How to Design Your Home Office

It’s becoming more and more common in this digital age for people to work from home. And even if you’re not doing it full time, chances are that you work from your laptop on the family room couch more often than you would like to admit.

It’s also becoming increasingly normal for women on maternity leave to ‘go back to work’ not long after birth in some capacity or other from the convenience of their home. So working out how to set up a home office that is conducive to productive, effective work is becoming more and more important when it comes to home design.

There are a few pointers you absolutely must consider if your home office is going to of any real use to you:

  • Location is the most important factor. You need to be comfortable, have enough space, have some natural light, and be out of the way of foot traffic and distractions. If it’s quiet and airy, so much the better. This should put to bed any notion that the tiny closet under the stairs is a viable option.
  • Be realistic about your workflow. If you have a lot of paperwork, files or samples, you need a system. This means shelving, drawers, or stackable storage. You must rule the space – not the other way around. Make sure everything you need is easily accessible, and that you will be able to easily complete everything you need to within the constraints of the room.
  • Choose a colour scheme that sets your soul alight. Chances are, your work is much more than ticking boxes on a page or something equally tedious. You need creativity, focus and energy to be the big features of this space, so forget the beige walls. Choose a colour you love for a feature wall, and build in the decor and furniture to complement it. Set yourself up for success by decorating the room to its best potential.
  • If you can swing it so that your desk faces a window, make it so. Being able to stretch your eyes, and look out at some interesting scenery can be the difference between being effective and going raving mad.

wrOnce you’ve got those down, your space should be a focused, quiet area where you are not disturbed. Set boundaries with family members and pets, and make sure that you enforce them. Productive work is a vital part of a fulfilled life and you should protect it ferociously.