The home office, for obvious reasons, has become a place where we spend a lot of our time, so it’s important to get it right.

Making your home office a place where you actively want to be might be a challenge, but here are some tips to help you make a space that works for you.

This blog post assumes that you have a room which is a dedicated office space. For multi-functional WFH spaces, check out my other blog post; making WFH work for you.

Plan the layout

The very first thing to pin down is the desk position - and it doesn’t have to go against a wall.

Try putting it in the middle of the room, facing towards the door (in Feng Shui this is known as a power position). This opens up the wall space for other things like art, shelves or bookcases.

In smaller rooms, try positioning it as close to a natural light source as possible. That might be looking out of the window or at a right angle to it. Careful with windows behind desks as this can cause glare on your screen, if you use a comptuer.

Pick the right desk

A good desk is everything, especially if you’re going to be sat at it for long periods of time.

I would always say that size is the most important thing for a desk, over aesthetics. Think about what you do while you work - do you need to look at lots of paper and files? Do you need to write notes while also using a screen? Is there any equipment that needs to sit on it - printers, paper files or tools?

Once you’ve figured that out, it should guide you on the width and depth of your desk.

Hide the clutter

Functional storage is important in home offices, because we want to minimise any distracting clutter (who wants to sit amongst a mess of pens and papers?).

Floor standing furniture like sideboards and drawers can hide bulky items, and smaller accessories can be stored on the desk in holders.

Mount shelves above or behind the desk for a mix of aesthetic decorative items or plants, as well as anything else which needs to be at arms reach.

Decorate the walls

When it comes to choosing a colour, think about how you want to feel in the office.

If you want to feel calm and focussed, blue and green are great colours for calming and de-stressing. If you want to feel creative and energised, bolder colours like orange or yellow are known to inspire creativity and imagination.

If you want to feel sophisticated and professional then adding panelling and traditional details would give a formal nod to the room. If you want to feel happy and inspired, then a playful wallpaper might create a fun atmosphere for you.

Consider your background

If you’re on Zoom calls all day then you’ll want to think about what’s behind you - you’ll probably want it to look tidy and somewhat professional.

A bookcase behind you is a great option, as is some simple framed art, a picture ledge, or some styled shelves.

Add plants

Finally, adding plants to your office space is a no-brainer. Not only does adding plants make a space more pleasant to be in, but they are proven to clean the air, reduce stress and increase positivity.

Image credits: Unsplash

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