How to Design Your Own Office at Home
Perhaps when you think of designing and choosing your home office, it becomes a daunting task. You keep putting it off and keep working from the kitchen or dining table because it seems a little overwhelming, and “who has time for this”. But with a few tips and organization, this can be a very productive and efficient project and even fun.
Some of the important few things to consider when designing and choosing your home office are the following:
1 Location, Budget, and Style
Location - The room within your home, where you plan to set your home office, is key, given that you are looking for efficiency and comfort. Even if your place is small, try to find enough room to set your home office basics effectively, so you can work comfortably and proficiently for several hours each day.
Budget – This is also very important. You need to assess how much can you spend on your new home office. Also, what exactly are you going to need? If the budget is going to include equipment such as a computer or a tablet, accessories, and peripherals (printer, screen), etc., then you need to write down a list of your requirements, assign priorities starting with the most essential and work your way down to make sure you cover everything you need.
Style – Being on a budget does not mean your home office has to be awful.
Home office furniture and equipment come in a wide range of pricing, so with a little research you can find anything you want. But what kind of style do you like? Are you a minimalist or more traditional? Do you like
stand-up desks, L-shaped desks, children’s or writing desks? There are plenty of choices, but always keep in mind that you must be comfortable and efficient during your working hours. The style you love will make working from home much easier.
2 Never Sacrifice Form for Function
The purpose of your home office is to provide you with an environment that is conducive to working better. So, this must be the priority and no matter what you like, or what style of furniture you choose, functionality ought to be at the top of the list. Take enough time to determine what are your working requirements (for example: double screen, printer, etc.) and make sure you include everything you need to help you work at your best. Your goal is to create a truly functional home office.
3 Invest in a Great Chair
This may seem obvious, but many people skimp on their
office chair. They even use a regular dining chair to sit while they work. But this is an investment that is worth the money spent. Your back will thank you. With the wide range of
office chairs and the new technologies available, there is no excuse to have a crummy chair that does not work well for you. These comfortable office chairs come in many different styles and fabrics, but they all have one thing in common – they provide you with proper support for your back and allow you to adjust the chair to your liking. You need this proper support to prevent back strain and stress, so in the long run, this is one of the best investments you will ever make in your home office.
4 Use the Colors you Love
Once the functional portion is covered, you can focus on making yours a beautiful home office. You can bring in the colors by using accessories or painting the walls of your favorite color(s). You can also add natural elements like plants to add some life. To get inspired you can browse on the Internet or check Pinterest. Remember, the final goal is to make you comfortable and facilitate your work. An attractive and good-looking environment will achieve this objective and it should last for as long as you work there.
5 Give Yourself a View
If you have a window, set up the layout of your home office in such a way that you can face it. This is important, not only for the daylight but because working for long hours in closed environments can lead you to feel down and depressed. However, even if you do not have a window in your home office, try hanging a nice picture or photo that you can enjoy looking at while you are working. You can even get creative and create a collage of photos to look at. Something that brings you memories of great times or a vision board with all your wishes and dreams. The point is to give you something pleasant to look at, that will cheer you during your working hours.
6 Choose your Accessories Carefully
Home office accessories are an integral part of any plan. They can really help you to feel and work better, or they can just clutter your desk, making it difficult to get access to what you need. Do not over accessorize and make sure that everything that is there has a purpose. You can choose homey accessories, or modern high-tech ones, but if your desk is small, keep them to the minimum necessary, to give you plenty of room for your equipment and working papers.
7 Organize Vertically and Horizontally
Organization is the key to a functional home-working environment. To work efficiently at home, you must be able to find and get access to your working tools and files easily. Fortunately, there are several options for this purpose. For example, if you choose a desk from the
Executive Home Office you can decide how many drawers you need as part of your desk, and their dimensions. But even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can always use your walls and install shelving that will help you keep everything in place and easy to access.
8 Master or at least Know Your Technology
To have an efficient home office, your equipment must work properly and effectively. In this digital era, it is essential to have sufficient Internet access and adequate equipment. If you have a desktop, your network connections and installations must be done correctly. So, even if you are not a techy and you hire someone to do these installations for you, at least try to have a basic understanding of how things work in case you run into trouble in the future.
9 Let There be Light
Adequate lighting is a must in any home office. A light-filled space can boost mood and energy levels. It can also help your vision, because you do not force your eyes while working on the computer. So, home office lighting is an important consideration in the planning of any home office. If your room does not have good lighting, you can always add lamps, either standing or desk/table lamps that will brighten up the place. These can be part of your accessories, and another opportunity to enhance your home office.
10 Get Creative with Storage
Sometimes storage can be a little overwhelming, specially in small spaces. Even in this digital age, we still use some paper, although fortunately this is becoming less frequent every year. But there are still some files and other information, that require storage during a certain period. So, you must establish a filing system that will keep this information orderly and together. Once you have it organized, set it in order of importance. The information you require constantly, you can keep it your home office, in drawers or shelves. But the older or not so essential information, can be placed in bankers’ boxes and kept in the garage or storage room. The idea is to declutter so you can have more room and feel more relaxed when you are working.
We hope that our blog has been able to help you think about and deicide on what kind of Home Office you want, need, and can afford. There are many options for you that you should explore before committing to the layout you want. For more suggestions and other quality Home Office Furniture options, please contact our website at www.perfecthomeoffices.com
