Whether you’re working from home full-time or just need a dedicated place to work on odds and ends, having the perfect home office is a must to boost your productivity and focus. How can you create the perfect workspace for your home as your central command post or maybe just as a secondary workplace you use when bringing work home with you after hours?
We put together some of our favorite and easy ways to put together an office that will energize you and your space and you can design and decorate it to your exact specifications without breaking the bank.
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5 Tips for Creating a Workspace at Home
Set a Budget
One of the great things about setting up your home office is that you get to decide how much you spend on furniture, technology, decor, and more. Just like with any home renovation project, we recommend setting a budget to give you some initial boundaries. As you research and buy the items you need, you can adjust and maybe splurge on an ergonomic office chair.
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Think you don’t have a big enough budget to create a home workspace? Think again! In today’s world, you have so many more options for finding inexpensive (or free) pieces for your office. Don’t forget to check out the following places:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Neighborhood Yard Sales
- Thrift stores
- Ikea
- Family member’s attic/basement
Creating your home office doesn’t have to break the bank – you just might have to get a little creative and crafty to achieve the look and feel you want.
Pick a Wall Color That Will Increase Your Productivity
Nicole Gibbons, interior designer and founder of Clare, says that your workspace is all about productivity and that the right paint color can keep you focused and calm while working.
What wall colors are perfect to keep you Zen while working? It actually all depends on you! When choosing the color for your office, think about the colors that you like. What colors inspire you? What colors are you happy to be around? You’ll most likely spend a lot of time in your office and if the colors don’t give you good vibes, chances are you won’t get a lot done.
Still need ideas for the perfect wall color? We’ve rounded up our favorites below:
- Off White – Using an off white shade is a way to give your room a bit of color while still maintaining a clean look and feel. Plus, you can focus more on your decor and accents as they won’t interfere with your wall color.
- Yellow – When you think of yellow, you think of sunshine and happiness. Bringing this color into your office can evoke energy and optimism into your space and work.
- Classic Blue – Not only is Classic Blue the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year, but it’s also a color that promotes tranquility, calmness, and confidence.
Have the Right Technology Setup
In order to be productive at home, you need to have the right setup. Depending on if you work from home full-time or just need a workspace to finish odds and ends after hours, the items and technology you need might differ.
A few standard home office tools include a wireless printer/scanner, high-speed internet and router, a laptop/computer, a monitor, and any necessary software (Microsoft Office, Google Suite, etc.). Some other items you could need are a fax machine (or printer/fax combination), phone or VoIP, speakers, silent keyboard, and mouse.
A few tips for getting the right technology setup:
- Make sure to consider technology in your budget as investing in some pieces can get pricey.
- Consider your space and if you have room for many cords, power strips, etc.
- If you’re also buying furniture, look for pieces that can easily hide cords.
Personalize Your Space Thoughtfully
Your home office is a space to be productive. It’s not a place to have sensory overload because you have candles burning everywhere, photographs of friends and family all over your desk, and music blaring through your computer. You definitely want to personalize your workspace, but you also want to do so in a way that doesn’t take away from the purpose of the room.
When placing items on your desk, consider functionality before anything else. After all, you don’t want to knock over a picture frame every time you grab a pen from your pen cup. We recommend placing items like frames and candles on sections of your desk that won’t be accessed often, like near the top left or right corners.
Other ways to personalize your office include:
- Install floating shelves and decorate with items that bring you joy
- Buy office supplies that you love, like pastel-colored paper clips or a sloth pencil/cup
- Get a fun lamp shade for your desk lamp
- Hang a gallery wall of your favorite prints
Adding Greenery is so Chic
When you’re working in your office, you want to feel calm, yet energized. A great way to get that feeling is to decorate with various plants and greenery throughout the area.
Plants are not only known to increase happiness and reduce allergens in the air, but they’re also able to decrease stress and improve mental health. This is why a lot of corporate offices have plants scattered throughout their space – to positively impact the productivity and mental wellbeing of their employees at work.
So, what are the best home office plants? According to The Spruce, these are the types of plants to consider:
- Snake plants
- English ivy
- African violets
- Aloe
- Rex Begonia
- Lucky Bamboo
