The best guide to creating a stylish,beautiful,and functional office in your home.
Whether your home office is designated area for conducting a business,your remote workspace or simply a nook for paying bills and organizing your program,you deserve more than a metal desk and additional chair stuffed into a corner. Why? An office which reflects the design and comfort of the rest of your home is a place you’ll want to burn the midnight oil.
11 Tips for Designing an Office at Home
1. You’ll probably spend many hours at your home office,so don’t stiff yourself on distance (e.g. squishing a very small desk into a windowless closet to carry on the rarely-used guest room).
Also,consider traffic flow and your ability to withstand distractions. Do you work best in the thick of action,or should your office be tucked away in a quiet area? If clients will be stopping by,a private space with ample seating is a must.
2. Don’t Sacrifice Form for Function. Your desk,shelves and storage must serve you,not the other way around. Consider your workflow and what things you need at your fingertips before buying furniture,and then look for pieces that are both beautiful and functional.
Home office furniture should complement other rooms in your home rather than yelling”soulless cubicle.” If your home has traditional decor,warm wood and soft,comfy chairs or a loveseat are perfect if you’ve got the space. A contemporary home office can feature decorative pieces or modern metal furniture.
3. Invest in a Great Chair. You spend hours parked in your office chair; a gorgeous,ergonomically correct,comfortable seat is well worth every dime.
4. Forget”office beige”: You need a color that gets your work motor humming. For some folks,that’s a bright,cheery color like orange or lime green. Other people require a calming shade like botanical green or sea foam blue to carry out. Find out more about how specific colors can affect your mood.
5. Give Yourself a View. Position the desk where you can stare at something much more interesting than a blank wall (even if you do love the shade) when you glance up from the computer. A window’s natural light is perfect,but if you are in a windowless area,hang a pretty picture above the desk,or place your chair to face the door.
6. Unless you are going for a contemporary look,select extras that enhance the cozy feeling of your home office,such as a pretty mug for a pencil holder,trendy notepads and sticky notes,and a decorative waste basket. Wrap your bulletin board in a stunning fabric,and conceal utilitarian bookshelves behind drapes made from exactly the exact same material. Hang inspirational prints on the walls,whether that’s simply your children’ framed art or a classic painting.
7. Many home offices are not swimming in square footage,so using space efficiently is imperative.
Hang floating shelves on the walls to have papers and office equipment off the desk,and use vertical file folders on the desk to keep important papers within arm’s reach. If you tend to create piles,get a nice basket to tame your email,notes and papers. If you want a clean background,designate one drawer for your”to-do” papers. Wooden or metal block storage is an enjoyable alternative to bookshelves,since each space may be used for books,knickknacks or baskets of odds-and-ends.
8. Master Your Technology. There is not much you can do to beautify the computer,phone and printer,but you can conceal unsightly cords. Begin by making sure your gear is near outlets and easy to access if you need to unplug. Encase strings on the desk at a fabric cord cover,and feed the strings into a desk grommet,a plastic or metal cap which helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Tame the cord jungle on the floor with cable winders,tubing,or a cable organizer that’s connected to the desk and lifts the strings off the floor.
9. Here’s a bright idea: ensure that your office has lots of light to lower eye strain and headaches. Position the computer monitor so there’s no glare from a window or overhead lighting,and put a small lamp on the desk for task lighting.
10. Inspire Yourself. Set up a mini-shrine — a few cherished knickknacks,a piece of framed artwork,a special photo on your desk — which motivates one to make and/or get the job done so you can get out of there. A print of Paris can channel your inner muse,or a photo of your children might remind you that you are doing it all for them.
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Many people spend a lot of time sitting in an office furniture desk and working on their computers. High quality furniture can improve productivity and help workers avoid back pain and other possible health problems.