How to Design a Great Looking and Functional Home Office

An office is a great addition to any home, whether you need a space to run your own business or start a new venture, or you just need a quiet, practical space where you can catch up on your tasks in comfort. With more people than ever working flexibly from their workplace, it’s also a great way to add value to your property. Here are some tips for designing a space in your home that works for work!

• Pick your location carefully: A home office can be almost any size or shape, from an unused bedroom or garage to a space off your sitting room or kitchen. What it can’t be is busy and noisy, else you’re not going to get anything done! Try to pick a space that is away from the daily traffic and distractions in your home to optimize your productivity.
• Choose furnishings and equipment carefully: Ask yourself how much desk space you need, what your printing or equipment requirements are, if you’ll have to make it accessible for clients, and how much storage you’ll need. This depends a lot on the type of work you’re planning to do in your office and your own personal work habits. For example, some people just need a small desk where they can place a laptop, while others need to work with samples or on large project boards. While some people love their creative clutter and piles of research books or magazines, others need neat, organized storage in order to be productive. This will help you determine exactly what you need to buy for your space.
• Consider your tech needs: Tech is a big part of how we do business, from laptops and desktop computers with multiple monitors to printers and copiers. Each piece of tech will need a designated space in your home office, access to power and be easily accessible by you or anyone else working in your space. If you place your desk in the middle of your room, say facing the door with a beautiful bookcase behind it against the wall, then you’re going to need a safe way to run cables along the floor without becoming a tripping hazard. Take a look at wireless charging options for tablets and smartphones and try to avoid running cables along walkways or between you and your office door.
• Go bespoke: If you’ve got a good budget, it may be worth it to invest in bespoke units for your office that are custom made to suit your needs. For example, you can then decide how many shelves you need and their dimensions, as well as how many power points you want and their location, and even add in space for additional amenities like a bar fridge or coffee station.
• Think ergonomic: Whether you’re spending 6 hours a week or 60 hours a week in your home office, it’s absolutely critical that your desk and chair provide proper support. Ergonomic desks and chairs are adjustable and designed to support healthy posture, helping you be more productive while preventing back and neck pain, which can lead to lifelong health issues. It’s simply not worth it to buy these items on looks alone, but you’ll be impressed just how far this tech has come and are sure to find something stylish as well as supportive with a little research.
• Don’t forget lighting: Lighting is one of the most common complaints about commercial offices – it’s often overly bright or too dim, and artificial lighting has been strongly linked to migraines, headaches and dizziness in many people. Where possible, try bringing in as much natural light into your home office as you can, as this is the best possible lighting for preventing eyestrain and supporting productivity, as our brains react positively to it. If you’re working in lower light (especially in close range to a computer screen) try to install several levels of lighting so you can tailor it to your comfort. LED lighting is cost-efficient and combining it with a dimmer and a desk lamp is ideal.
• Make it personal: Dull, drab offices are terrible for productivity and make you dread coming in to work, as anyone who has worked in a cookie-cutter office environment will know. So, now’s the opportunity to make your office exactly how you’d like a dream office environment to be. Pick a color that’s fresh and uplifting, add art that highlights what inspires you or what you love in life, and pick textures and features that create a warm and welcoming feel. This will make you love being in your space, which is the key to productivity!

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