THE PERFECT HOME OFFICE

With so many of us working from home now, its’ nice to have a space that you actually enjoy being in. The walk to the home office certainly beats the daily commute, here are some simple ideas to make your chosen room look warm and inviting, a room where you want to spend more time in and a room where you can maximise your productivity.

First and foremost the selection of the room you want to work in is essential, choose a room that is bright and roomy. In my house, my husband and I share our formal dining room for a home office, we can even close off doors to the rest of the house if we need privacy and quiet. When our children were still at home, we all shared this space for work and homework, it was a communal work room, a dedicated home office. We found that our teenagers would naturally congregate there after school because we were there too. Everyone had a desk, everyone had their space and it worked well. Space is wonderful, no-one likes to be cramped in a tiny room for the majority of a day but if a small room is all you can manage there are a few things you can do to make it better. 

Make your home office a place that reflects you and your home. Now that our children have left, we have only two desks and I’ve made it a place I actually love. My back wall is painted in a beautiful mid, grey/green (great for zoom/team meeting backdrops), and I've accented that with a comfy chair to sit in and read if I want to, or of course for the cat to sleep on the whole day. A round rug, portrait of my daughter when she was little and a plant sets everything off. Be sure to clean your desk after work every night, pop some flowers or a candle in the room, artwork and paint colour can really change the mood too. 

If you have a room with natural light, you’re on a winner. There are so many homes however, where the office is stuck in a back, south facing bedroom, they’re cold and dark, not really a space anyone would feel inspired to remain in for long periods of time. Sometimes we are left with no other option except that back dark bedroom, but by investing in a few things like a skylight, or a beautiful lamp that casts the warmest welcoming glow you can change the mood dramatically. 

Invest in well built ergonomic furniture, it's amazing how this will change your life, not only will the furniture look good, but sitting for long periods will become a dream! Choose a style of furniture and run with it through your whole office, be sure it reflects the rest of your home in someway. Also have designated areas for stationary, documents and filing so your office doesn’t become a paper dumping ground, you want it to be a well loved room in your home. 

Enjoy your new office design, and of course if you need some assistance reach out at any time.