Making Home Office Design Easy
The perfect home office can make our working days a breeze – keeping us focused, positive, and comfortable throughout all our work projects. However, this isn’t always easy – between changes in working patterns, keeping home and work life separate, or perhaps even sharing your workspace with other family members, there is a lot to consider when creating your perfect home office.
In fact, having the best design hacks for making the most of space, creating storage that works for you – and most importantly, creating a space that inspires and uplifts you – are crucial when transforming a home office. That said, there’s an awful lot of advice out there and it can feel overwhelming!
Don’t worry – we've pulled together the best design hacks to help you transform your home office with absolute ease. Let’s see how these pointers can change up your workspace.
Our Top Design Hacks:
Get An Overview Of Your Needs
First things first – get an overview. How you’re using your space and how you need to use your space could be quite out of balance. Ask yourself what you need from your office space, and work from there. Practicality and functionality are of vital importance here before you think about colour palette of accessories.
If storage is a priority for you, make sure you're looking for desks with built-in drawers and clever storage solutions. Make the most of wall and corner space. If you can, strip back to the essentials and work up to save confusion.
Divide and Conquer To Make The Most of Space
Space is one of the biggest issues when it comes to home office space – but if you’re struggling to make things fit, there are options to make it work. Try out a room divider, curtain, or screen to separate off a section of one of your larger spaces or a corner within a hallway or landing to create a private office.
Dividing space in this way not only helps keeps home and work separate physically, but also allows you to prepare for a day of focus and productivity as soon as you step into your office.
Focus on Colour
Once you have the layout sorted, it’s time to look at the colour palette for your workspace. Colour can not only make a room feel larger or brighter, but also have a direct impact on our mood. A strong blue, for instance, has been found to promote calm and clear thought, whilst softer blues help calm the mind and aid concentration. Bolder shades of yellow and orange can spark focus, creativity, and energy. Lighter colours can make a space feel larger, while pops of colour in décor, furnishings, or a small feature space can add a mood boosting lift without overtaking the space.
Incorporate Light
A well-lit workspace can help you stay fresh, focused, and productive throughout the day, and there are several ways to incorporate lighting to make the most of your office.
Ideally, your office should have access to plenty of natural daylight – working towards a large, bright window is always best for mood and focus. Mirrors, desk, and standing lamps can all help maximise light and brightness in your workspace, making the most of whatever office space you have available.
Create A Space for You
One of the great benefits of working from home is you can truly make your workspace yours - you can inject your personal style and personality around your desk as much as you like! Soft furnishing, chill out spaces, wall art, photos, and postcards can be spread around your office space to inspire you and boost your mood. Finding the balance between personal touches of décor and over cluttering can be a fine line – keeping things in order and finding a place for everything can help you manage this balance and feel relaxed and comfortable in your office, whilst maintaining focus and keeping an eye on progression of tasks and projects.
Using a noticeboard in your home office can help you keep track of important notes, visualise goals and achievements, and include décor that suits you – with the flexibility to change and move things as you need.
Bring The Outdoors In
Exploring the components of nature-focused design is being increasingly centered, as Terrapin explains; “Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being, and expedite healing...as the world population continues to urbanize, these qualities are ever more important.”
Many leading studies suggest that bringing nature and greenery into your offices can make us happier, healthier – and more productive. Having a view of natural scenes such as woodlands, oceans, or other views of the great outdoors – whether in real life or through art, wallpapers, or bringing physical plants in our home office spaces – can make a real difference. Perhaps you even have space for an indoor herb garden or bonsai tree?!
