Working from home, is your home office designed for what you need?
The pandemic has definitely changed the way companies and individuals think about traditional workspaces. Many now agree that working from home has some fantastic advantages, including the freedom to make your own work schedule and avoid the dreaded commute. In any workplace, emphasis is always put on productivity and working from home can be the perfect solution. That being said there are still some challenges that come with home working. For many the difficulty can be spending hours at a time in the same tiny space or struggling to separate the work environment with home life. In fact, you might be looking around your home office right now and wondering if it’s really conducive to the best work environment. Maybe it’s time to think about upgrading that important space?
What is needed to get that perfect home office space?
The focus these days should be on designers creating home offices that are more common and more comfortable! With that in mind it’s so important that your home work environment is exactly what you need. Your office should inspire creativity and allow you to get your work done in the best, most efficient way. To create this you’ll need to think about what best suits your individual work needs and personality. Here are a few important tips to get you started:
Plan your spot:
The location of your home office is really important.
Depending on your job you may need a private, quiet work space with minimal or zero distractions. If this is the case maybe you could consider a home office space in a garage or loft conversion. These spaces would obviously require more than a bit of paint or moving your desk. However, if you run your own business or work from home for the majority of the week maybe this is the time to invest in a separate working space.
Think about ways to separate your work life and home life. It’s really important to consider ways to maintain your work-life balance. Having a completely separate office and living space can help you maintain office hours and not let work take over the important down time or family time you need. Options like a summer house or an office in the garden could help with this.
Understandably not everyone will be able to add an entirely new office space. With this in mind, maybe being creative with an existing small space in your home might actually be the solution! Lots of people might never consider using a hallway or landing. These spaces are often considered wasted or unusable but could actually be the perfect place to create a small home office.
Design the interior:
Now you’ve chosen the perfect spot you’ll want to start thinking about the practicality of the interior.
Comfort. A key factor is to make the space comfortable. Just because you’re at home doesn’t necessarily mean you will be comfortable. In a traditional workspace a lot of planning and research goes into the most ergonmic way to work or the most efficient office furniture to purchase. So, before buying any furniture or designing the space do plenty of research. Maybe consider a new office chair or a floating desk to allow periods of standing. Even small changes could mean a big difference to your health and well-being.
Lighting. Think about ways to incorporate natural light in the space. Sitting near a source of natural light can dramatically improve your productivity. If you’re redesigning your home to allow for a new office space talk to your designer about locations that make the best use of natural light throughout the day.
Tidy Up. It might seem simple but it could make a big difference. Clutter in your work space can make it hard to concentrate and easy to get distracted. Good storage is a simple solution.
Add a personal touch. Apart from your bedroom this could be the room you spend the most amount of time in, so design it to fit your personality. Buy a few house plants, find a paint colour that you love and motivates you or have some art on the wall. Really anything that inspires you to work well and perform.
Ultimately the point is, it’s very important to make your home office a space that you really love! If you don’t, you could end up avoiding it, moving to a different room to work or slowing down in productivity. And nobody wants that!
Hopefully this article has got you thinking. If you’re now imagining a redesign to get that perfect office space, contact the team at Method Studio. They can help you get your home office project on the right track.