One way to have a conducive home office is by adding floating shelves, which are great space makers you can use to hold small pieces of office equipment.
If you’re a telecommuter, remote worker, freelancer, or whatever else you call it, you’re lucky to be able to enjoy the perks of working from home, which can be both convenient and efficient if you can make your personal office space look, feel, and function like a real one.
The idea is for you to be able to step into working mode by having a dedicated space that’s yours alone and separate from every nook and cranny at home.
Looking for inspiration designing your home office? Take a cue from these tips:
1. Keep it private.
Drown out all the noise by putting physical boundaries between your working area and the rest of the house. If you can’t possibly install a door by your office, you could move your most prized bookcase from somewhere else and use it as a wall divider.
The bookshelf can also be a makeshift storage for all your files, records, or any other material that you regularly use for your work.
2. Go for function over form.
All the furniture you place into your work area should have a specific use instead of being there purely for aesthetic purposes. It’s no use picking an office desk that won’t let you hold your laptop or desktop and other essentials such as utility office trays if you need to organize your office items in one place.If you’re tempted to include trendy pieces in your private space, at least try to pick those that will match the overall appearance, theme, or atmosphere of the entire house. Your office’s layout should neither restrict nor extend your movement unnecessarily. Make sure the things you use often are within your easy reach.
3. Pay attention to ergonomics.
Since you’ll be spending a great deal of hours every day in your working space, you might as well be very careful in choosing which office chair or computer table to use.
The best office chairs are those that support your back and spine well so that you do not feel sore after a day’s work. Even the keyboard and mouse you use should be ergonomically shaped so that your hands fit perfectly on them.
4. Use good lighting.
You’d want to be able to work in a well-lit area, one that’s not too dark but not too bright either. The best source of white light is natural daylight, so you would do well to position your working space or table near the windows.
And since you’d still probably need a good amount of artificial light, you should look for lighting fixtures that let you control the brightness or dimness of your light source.
Don’t let glare get into your computer screens by not placing overhead lighting directly above them. A small desk lamp could help for task lighting, too.
5. Organize for vertical and horizontal space.
If you’re getting a rather limited home space converted into an office area, you should be able to maximize the space you have.
Floating shelves stacked against the walls are great space makers you can use to hold small pieces of office equipment so that they don’t take up extra floor space. Other must-have space savers include vertical file folders and book or magazine racks.
6. Consider a modular layout.
Your vision or your use for your home office could change over time, especially since you might get a new role with your company or get more clients to hire your services. Therefore, you should be ready to make room for such changes by being flexible with your office layout.
You should be able to move things around, so consider buying equipment or furniture that can run on wheels, and if you have to attach shelves to the walls, make sure they’re the removable type.
7. Don’t forget proper ventilation.
You can’t let yourself get stuck in a stuffy office, so make sure there’s enough air circulating in your work area. Open your office windows from time to time, and have an exhaust fan installed to keep your space free from unpleasant odors.
For an added touch of that fresh feeling, consider bringing in some plants, too.
8. Personalize it.
Nothing beats the feeling of working in a space that you feel really belongs to you where every piece has a personal meaning, so feel free to paint the walls with your favorite color or hang your favorite painting or art piece across your workstation.
If you’re a family-oriented person, then by all means, place the best photo you have of your loved ones on your desk. You could be as creative and artsy in designing your home office as long as it inspires you and helps you get your work done at the end of the day.
These are just a few of the many tips that you can do to have a conducive home office. Do you have any other tips? Share it with us below!
About the Author
Oscar Florea
Oscar is a content contributor for Avida’s Pursuit of Passion. He is an engineer by profession but he’s really a multipotentialite. Just like a normal dude in a basketball-crazy country, one of his passions is shooting hoops. Grant Hill is the older brother he never had.