There is something quite peaceful and efficient about working from home — you waste no time commuting, you can have complete control of your surroundings and best of all, you’re already in your own personal comfort zone.
Understandably, working from home can sometimes be rather daunting, yet you can make it an exciting venture as you can design your own office however you like from scratch; think of all the inspiring possibilities!
If working at home is something that you are intrigued by, then before reading any further, you must be prepared to create a space entirely your own; a room that is a connection to yourself. The perfect home office should allow you to switch on your creativity and let it flow. Now, if you can achieve this, then you will be able to maintain focus and motivation in order to continue producing high-quality work that you will be ultimately proud of.
In order to help you create your perfect home office, we have assembled some of our most important advice so that you can begin designing your dream productive space.
1. Investing in the best equipment
Investing in the right equipment is incredibly important when designing your dream office space. Remember the essentials: a desk, a high-quality computer, a comfortable chair that can provide back support, a printer, a telephone and fast internet connection. Wherever you choose to have your office, you should make sure that you have enough space for both yourself and these items. For us, the most important requirement to make an office perfect is to find the perfect desk; one that is easy to manoeuvre around without any hassle. For this reason, we as well as SmartHomeDesk.com recommend the ProPlus 36 from Varidesk.
Their best selling product simplifies your workspace by adapting itself to your needs and improving any desk you own. By turning ‘any desk into a standing desk’, the Varidesk ProPlus series was specifically designed to go from a sitting position to standing without any need of assembly and will work with your existing furniture. With a height-adjustable solution, the ProPlus 36 comes in either black or white, allowing it to match well with your surroundings, and in a variety of sizes.
As Varidesk aims to simplify your life, the ProPlus 36 will not require any complicated instructions; just add your monitors, keyboard and mouse and you will be ready to start working. Arriving fully-assembled and ready to settle on your desk, this will be the perfect addition to your home office, and at a cost of just £365, it will definitely be worth the splurge.
2. The importance of colour
Selecting the perfect colour for your office is more important than you think. For a long time, interior designers and artists have believed in the psychology of colour; colours can dramatically affect your mood, feelings and emotions. Choosing the right hue for you can help determine how productive or inspired you to feel when working, which makes this a very important choice to consider when creating your perfect working space.
Gail Kinman, an occupational health specialist, explained how “colour can impact on people’s arousal in terms of their level of activity and feelings of calmness”. Certain colours are known to evoke more emotions than others. For example, tones of blue can help relax your mind and bring peace to your surroundings, whereas shades of purple have been proven by studies to stimulate your imagination; an ideal colour perhaps?
Seen as a dominant natural tone, greens are considered neutral. Evoking a sense of freshness, this tone can aid in perfecting your concentration and allow you to focus appropriately. Other neutral tones, such as white, grey or tan are also seen as non-distracting colours and can easily be combined with accent colours in order to balance them out. If you would rather add hints of green without decorating your walls, then invest in some plants to improve your surroundings by adding some life and cleaning the air.
Although these colours are known to have their own effects on your mental activity, this will be your own space, and as mentioned before, this needs to be a connection of who you are so that you can get the best results. Trust your intuition.
3. In nature we trust
As previously mentioned, plants are an excellent way of quickly improving your surroundings, relaxing your mind and creating a more engaging space. Studies have shown that houseplants offer significant benefits for your personal health and mental wellbeing, leading to an increase in productivity.
You don’t have to have a forest in your office, but consider having at least one to improve your air quality and allow you to indulge in the numerous benefits of being a plant owner. Introduce a small bromeliad to add a hint of colour, Chinese evergreen or a peace lily to remove toxins from the air. Investing in these easy-to-care plants will be a simpler and cheaper way to quickly bring inspiration to your office, whilst creating your own miniature Eden.
4. Find your way to better lighting
Lighting can make all the difference when designing the perfect home office as it can increase your mood and most importantly, your motivation. For these reasons, if it’s possible, try to position your office space near a window in order to allow the natural light to flood in. If your desk happens to be placed in a spot where you’re a victim of screen glare or the sun is beaming in your eyes, then purchase a Venetian blind to block this annoyance, whilst still allowing the light to shine through.
Purchasing artificial lighting is also a crucial choice, considering that you may be working in the evenings and in darker months of the year. Use overhead lighting to brighten up your office, then add task lightings, such as an angled lamp for your desk, and floor lamps which can give you a concentrated brightness to your workspace.
5. They say less is more
Do you remember the saying “a place for everything and everything in its place”? Although this statement is true, this will entirely depend on your personal preference. Choosing to decorate with several pieces of art and objects can be rather distracting and lead to a decline in productivity, as studies have suggested. In order to truly focus and complete your work without any distractions, there needs to be a clutter-free-zone; simply remove all the unnecessary disruptions.
As the interior designer, Cathy Phillips recommends, “having everything in its place, and furniture arranged in a pleasing and practical way will make for a calming environment”. Aim to maintain a minimalist style which will allow you to preserve your focus solely on the task at hand, whilst also optimising your space.
We recommend organising yourself so that you are free of mess and procrastination. Invest in some filing cabinets and smart storage solutions to free up your desk space. Solutions do not have to be expensive as there are simpler ways to organise, such as using a glass jar to hold your pens. Be as creative as you want when it comes to organising your office and have fun with it; remember, do what you want with your own space.
Meanwhile, you can always find the best products online from the likes of Bydiscountcodes.co.uk – who work with all the top retailers to ensure you can design and build your perfect home office this year.
