Creating Functional And Beautiful Home Offices
Nowadays, it’s commonplace to work from home. From entrepreneurs and craftspeople, to telecommuters and IT professionals, the rise in home workers means a home office is now a common feature. In fact, you don’t even need to work from home to make good use of a home office; a well-planned work space can make mundane tasks like banking, bill paying and filing a real pleasure.
The creation of your home office can present some challenges. Whilst it needs to be functional to aid productivity, it is still your home, so it needs to be stylish and reflect your design aesthetic.
Here are some tips and ideas to get the best of both – a beautiful and functional home office.
Fit For Purpose
The most important aspect of designing a home office is meeting the needs of your business, so it’s important to choose furniture and accessories that support your work. If you spend a lot of time sitting at your desk, it’s important to think about ergonomics when choose a good chair. A great resource for finding the right kind of furniture to meet your needs, Posturite offers advice and solutions. The key is to make sure you are comfortable as this will help lower the risk of repetitive strain injuries whilst working, such as eye strain and carpal tunnel.
Also, the size of your work area and your storage requirements will depend on your profession. For example, a seamstress will need table space for measuring and cutting fabric as well as suitable storage for bits like a dressmaker’s dummy and sewing machine. Lighting is important as well, and you may need to choose various types of lighting to properly illuminate your work. A desk light makes good task lighting, while vintage pendant lighting will add style and a warm glow.
Tight Spaces
Unless you have a spare room to dedicate to your home office, it’s likely you will need to be a little creative with your use of space. If you’re occupying space in a room that is used by the rest of the family, make sure your work area contributes to productivity. The use of specialty lighting like clip-on lamps and desk organisers will help your office sit in a tight corner, while the creative use of accessories will ensure the office fits into the room’s overall look. Just be sure to design in a way that promotes good work habits.
An Eye For Organisation
Some home businesses only need a computer and an Internet connection. But for others, such as artists and designers, there is usually a lot of “stuff” to accommodate in a home office. If space is a premium, use your available vertical space by installing floating shelves, a tall bookcase or striking wire shelves.
Clutter can make it hard to work, so avoid letting things pile up around your home office. Boxes, binders, filing systems and labels – there many ways to organise your home office. If you’re at a loss as to where to start with your clutter, there are plenty of experts ready to help. Berkshire-based Jo Cooke offers a number of home organising ideas at Tapioca Tidy, as does our article on storage tips for your home.
Efficiency And Colour
When choosing a colour scheme for your home office, the key is to avoid distraction. Most colours elicit responses in your brain, and that can be used to your advantage. Yellow has been known to boost energy; pale greens are known for serenity. The BBC recently produced a useful Design Tool for choosing the right colour for the rooms in your home, which is worth testing.
In your office, the influence of light is just as important as the colour choice. Try to use natural light as much as possible to avoid eye strain and the negative energy caused by a lack of light.
Dream A Little Dream
For many, being able to work from home is a dream come true. It may be your chance to create something wonderful, or it could represent a long-awaited break from the strain of the daily commute. Whichever it may be, your home office is a personal space that should reflect you. Pictures of your family, inspiring artwork, collectibles and antiques can all add a stylish and personal touch. Just be sure to surround yourself with things that will inspire you to work hard and reach your potential.
And try not to get distracted by the view.