Remote working is here to say. By 2025, it's estimated that more than 36 million Americans will be working from home permanently. If you're serious about nailing the 9-5 without ever having to leave your front door, you'll need a dedicated home office space to work from. Need some inspiration? Below are 10 design tips to help you transform an unloved corner into a first-rate home office.
1. Start By Picking A Suitable Space
Before you start ordering furniture or putting together mood boards, you'll need to pick out a designated space to transform into your home office. If your household is a busy one, you'll need to think about keeping the distractions of daily life at bay. You'll need a space set apart from the most active parts of your home, preferably with a door that you can keep firmly shut until clocking off for the day. A spare bedroom is ideal, although an unloved alcove can easily be transformed into a serviceable home office.
2. Short On Space?
Just because your home is short on space, doesn't mean you have to cancel your home office plans. If you own your own home, you can think about installing a partition wall to transform a second bedroom into two distinct spaces. Do you rent? Paneled room dividers and open shelving units provide a flexible partitioning alternative.
3. What Does Your Work Entail?
It's easy to get carried away when designing a home office, but you should rein in the urge to overfill your space with surplus furnishings and office equipment. Many of us can get by with little more than a compact desk and a laptop, so start small and go from there. You'll want to introduce some organization straight off the bat, so think about what kind of storage solutions you can integrate into your office. Once the bare bones of your office are in place, you can start thinking about aesthetic upgrades and finishing touches.
4. Breathe Life Into Your Home Office With Plants
Plants are an essential part of any stimulating work environment. In addition to improving air quality and inducing a sense of well-being, plants can also provide you with some much-needed indoor scenery if your home office is lacking a window with a decent view. You can keep things simple with low-maintenance potted plants and succulents, or get creative with an eye-catching terrarium.
5. Illuminate Your Home Office Interiors
If you want to promote creativity and ensure a productive day, you'll want a well-lit interior. Exposure to natural light is incredibly important, especially if you plan on working long hours. If your windows are on the small side, consider moving your desk closer to them to increase your UV exposure. You'll also need adequate interior lighting to brighten up your work environment. A desk lamp is a must, although overhead ceiling fixtures and free-standing floor lamps are also worth considering.
6. Get Creative With Color
If you plan on redecorating your new home office, you need to think very carefully about color. If you want to keep things neutral, go for off-white shades or balanced green hues. Looking for something more stimulating? A vibrant red might be the way to go. Whatever color you go for, make sure you avoid darker shades as these can absorb light, leaving your interiors feeling gloomy and drab.
7. Essential Office Furniture
If you need to purchase new furniture for your office, reserve the bulk of your budget for a quality desk and chair. If you're dealing with a smaller room, pick a desk with drawers and integrated storage to save you having to make space for vertical shelving and cabinets. If you have a bigger room, you might want to think about investing in a standing desk. This will keep you more active during the day and help alleviate things like lumbar pain. When it comes to seating, it's worth spending a premium on an ergonomic chair.
8. Don't Forget The Tech
If you're designing a home office from scratch, it can be tempting to go all-in and splurge on new technology. If your current laptop has seen better days, it's certainly wise to consider an upgrade. However, you don't necessarily need to go for a brand new model. Refurbished laptops and refurbished desktops are incredibly affordable, with many pre-loved devices performing just as well as brand new ones. Choosing refurbished devices not only makes sense financially but also makes for a far eco-friendlier investment.
9. Add Some Personal Touches
Now your office is taking shape, you can start personalizing your space with personal touches. Add some character to underutilized wall space with framed prints and hanging artwork. Break up busy shelving with trailing plants and punches of color. If you've opted for a fairly neutral color scheme, this is your chance to break up the monotony with hits of pattern, color, and texture.
10. Outdoor Offices And Garden Buildings
Robust sheds and garden buildings can be transformed into first-rate offices with relatively little investment. Cladding interiors and installing insulation will help lock in heat during the colder months, while a connection to your mains power supply is a must. If budget is no option, you'll find many ready-made garden offices available from specialist suppliers. Provided you restrict the use of your garden buildings to work, you usually won't need to secure any planning permission to install one.
Author Bio: This article was written by Eloise Tobler of Wisetek Store. Wisetek Store was created to give our customers access to high quality, reliable and affordable refurbished laptops.
