Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a writer, or a freelance designer, there’s a multitude of reasons why you’d need a home office. While conventional offices restrict you in terms of space and design, you’re free to let your creativity run rampant when it comes to designing your own office space. Choose your own decor and equipment to curate the most productive space possible. And keep in mind, having your own home office doesn’t mean that you need a dedicated, separate space. Your home office can simply be a corner of another room. Whatever you decide, here are a few tips for creating the perfect home office:
Create a Mood Board
A mood board can do wonders for your planning process. Thanks to the many design apps and curation tools, there are several ways you can approach your mood board creation. You can go the old-school route and build a mood board using a classic cork board. Print out images that inspire you, or cut out images from a magazine and bring them all together to create the perfect collage.
Additionally, there are plenty of online tools that make it easy to create beautiful visual mood boards quickly. And let’s not forget about platforms like Pinterest, which are designed to allow users to curate all types of themes for inspirational usage. The more you start to browse the Web and look at magazines for inspiration, the better you’ll be able to come up with a design that you’re most happy with.
Paint the Perfect Color
Color can dramatically impact the mood of your home office, as well as the design. First and foremost, you want a color that matches the theme you’ve chosen and flows well with the rest of your decor.
It’s important that you choose your office colors carefully. Studies have shown that color can have psychological influence over you behavior and perception. The fact is, color evokes emotion, and those emotions are weaved into the fabric of your work life. Because of this, color psychology is even utilized as therapy. For instance, the color red is known to stimulate the body and mind, while orange can heal and increase energy levels.
You don’t have to stick to a plain color for your entire office. Instead, come up with a cool design or pattern. Get professional house painters to complete the job for you, as they can get it done quickly with high quality. If you don’t want to spend extra money on a custom pattern of design, let the professionals paint your main color, and invest in a low-cost decal that complements your color of choice.
Bring the Nature In
Create a peaceful oasis in your home office by bringing nature indoors. Plants can not only enhance the visual appeal of your office, but can have some psychological benefits, too. In fact, some studies have shown that plants are directly linked to happiness and creativity. A psychologist named Rachel Kaplan spent years studying the effects of nature on the human psyche, and has been discovered that incorporating nature into your home and office space can create a “restorative environment” that makes it easier to be productive.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to bridge the gap between office space and outdoor nature. Take advantage of different species of plants, terrariums (often referred to as the “aquarium of plants”), and floral arrangements. The great thing about plants is that, no matter what theme you’ve chosen for your office, there’s a plant arrangement to fit it. Take a look at this list of nature-inspired offices to help you gather some ideas of your own.
Invest in the Right Products
What’s a great home office without some comfortable office products? One of the first things you’ll want to do is invest in the right equipment. And a great office chair should be your starting point, as this is where you’ll be sitting most of the time. It’s best to head over to a local furniture store and try out different chairs yourself, and it’s worth forking over a little extra money for long-term comfortability.
Consider ergonomic seating, which is ideal for workers who are sitting for long periods of time. These come equipped with a well-padded seat and backrest, easy adjustability, lumbar support, and stability. Other products to consider is a desk with adequate space (after all—your desk plays a crucial role in productivity), a second monitor for better work usage, folders and trays for organization, and efficient lighting.
