With businesses offering a greater level of autonomy and flexibility to their workers than ever before, as well as millions who are registered as self-employed, many of us will have office spaces in our homes. These spaces are vital to our productivity, and we have therefore put some of our favourite design ideas together in order to make your home office a hotbed of efficiency.
Nail the basics
When designing a home office, it can be easy to get caught up in the design aesthetic first and foremost, but the basics of a suitable desk and comfortable chair are not to be overlooked. These two pieces of equipment could make your working-from-home bleak or blissful, so take the time to choose wisely. When choosing your seat, ensure that the height and lumbar can be fully adjusted; your thighs should be at a right angle to the floor and your feet totally flat to provide the most ergonomic seating position.
Don’t neglect storage
The old adage of ‘tidy space, tidy mind’ is prevalent for a reason – we tend to work best when we’re in comfortable, organised spaces. It’s easy to forget that a home office will need to have masses of storage in order to store your working documents, as well as any accoutrements you need on a day-to-day basis. When planning your home office, incorporate space for storage which includes shelving, cupboards and filing cabinets.
Plan for success
When redesigning any room, making a floorplan and laying out how the area to be renovated will be utilised is key, and this remains true for home offices. Consider how the space will be used; for example, will you be having customers or business partners visit your home office? If this is the case, you will have to consider extra seating, from a separate area to simply having chairs in the office which can be pulled up to your desk.
Create an oasis
Your home office should be a space that you want to visit; therefore, creating a pleasant and attractive room should be high on your priorities to encourage you to use it. Recent studies have suggested that using greenery in our workspaces can make us happier and improve cognitive functions, so adding plants or herbs in your office space are an easy method to incorporate some natural elements. In line with the greenery, keep the general feel of your home office light and airy by keeping walls and décor neutral, perhaps with one simple accent wall in a colour such as navy blue, which is supposed to help with concentration.