With more and more people working from home on a full- or part-time basis these days, home offices and studies are becoming regular fixtures the modern home. While the prospect of avoiding the peak hour traffic and long commutes might be exciting, an ineffective office design or set-up could have an adverse effect on productivity.
The optimal home office balances comfort, function and style. The space should enable you to tune out the daily goings on in the rest of the home and zone in on the task at hand. At the same time, it should be homely enough to keep you feeling cool, calm and collected no matter what the work day throws at you.
Usually, when creating a home office or workspace, homeowners make 3 major mistakes:
- Poor use of space
- Inadequate storage
- Inefficient equipment
These fundamental design details are often overlooked because there are a surprising number of factors to consider when setting up a home office. The best way to ensure that you design a home office that is functional for you is to take note of how you use your current workspace and use this as a starting point for your design. A few considerations to make are:
- What you’ll be using the space for – i.e. what kind of work you’ll be doing there
- Whether you’ll invite clients or colleagues into the space to collaborate
- When you’ll be doing the bulk of your work and what else is usually happening in the rest of your home during those hours
- How much privacy you’ll need for video calls or meetings
- If there will be more than one person using the space
Once you’ve thought about these factors, there are five areas you can concentrate on to design an effective home office.
Choosing a location
Your home office doesn’t need to be expansive, but it does need to be out of the way of the daily activities that go on in your household. This promotes a healthy work/life balance and allows you to relax at home when you’re not working. Differentiating your workspace from your home space also creates a sense that this area is “off limits” during working hours, preventing unnecessary interruptions and increasing your productivity.
If you’re lucky enough to have a spare bedroom that’s only used a few times a year, this would be a great place to set up shop. If you’re not keen on losing the option of having guests stay over, there are cabinetry solutions that can incorporate sleeper couches and similar furniture to create a multi-use room.
No spare room? No problem. A room divider will create a mental and physical barrier between work and home, and it can be multifunctional. Think about using a backless bookshelf or modular display case. The open selves ensure separation while still looking stylish. If space is tight, remember that designers recommend dedicating at least 150cm x 210cm to your working area to ensure you have enough space to fit a good sized desk and move your chair around.
Key points to remember: ensure there’s a barrier between work and home; dedicate at least 150cm x 210cm for a comfortably sized space
Lighting for your workspace
Closely related to location is lighting. Lighting is a crucial element in any space – especially if you’re going to be reading and writing there. If you can, choose a room that gets plenty of natural light during your working hours. A window is first prize, as it will also allow you to let fresh air into the space. But if your room has no windows, a skylight could be a good idea.
Where natural light isn’t an option, you’ll need a combination of good overhead and task lighting (lights that are used to light a particular work area). There are many daylight-replicating lamps and bulbs on the market that will reduce fatigue and the effect of white lights on the eyes. Dimmers are also a great idea to ensure the room is doused in the correct amount of light.
When it comes to task lighting, think of adding strip lights to bookshelves and cabinets (and perhaps even inside deep drawers) to ensure you don’t have to strain your eyes to find what you’re looking for. Used correctly, these additional light sources can add to the lighting scheme in your home office design and may mean that your overhead lights don’t need to be as harsh.
Key points to remember: natural light is best; if there’s no possibility of natural light, use a combination of overhead and task lights
Home office furniture
Take some time to think about how you’ll use your home office. This will give you an idea of the home office furniture you’ll need and will likely prevent you from buying unnecessary items that clutter the space.
As it’s likely to be the place where you spend the most time in your home office, a desk is the most important piece of furniture you’ll purchase. It’s essential that your desk has enough space for your laptop or desktop computer and all of your work-related items. Drawers are always a great idea, as they can be used to store items you use with some regularity while they’re not in use, helping to keep your desk uncluttered.
Bookshelves and other shelving options are integral in ensuring that you can easily access reference materials, catalogues and manuals, and have enough home office storage. Modular shelving gives the option of changing your home office as your needs change and can also add an interesting design element to the room. And, as we mentioned previously, if you’re not working in a separate room, shelves can be used as a space divider to lend some much-needed privacy to your space.
If you have the space, an additional desk chair or a couch can be great additions for those times when you invite clients or colleagues into your space to work collaboratively. Or perhaps if you prefer to sit on a comfortable couch during longer calls or video chats.
Key points to remember: invest in a good desk (consider a standing desk); ensure there’s ample shelving and storage space
Home office equipment & organisation
It’s important to think about what equipment you need and those things that you can live without. For example, if your job is mainly paperless and you print or photocopy documents only on the odd occasion, it’s probably not necessary to buy a large multi-functional printer. A quick trip to your local print shop when the need arises is probably a much better (and cheaper) option.
Depending on the size and location of your home office, as well as whether it has a window, you might need to consider heating or cooling options for your space. A desk fan and small gas heater might be perfect for temperature regulation in summer and winter respectively, or you might need to consider installing an air conditioner.
If you haven’t already, think of investing in a wireless hub or Wi-Fi. Having your laptop or desktop computer, printer or storage hard drives connect wirelessly will save you the hassle and tripping hazards caused by cables running across the floor.
Home office organisation is often only thought of after the design is complete, but having a well-organised office can have a huge positive effect on your productivity (it’s all too easy for important documents to go missing in a mess of paper). The rule of thumb when it comes to organising a home office is to keep everything you use on a daily basis within arm’s reach.
Again, sitting down and observing how you work should give you a better idea of how to organise your space. Do you generally place your to-do items of your left- or right-hand side? This would be a great place for your in-tray. Are there particular items of stationery that you use regularly? Place these in a holder on your desk and put the rest away in your drawer.
Key points to remember: avoid buying equipment that you won’t use on a regular basis; keep items you use on a daily basis within arm’s reach
Colour & materials
Both the materials used to create your home office furniture and the colours you choose can have a big impact on your mood and how you work while you’re in the space. So these are important points to consider when choosing paint and finishes.
Studies have shown that having wood in a workspace reduces stress levels and can improve creativity. Colours such as green and purple are also known to stimulate creativity and imagination while enhancing balance and encouraging focus. Neutrals like white, ivory and grey are great as they don’t distract and create a perfect blank canvas.
Of course, there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to colour and how you choose to decorate your home office is entirely up to your personal taste.
Key points to remember: wood is a great option for workspaces; neutral colours, greens and purples have been shown to aid creativity and concentration
Personalisation
The joy of a home office is that it isn’t your standard corporate cubicle. Here, you have the freedom to decorate as you choose.
Your space should be functional but still reflect your personality to ensure that you enjoy spending time there. Hang pictures on the wall or place awards or sentimental items on your shelves so that you have something interesting to gaze at when you need a pause from work.
Your home office should be a place you want to spend time and where that time is spent productively.
Key points to remember: make your space your own
The best place to start with designing a home office is a floor plan. You can try it yourself or get the experts from Select-a-Kitchen to create your dream space with a no-obligation quotation. Contact us today.
