5 tips on creating a home office that you'll love to work in
27 April 2020Home working is now the new norm for many of us due to the Coronavirus sweeping the nation. As the Prime Minister announced that Britons must stay at home and only undertake essential journeys, millions of us have had to adapt our living spaces, transforming a room or corner of our home into a productive working environment. No fuss will be needed for those who already work from home but for a lot of us, it will be strange and somewhat difficult to adapt! Here, we reveal our five top tips for creating your very own home office that you’ll love to work in:
1. Choose and clear your new workspace
Think carefully on where exactly you would like to place your new workstation within your home. For many of us, our homes are our sanctuaries so ensure that you set up your new office in a space which doesn’t impose on your relaxing, living environment. For example, try and avoid working in your bedroom. A bedroom should be kept as a place of rest and recuperation which you can find comfort in at the end of your working day. If you’re lucky enough to have a study, then this would be the obvious choice to set up in. Alternatively, you could use a corner in your spare bedroom or perhaps your kitchen. Wherever you choose, make sure that the room you work in is kept clean and tidy. A cluttered space is a cluttered mind!
2. Acquire the right equipment
It’s important to ensure that you have the right furniture and equipment in your home office, just like you would at work. Don’t be tempted to use that old wooden chair at the back of your cupboard that you only dig out when you have an extra person at the dinner table! A comfortable office chair is key to maintaining good posture whilst working from home. If you are looking at a computer, make sure that you adjust your chair so that the top of your screen is roughly at eye level. If you use a laptop, you may want to invest in a laptop stand to ensure that the screen is at the correct height. The NHS website have some more handy tips on how to set up your desk properly to avoid posture problems. Click here to read more.
3. Dress your desk
Some people may find it hard to stay motivated when working from home. After all, your home is a comforting place in which you look forward to returning to after a day at the office. To help you transition into work mode when you sit down at your new desk, try re-creating how your normal desk looks in your office. For example, use a mouse and keyboard as you would in the office, brighten up the desk by adding a house plant or two, keep a pen pot plus highlighters close to you and your files stacked up on your desk or in a nearby filing cabinet. Creating a professional environment can really help you stay motivated.
4. Light it up!
Good lighting is essential when creating a productive working environment. Many of us will be working in the daytime so make good use of the natural light. If it’s possible, consider stationing yourself close to a window so that you can benefit from the natural light which will relieve some eye strain, particularly if you stare at a computer screen all day. Being close to a window will also encourage you to take regular screen breaks to look out at the view. If you are more of a night owl and prefer to work in the evenings, ensure that you have a good quality desk lamp on hand to avoid tired eyes. The Architect’s Guide has rounded-up 25 of the best modern desk lamps here to get you started.
5. Stay organised with good storage solutions
If working at home is only a temporary measure for you, make sure that you have organised storage solutions such as a set of drawers or filing cabinets that you can keep important work documents in. This way, nothing will get lost amongst your personal possessions and when the time comes to head back to the office, you can easily pack up your drawers without leaving anything behind.
We hope you have found our top 5 tips useful when it comes to thinking about how to create your very own workspace at home. If you are in need of some more inspiration, some of our show homes across our sites include dressed studies. Our sites are currently closed in line with the Government advice, but you can take a virtual tour of the show homes at Gwallon Keas and Tarka View. Discover how we’ve decorated the studies from the comfort of your own home!
We’d love to see how you’ve decorated and set up your home office so send us a photo on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!
From us all at Devonshire Homes, stay safe and healthy and remember, we will return to normality in the future!