With the advent of remote work comes the need to create your home office. An effective home office design can maximize the benefits of working remotely. However, designing a home office can be challenging if you don’t know how to put things together based on what you need and want.
6 Home Office Design Tips for Comfort and Productivity
Building a conducive environment for focused work at home doesn’t have to cost much. Check out the tips below to guide you on developing a home office you’ll love working in.
1. Pick a location that works for you
Any part of your house can be a home office based on how you want it and how much space you need. In most cases, it’s a matter of working with the available space you already have at home.
Nevertheless, consider factors that make you comfortable and the most productive. Notice the outside environment, too.
Is your home office area prone to having many people in the background? Are you okay with all these constant movements in your peripheral and noises in your environment? Or would you prefer a quiet corner as farthest as you can be from anybody?
You should also consider your proximity to essential parts of your house, such as the bathroom, kitchen, or a couch where you can take a power nap. All these elements make up an excellent location for your home office. Once you have that identified, it’s time to start planning what to do with the space.
2. Ensure enough access to light
Studies reported that people working near a window where natural light streamed in helped to decrease eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision symptoms by up to 84%. Natural light can make your home office more spacious, airy, and warm. In addition, you consume less power during the daytime with enough light to illuminate your space.
Therefore, it helps to organize furniture, such as your work table, to face or be beside a window, allowing you to receive enough outdoor light. It will also give you an outdoor view of nature to help your mind relax between work.
If minimal light enters your office space, you can use mirrors or reflecting surfaces to spread the light into the room. You may also use thin, see-through curtains not to disrupt the light and airflow. An overhead ceiling light is another excellent option for general lighting at night. Pair this with a desk light to eliminate overhead shadows in your work area.
Feel free to experiment with the lighting in your home office. Of course, avoid anything too dramatic or distracting. You still want your entire space to be cozy and not too straining to your eyes.
3. Choose ergonomic equipment
Ergonomic desks and chairs exist to provide comfort for workers like you, who spend hours every day sitting at a desk. Your work desk should be wide enough to hold all the equipment you need for work and additional items you may use that need to be just a reach away.
An ideal desk is around 60″ (150cm) wide. Of course, you will always have the option to choose a more extensive one if necessary. When it comes to the height, around 28″ to 30″ (70-75cm) is a good range.
Ergonomic chairs were made to reduce back pain and provide comfort while you work, making you more productive. An adjustable chair is ideal, so you can customize your position and move around while still working.
4. Create storage and shelving
Many people tend to underappreciated the value of storage and shelving in their home office. They don’t realize how much it can affect your productivity.
When establishing storage spaces in your home office, consider all the files, materials, and equipment for storage and the space you need. You also need to be strategic on the location of where you store these items based on your workflow and how often you need them.
For instance, place a box on either side of your desk for incoming and outgoing mail and paperwork. You can also park reference materials you constantly use, such as manuals and catalogs, on a shelf near you. This way, you have access to all your essentials while you work.
If your desk has drawers, use them to store your detachable or wireless keyboard, mouse, or other gadgets you need regularly. This practice can keep your space neat, ideal for productive work sessions.
5. Organize your wires
Working with equipment comes with the distracting sight of wires snaking on your floor, walls, and desk. When operating in a home office, the last thing you might want to see is the sight of messy wires or any other visual distraction that takes you out of focus from work.
As small of a view as this can be, it can constantly get you out of focus, feeling the need to fix and organize them. Of course, there are ways to improve and manage this visual clutter, such as:
- Using wireless gadgets or a wireless router to reduce your wires and cords
- Attaching your wires to a cord organizer that grips them all together for a tidier look
- Hiding your cables and wires behind your monitor and desk or through the legs of your desks
6. Personalize your space
Your home office is, after all, still a part of your home. Therefore, maximize the freedom to personalize the space, make it cozier, and feel more “you.”
When decorating your home office, you can either complement the design with the rest of your house or prepare an entirely new layout for the room. Choosing a light wall color or design is a good start. This choice will help make the room more spacious and reflect light around.
Place art pieces and personal items that inspire you. Art pieces, such as paintings, are a great way to compensate for the lack of view. Organize furniture and accessories to complement each other to make your space more relaxing and not overwhelming.
The rule of thumb is to keep everything soft and subdued while placing statement pieces that hint at your personality here and there.
A Great Home Office Makes a Productive Remote Worker
Remote work can be an advantage when you know how to maximize its benefits for your favor. A well-designed home office ensures you get the comfort of working from home while also staying productive at your job.
Punit