Thanks to the unprecedented situation of the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are working from home. Offices around the world closed their doors, and it became commonplace for people to work from the comfort of their own homes—often on the couch or sat at the kitchen table. As the world begins to creep back toward a semblance of normalcy, many offices are keeping their doors shut after the success of remote working. If you’re planning to work from home for the foreseeable future, you’ll want to make sure you have an effective home office space. Here is a simple, step-by-step guide to help you design one.
Step 1: Choose a Space
The first step is to choose the right space for your home office. Ideally, this would be a room to itself, as you’ll be less likely to be disturbed or distracted if you have a dedicated working space.
The perfect place for a home office would be a room with a window (natural light is good for productivity) and a door that can be closed. If that’s not possible, find a suitable alternative.
Step 2: Measure It Up
Before you get carried away with buying office furniture or decorations, you should carefully measure the room and figure out how large or small the furniture can be. Take careful measurements and make sure when you’re furniture shopping that the desk you’re looking at can actually fit in the room!
Step 3: Furnish the Room
Once you have your measurements, it’s time to buy furniture to equip your home office. The most important thing you’ll buy is probably the desk chair—make sure you buy a chair with good lumbar support. This is essential for long-term health and wellness!
Other important items of furniture or equipment are the desk (choose one with enough storage drawers if you work with a lot of papers!), and tech items, such as a monitor and a printer. Make sure your office has all the equipment you’ll need for productive work life.
Step 4: Control the Climate
Offices are notorious for never quite being the right temperature. Think back to your days working in an office; do you remember seeing some people wrapped in scarves because the air conditioning was too cold for them, while others were moaning that it was too hot?
Once you’re working from home full time, you won’t have to worry about this, as you can have complete control over the temperature and climate in your home office space.
Buy and install an air conditioning unit (why not buy refurbished? Visit PTAC4Less for more information), and you’ll be able to work from home without worrying about the temperature around you.
Step 5: Decorate!
The final step in designing a home office is to decorate it to your taste. Paint the walls a crisp, clean color (white or off-white are usually best to create a feeling of lightness), then add wall art or pictures of your family. You can also add a rug, a pair of drapes, lamps, and even houseplants—anything that makes you feel comfortable but that won’t be distracting.
Remember: it’s your space, so design it how you like!