Decorate your home office like a professional interior designer in 5 steps.
For months now, the world of work has taken a big turn. Everyone in their own way and from their own perspective, but it's not the same. Surely many of you have had to deal with working from home.
And although this situation has been around for a long time, telecommuting seems to have arrived for many and it doesn't seem to be going away. That's why we're going to give you these 5 tips to help you decorate your home office.
September is the month when life gets back to normal, the summer vacations are over, we have recharged our energy and it's time to get back to normal day-to-day life. It is true that this year to speak of "normality" is rather abnormal, but in the face of new situations, we must adapt ourselves in the best possible way. Maybe you are one of those who have installed teleworking in your home and you have no choice but to adopt it, at least for a good season.
Well, we often talk about decorating trends, how to furnish a bedroom or those tips to make your home fashionable. And what about our workspaces? It is the occupation to which we dedicate more hours a day, so we have to put care and attention to the place where we develop our professional work, creating a relaxed, harmonious and good vibes so we can concentrate without worries.
This time, we are going to give you some tips on how to arrange your work space at home so that you can be totally effective. Remember that your mood will affect your tasks, the time you spend and how you feel. So if you want to start your workday in a good mood and with enthusiasm, it is essential that you design a work area accordingly.
LOCATE YOUR WORK AREA
The first thing is to define what your work area is going to be. Not everyone has the same amount of space. You may use a room at home as an office or, on the contrary, you may live in a smaller apartment and have to accommodate a corner of the living room or bedroom for your work functions. Whatever your choice, your workplace should be functional and comfortable.
Try that the area does not stand out above the rest, that is, once your day is over, it will not be a source of stress and you can enjoy doing other private and family tasks totally disconnected from your work. In addition, it is important that you create a design with a style and colors similar to the rest of the space.
Always choose the right office furniture. Essential requirement. Make sure the desk has the appropriate measurements for your tasks, both the height and the surface of the tabletop. And although your physiotherapist will be grateful to have a job, if you don't want to suffer from back or lumbar pain, get a comfortable chair, preferably ergonomic, with armrests and adjustable height.
Keep in mind that you are going to spend many hours sitting on it and you must adopt a good position, which in addition to affecting your body will also favor your performance. Many furniture brands are up to date and you have an infinite number of options to choose the furniture kit that best suits your taste and style.
Even for the smallest corners, there are folding desks with a lot of personality. If you must share space with the rest of the family, we advise you to separate the area with a decorative screen or a separating shelf that you can move easily and help you to isolate yourself while you work.
Regarding the distribution, it will depend on the size and shape of the room, but it is best to place the desk towards the door, so you will clear your surroundings and avoid distractions, and make sure you have a window on one side to provide indirect natural light. If you need to make a videoconference, try not to have decorative elements that may distract the attention of the interlocutor. Keep a clean and neutral image behind you.
GOOD LIGHTING
Another aspect to keep in mind when designing your teleworking area is lighting. Working with a balanced light is essential for our work and personal performance. As we have already mentioned, natural light is the main focus of illumination that should predominate.
Sunlight will energize you and make you more productive. Try to avoid direct sunlight, though, as it can cause reflections or darken the screen. But we must not forget to reinforce it with artificial lighting. As you know, today there are designer lamps that, in addition to fulfilling their function, add personality and character to the aesthetics of your workplace.
Preferably, we recommend table lamps that offer more suitable ambient lighting for desks or work tables than overhead lights. Position the lamp on the side opposite your writing arm so as not to cause shadows.
Although it is a more personal aspect, fluorescent light tends to harm us emotionally, so it is preferable to opt for warmer lighting that is also more welcoming that you get with LED lights, one of the most used technologies in the best lamp designs.
NO DISTRACTIONS
What you value most when creating your workspace is the functionality and concentration that the area provides for productive work.
So if you want to achieve it, you just have to remove any distraction from your reach. It is easier to achieve this if you have a room exclusively for you and do not have to share with anyone. But nothing is impossible.
You must take into account your character, how you develop your work and the needs that this entails. It is not the same to sit for several hours in front of a computer to concentrate 100% to need space to move if you are a more active person. So come up with a design that helps inspire you and is visually appealing and comfortable.
Keep everything you need close by. Avoid having to go up and down to look for different things that will only cause a waste of time.
Consistency is one of the best tools to make your mind work, if we continuously distract it, you will decrease your production, you will not achieve your goals and you will feel much more exhausted.
If one of these distractions comes from other members of the household with whom, inevitably, you have to share space, a good option is to listen to relaxing music to isolate yourself.
BEING TIDY DOES MATTER
Tidiness and organization may not be your strong suit, but if you don't want to go crazy you should keep your workspace tidy and visually clean.
Earlier we mentioned the importance of keeping everything you need close by. Therefore, one of the keys is to include a storage area where you can keep in an organized way any documentation, electronic devices or professional tools without having them piled up on your desk.
You can opt for standing shelves with different shelves next to the desk or, if you do not have enough space, you can place shelves or hooks on the wall. Nowadays there are also decorative boxes and other accessories, such as magazine racks, which are a good alternative for small or shared spaces.
Remember that keeping the environment clean and tidy not only promotes concentration and productivity, but also a good mood. In interior design, the organization, distribution and cleanliness of the space is a relevant factor that we must take into account when creating the design.
If you add to this that it will be the space where you will spend more hours of the day, you should take it into account much more. In addition, if you make recordings or videoconferences, you will transmit much more positive emotions if you keep the environment well cared for.
COLORS and DECORATIVE DETAILS
Finally, if we bring you these tips is not for free. We know how important small details are in any interior design.
So, set your own style. Feel comfortable with the space. It is true that we are not used to design our own workplace, especially if we work in a large office or company. But you can see it as a great opportunity to create a corner with your personality.
Choose neutral and light colors, such as pastels, which bring balance and promote emotional health. In addition, as you know, these shades help to create a visually wider environment, which will not cause you to feel overwhelmed and you will work more relaxed than if you apply more strident colors.
You can also add candles or air fresheners that provide pleasant aromas to the space.
Although sometimes smells go unnoticed at the design level, it is important to take them into account especially if we want to promote emotions or a particular mood, such as concentration or anti-stress, in the case of teleworking. Scent the environment with citrus scents, such as lemon or grapefruit, or natural scents, such as thyme or basil.
And if you want to show your passion for interior design, it's time to add personal touches with decor and accessories. You can add more vibrant notes of color with some decorative objects as well as plants, which are one of the best options to keep the workspace active, relaxed and, at the same time, oxygenated.
It's also a good time to customize your own furniture or renovate old furniture. If you like to take risks, maybe opt for wallpaper for one of the walls or add a picture or a motivational poster.
We know that these are uncertain times, in which we have to adapt to new situations and one of them is this one.
Working from home can have its pros and cons, but if you want to weigh the balance towards the benefits, what better solution than to start by designing your own space. Your tastes and your personality. Your work area should invite you to never leave. It should give you a good feeling, transmit positivity and generate an overwhelming energy.
From Lobo Studio, we hope you found these tips useful to start creating the best home offices. And if you need it, do not hesitate to contact us, we will help you to design and visualize your space.
To see more inspirations proposed by the Lobo Studio team you can check out our Pinterest or you can see our portfolio.
