of colours so make sure to check this one on amazon by clicking here.
I think desk chair is the most significant thing to invest because if you get a nice one, you can use it for years without having any problems and as long as it has a nice structure, you can change the upholstery over time.
NOTEBOARD
Having a note board or notice board in your work space is really important to keep your work schedule organized because you can easily see which tasks you have to finish on that day or if there is any business meeting coming soon so you can put whatever you need to keep in mind on your notice board and it will make you feel more organized. I personally put some notes for the weekly tasks and meetings as well as my daily schedule to make sure that I don’t forget calling a client or basically delivering a project on time because as we all know time management is really important and I think it is good to stick to a plan and see it on your notice board everyday to make your life easier.
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CLEAN BACKGROUND
Now, when you plan your home office, you should be careful where you place your desk and this is especially important if your work requires you to be on a video call all day because we have seen so many funny examples like people crawling on the floor to avoid showing up on the zoom call which is hilarious so you better have a clean solid background that doesn’t open to another room or entryway!
CHOOSING THE RIGHT LOCATION
Now, if your home is big enough and you are blessed with an extra room that you can turn into your home office, that is great! So you can be completely distraction free from your household because you can basically close your door and focus on your work. However, if you don’t have an extra room that you can turn into a home office, you should choose a spot where there are not so much circulation going on because again it will distract your video calls or it will drop your efficiency. If you have younger kids staying at home, maybe it is not a good idea to work from your living room as they may wanna watch tv so you can create a lovely work spot in your kitchen or maybe in your bedroom if you have enough space.
ENOUGH STORAGE UNIT
So first of all, the type of storage that people need is obviously going to be different for every job because some people only need their laptop and few paperwork and artists may need more storage to maintain their materials or people that works in the history or law department may need to have so many books in their work space. However, there is one rule for everyone: If you work from home, you should always make sure that you have enough storage units for your needs. If you need a lot of storage unit in your space such as bookcases or shelving units for your materials, it is better to place them behind your desk and if that is not possible next to your work station so that it doesn’t distract you while you work.
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Click here to get this minimal white 6 tiers bookcase on Amazon!
If you don’t need so much storage but still require some, you can solve that with simple shelving units. Now, if your desk looks at a wall, it is better to place your shelves above your eye level maybe even closer to your ceiling so that it doesn’t distract you and you can combine that with a drawer or bookcase next to you for more storage if you need.
ARTWORK
Having some type of artwork is a great way to elevate your space and also it brings warmth to your home office. If you want to have a piece of art in your work space, it is better to hang them on the back of your desk or on the side of your desk rather than just in front of you because obviously it can distract you and we don’t really want that.
SOMETHING THAT MOTIVATES YOU
You should always have something that motivates you to work harder in your home office because working from home is a better experience compared to working from an office but it is easy to get demotivated and I cannot tell you to have this or that to keep you motivated because this is actually very personal as we are all driven by different things. I know some people put their family photos to remind them why they work so hard or some people put the photo of their favorite business person to inspire them.
Now if you ask my favorite thing to keep myself motivated, I would say vision board. So basically you can put photos or notes about the things that want to achieve in your life and how you see yourself and your business in the future. I think it is a great way to keep yourself focused on your goals and if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest you to give it a chance.
PORTABLE KETTLE AND JUG OF WATER
If you are someone who constantly enjoys drinking coffee or tea while working, I highly suggest you to get yourself a cordless small kettle or maybe a big thermos bottle to keep your drinks hot for a longer time so that you don’t have to get up and go to kitchen on a regular basis and interrupt your work flow.
Cordless Stainless Steel Portable Kettle
Another thing is that I always try to keep a jug of water and a glass near my desk because staying hydrated is obviously important and I love drinking water so if I had to get up for water in every 30-45 minutes, it would really put me off the track and because of that reason I keep my bottle of water next to me. So bear that in mind while you design your home office if you are someone like me.
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