How to create a comfortable home office
For many people, working from home has become the norm, and having a well-designed and comfortable workspace will go a long way to being more effective and productive. Whether your home office is a spacious area, or a tiny cubicle tucked away in a quiet corner of your home, you will need a space that balances comfort and coziness with serviceability and practicality. Your home office should therefore be as welcoming as possible because this is where you will spend a great deal of time earning your income! Additionally, making your home awesome will benefit both your personal and working life spheres.
In this article, we teamed up with experts from job aggregator Jooble to take a closer look at some of the ways to add cozy touches to your home office to create a unique and comfortable personal workspace.
Choose a quiet spot
The first step to a comfortable home office is to place it away from typical household distractions. If you don’t live alone, there are definitely specific areas of your home where interruptions are less likely to occur. For example, children playing noisily nearby, a TV droning incessantly in the next room, or a clothes dryer rumbling constantly in the background will definitely make it harder to concentrate on your work. Silence is the key to productivity. So, it’s important to set up your home office in a calm, quiet area where interruptions are less likely to occur.
Choose the right colors
It’s a known fact that people react emotionally to certain colors in different ways. Choosing the correct color for your workspace can make the difference between being highly productive and constantly wanting to fall asleep. So, choose colors that make you feel comfortable and relaxed – without making you feel drowsy or lethargic! Generally, a home office should be decorated in bright, airy hues. If you want to use colors that will make you feel energized, go for fiery tones such as yellows, oranges, or reds. Natural shades such as blues, greens, off-whites, or earth tones also work well. Avoid dark or drab colors.
Professionals in the field of interior design pay great attention to the choice of the color of the room
Personalize your office by adding some fun decor
Having a home office gives you the freedom to set it up as you wish without worrying about your boss giving you the beady eye! Since you are your own boss at home, feel free to use your imagination and customize your workspace to your taste.
Go for a look that inspires and motivates you. It might be anything from wall art to motivational quotes, to a corkboard where you can attach notes and photographs, or other cute or personal items.
Here are some ideas to spice up your home office:
- Art prints are usually a great option;
- A work of art can be a nice background for those online meetings;
- Motivational sayings are always uplifting;
- Posters can be fun and brighten any space.
You could also think of adding a cozy floor rug. A well-chosen rug is frequently the final touch needed to complete the comfortable look in any home office.
You can also try to take the idea of design workspaces from existing options.
Pay attention to your lighting
There are two types of lighting to consider: natural light and artificial light.
Natural lighting
Getting plenty of natural light is important when it comes to designing a comfortable and practical home office. A study found that 40% of organizations using natural lighting as opposed to standard stark fluorescent lighting have seen their productivity increase by 3% and even up to as much as 40%! Furthermore, natural light simply feels more comfortable. Be sure to place your workstation near a window to get the benefit of as much natural light as possible during the day.
Artificial lighting
If you work after hours or your workspace has little or no access to natural light, then using artificial lighting correctly is important. Here, the key is to distribute a few energy-saving LED lights throughout your work area. Place them so that they softly illuminate the edges of your desk. Adding a desk lamp is also essential. Some desk lamps are really attractive and stylish and can add a chic decorative element to your workspace.
Give your space a natural feel by adding some plants
Potted plants can add a wonderfully natural and comfortable atmosphere to any room. Not only do green plants offer a splash of color to a room, but they can also make you feel cheerier and less stressed. Arrange one or two small succulents on your desk or a bookshelf, or consider adding some hanging plants suspended from the ceiling. There are some lovely boho macrame plant hangers that can add that extra creative flair.
Tip: choose plants that are low-maintenance and enhance air quality.
Invest in a comfortable ergonomic chair
If you’re working from home, it’s likely that you will be sitting down for the majority of your working hours. That’s why the importance of a well-designed chair with ergonomic support cannot be overstated. You may have your heart set on a stylish office chair that fits in perfectly with your trendy dĂ©cor, but a badly designed chair inevitably results in bad posture which can cause a wide range of symptoms such as chronic back pain, aching shoulders, a stiff neck, headaches, and general fatigue. When it comes to choosing an office chair, an ergonomic design with good back support cannot be stressed enough.
Set up a flexible workstation
Many studies are increasingly finding that prolonged sitting can be detrimental to your health. Standing instead of sitting while working is known to relieve lower back strain. This may explain why the younger workforce favors standing at their workstations. Standing desks are exactly what they sound like – tall desks where you can work while standing. Most of these desks are adjustable for height, allowing you to lower or raise them as necessary. Some of the more expensive models can also transition into a regular sit-down desk by using a straightforward mechanism. Your best bet is to design a flexible workspace that will allow you to quickly go from standing to sitting if you start to feel tired.
Avoid desk clutter
A home office can hardly feel or look comfortable – or inspire productivity – if your desk is cluttered. It can be daunting if, at the start of your workday, the first thing you notice is a mountain of paperwork scattered all over the place. You may unconsciously even want to stay away from this room, and it goes without saying that if you don’t actually want to work in your office, your productivity will suffer. When everything is tidy and ordered, it will feel much more comfortable and welcoming.
Organize your workspace in such a way that you have as many uncluttered work surfaces as possible. Get rid of everything you don’t need by having a place for everything (preferably out of sight) and have a proper file storage system in a filing cabinet if needed.
Conclusion
While working from home has its own unique challenges, the key is a well-designed, personal workspace away from typical household distractions. Creating a comfortable and quiet home office where you can focus and be productive will go a long way to making your work life easier.
By the way, if you work remotely from home, you can improve your team’s engagement with these virtual team building activities.
