It’s September, the Summer is over and the kids are back to school to start a new year. Let’s take inspiration from that and put our dreams into reality for an inspiring home office that instantly helps us work harder! Whether you are looking for that perfect office space so that you can start to work from home or it’s time to revamp and re-energize your current home office, these tips will help make a productive, calming and organised space.
Where to create your home office?
The first thing to consider is where to create your home office? Where do you have space? If you have a room dedicated for this reason, then great! But, more often than not, we need to fit our home office space into other rooms. If this is the case, you need to think efficiently. If your space is small, make sure you think carefully about how to arrange everything so that you can work comfortably in a small area.
You’ll need to be flexible and try and find furniture and storage that can be used for multiple things. For example, if you want comfy seating in your office but still need the space for guests, consider buying a sofa bed.
Home Office Decluttering
I know we talk about this a lot but decluttering is so important in a home office! It is simply harder to work in a cluttered space. In order to keep your home office free of clutter, you’ll need to invest in some clever storage. As they say ‘ a place for everything and everything in its place’.
A simple tip for home office storage is when buying box files and other office storage, buy them all the same colour. This creates a calming, ordered effect which is essential to your home office environment.
You can also ‘hide’ some of your office equipment with clever storage. With a slide-out cupboard, you can keep your printer behind closed doors while also easily accessible.
Home Office Colour Choices
Speaking of colour, colour in your working environment is incredibly important. Different colours evoke different emotions, so think about what the colours around you mean to you. Blue is calming, yellow reflects your emotions, green is creative and soothing and red is energising. How do you want to feel in your workspace?
Home Office Feng Shui
Feng Shui will also help with creating the right mood in your home office. The simplest Feng Shui addition is to have air-purifying plants in your office which also helps the place feel more ‘alive’. In Feng Shui it is important to have good ‘backing’ which means to have the space behind you give you strength and energy. A strong wall colour or artwork behind your chair makes for good feng shui backing. The position of your desk is also important. It’s common to place a desk against a wall but, if your space allows, we encourage you to position your desk so that it looks over the room in a feng shui commanding position.
Home Office Lighting
Lighting again is something we often talk about and it is equally, if not more, important in your home office. To work effectively, productively and healthily, you need good task lighting and some ambient lighting too. You need to be able to see your work at all times of the day, but you also need soft lighting to create a nice atmosphere around you. This balance between strong task lighting and ambient mood lighting can be achieved with a collection of lamps and dimmers.
A lovely desk lamp can make all the difference. In our last blog, we talked about vintage and retro styling. How about creating your own unique style with a retro table lamp?
Home Office Essentials
When it comes to your home office essentials – the details after the desk and chair – be creative and think differently. You may mostly use a computer, but try to add in some other ways to strategise, brainstorm and create. Paint a chalk wall for your notes. Set up an art easel and attach a pinboard to that. If you have the space, then give yourself room to move around and work and think other than the desk.
Home Office Decor
A rug will help buffer the sounds of working in your home office, the noise of the printer or computer. A rug will also bring everything together and ground the furniture.
Don’t forget the soft furnishings in your office, this will add texture, depth and comfort to your space. Choose fabrics and colours that bring you joy.
We hope these simple tips have given you some food for thought when it comes to your home office.
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