Designing the Perfect Home Office

Sometimes working from home isn't as easy as we think. The atmosphere just isn't right, and something about being home makes the work more stressful to complete. Homes are a sanctuary to relax, but we also need the proper space to work. Here are some tips are tricks for making the perfect home office that will make working from home an amazing experience.

Separate it from Your Bedroom

While having your desk in the same room you relax in may seem like a great idea, it actually leads to a lack of productivity and trouble relaxing! Bedrooms, or wherever you relax most, should stay a room for relaxation, and shouldn't be tainted by time spent at your desk. Having your workspace in a different room makes it easier for you to separate the two mindsets and find both more fulfilling.

Ergonomic Furniture

Maximizing productivity is a must, so we recommend ergonomic furniture that will be comfortable for hours and decrease fatigue. This means chairs that roll across the floor easily and adjust to the perfect height, or desks that can be moved and tilted. Even something as small as whether or not your chair has armrests, or if your monitor can be moved, can make a huge difference in how comfortable you are when working for long periods of time.

Image taken from BluespaceInteriors.com

Embrace Nature

Working inside all day can be tiring and even affect your mental wellbeing, so we suggest bringing nature inside with you for that added boost in motivation and peace. This is as simple as decorating with some potted plants or even wide open windows letting the sunlight in. Did you know sunlight tells our minds to be awake and aware? It's important to remember that when you need to be productive.

Bring Life & Creativity

Some may think office spaces are a time for neutrality and clean organization, and while that may be true in some cases, it can also help to add some unique elements and colour to liven up the place. A boring workplace can lead to boredom while working, so add some unique decorations and personality. On a smaller budget, you can add painting, a unique accent wall, or fun curtains. If you're wanting to go all in on your design, you can add something like a reading nook or fun floating shelves. Anything that personally brings you joy and inspires you.

Be bold with Your Colour Choices

A modern, simplistic design may seem like the obvious answer for an in-home office, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it might work best for you to have a pop of something bright to liven up the space. You don't have to make something so colourful it looks like a child's room, but adding an accent colour can be exciting and beautiful. This can be something calming, like a cool blue or green, or something energetic, like orange. What colour is best depends on the mood you're looking for, so make sure you research beforehand and really consider what will work best for you.

Allow Enough Space

A small office works just fine in your average home, but going a little bigger can be beneficial. Larger open spaces are both modern and allow your mind to feel free. Not only should you have enough room for your desk, chair, and storage, but also some extra room for improved morale and increased creative thinking.

Additional Seating

You don't only want a single desk chair, but also some extra seating, such as a couch or a couple of small seats. If anyone will ever be visiting your home office like clients, co-workers, or even just family you live with, having somewhere for them to sit is always beneficial. Having additional seating also helps you! Feeling yourself in a creative rut or losing motivation, try switching to another seat for a new angle and a slight change of view to get your mind working again.

Remove All Distractions

Fun elements such a television may seem like a great idea to liven up your workspace, but in reality, it can lead to distraction. There's nothing wrong with easily being distracted; it happens to all of us, but it's best you try to remove these elements so you can have your best workflow with no interruptions. Even something as small as having a home phone (old-fashioned but effective) instead of your smart phone can give you a distraction free area to work. It's easy to lose yourself for hours in technology, so leave that behind for later.

Acoustic Privacy

Another important distraction to remove is unnecessary noise. Choosing a room with good acoustics can make working there a much more pleasant experience. Try to avoid rooms that have a lot of noise pollution from a busy road or even children, and instead pick somewhere you know will have a consistent quiet. If that's not possible, you can also invest in acoustic panels, many of which are aesthetic and reduce potential noise.

Task Lighting

Lighting is so important for increasing productivity and reducing eye strain. General lighting is of course important, but so is direct focused lighting that will properly illuminate where you're working. This is especially true if you decide on a , darker, more moody palette or colour-drenching, which is when you paint an entire room with one dominant colour.

Research

It may seem obvious, but remember to do your research before starting your home office project. Sometimes you may think you have it in the bag on your own, but everyone could use a little help in making the perfect space. Look at inspiration boards and reference images to see what others have done. You may find ideas you love but couldn't have thought of on your own. Make a mood board! Mood boards are both fun to put together and allow for better planning. Research gives you a far better chance at succeeding in making the perfect office space.

Hire a Professional

If this all seems a little overwhelming to do on your own with no help, you can always hire an interior design company! There are professionals trained in exactly helping you with making your dream interior space. They can take your ideas and make them a reality with a unique, elegant, and functional design.