Gone are the days when you’d go in the corner of the basement or inside a small closet in your home. There are more and more people working from home, which is why the home office turned into a vital space no matter how big or small your home is.
Now that people are working from home, using a fax machine, a copier, a computer, internet connections, and shipping facilities, the small desk isn’t up for the tasks anymore. Designing a functional home office is important, so be sure to think about the size of your business and purchase furniture that will be adaptable for when your business grows.
It’s not uncommon for people to work from home or for businesses to operate from home. However, it can appear slightly unprofessional to potential clients if they have to contact you via your home address, this is why selecting a registered address service might be more beneficial for your brand. By using a virtual office, clients will assume you have an office space whilst you’re actually still operating from the comfort of your small home office. Often, there’s not a nicer feeling than being able to work from home, so make sure your home office is perfect.
Look for the best area for your home office
When your space is limited, you don’t have many options. You can remove the clothes pole for installing the electrical connection, turning a closet into a functional workspace. You may also place your working desk right at the top of the stairs inside the house.
If you’re spending a lot of time in your home office, you should choose an area with a more beautiful view. Look for the space that has less traffic (dining area or the guest room are good options). You may use an armoire for the computer, the papers, and the printer so that you hide the workspace behind some closed doors. It’s nicer though if you can extend the working space into a larger area.
Find a place to write
The most important piece of furniture is going to be the desk or the work surface. No matter if you go with custom-made cabinets or not, the writing surface is where you’re going to spend most of the time.
It has to be generous and have the right height for comfortable work. When space is a problem, it’s wiser that you draw out a floor plan on graph paper, moving the shapes around until you get the perfect workable space. You can also install some shelved behind the desk for winning more working space.
Design the work area
Working from home is useless if you’re not using all the things you need for feeling more comfortable.
You can try with the lighting and the temperature. You may install a telephone and have a portable phone available as well. It’s easier when you have a desk chair that moves around the space efficiently. Therefore, the flooring has to be a hard surface near the desk. Choose some window coverings so that you control the natural lighting a bit.
Use the right lights
Having the proper lighting isn’t important only in your home office but in any office. To reduce the eye strain, you should install lighting over the reading area, behind you and on the computer. Not having any light reflecting off the computer monitor is fundamental. Having a computer monitor that is compact could be integral to getting your work done whilst traveling, you can go online to find a rackmount monitor – rackmountsales.com, and see how they can aid in your workflow output.
The computer monitor has to have the right distance from the chair so that you don’t use the reading glasses for reading the screen. You should also ensure you get one that doesn’t cause eye strain; Many home office workers buy a gaming monitor to help with this, as they are designed for long-term, heavy concentration use.
As for the home office lighting, make sure you do due diligence about it as there are so many things to consider. Check the https://furnilly.com/lighting/ as there are so many types of light that work for your home office. Besides, you can take a peek at the modern pieces of furniture that the store has to offer. Even if you’re not currently interested in it, you may get some new ideas about what could work in your home.
Sitting comfortably
Look for a chair that is comfortable and has the right height, providing a good back and arm support for the work that you’re going to do. Go with a chair that features a small footstool if you like to put your feet up and under the desk. Look for the resources and information about the ergonomic furniture for the office.
You can also install a slide-out keyboard holder so that the computer keyboard has the proper height for comfortable and easy use.
The place of your mouse should be also easy to reach and some cushioning for your wrists is also a good idea.
Don’t just go ahead and buy the very first desk and chair that you find. Get all the info you need before making the final choice.
Any visitors any time soon?
Are you planning to have many clients in your home office? If so, you don’t want them to walk past a sleeping baby or dirty kitchen to get to you. It’s vital that you keep it professional. Having privacy at work is also essential. You need to ensure comfortable seating, good reading light, and some new literature for your future visitors.
Add some cool pizzazz
Just because it’s a home office, doesn’t mean it has to be formal and extremely serious. You can always add some personal touches and color to make the workspace feel pleasant. Choose the decorating style and add some patterns or furniture to make it feel alive. You can also use this space for giving it the style you only like for the workspace but not for the entire home.
No matter how colorful it is, you should always keep it well organized and clutter-free.
Less is always more
It’s a rule of thumb when it comes to fashion, decoration and everything else. Even if you may feel like you need all the six pairs of scissors, you don’t. It’s best that you go through the supplies and see what you don’t use anymore.
Clutter makes you less productive and distracts you a lot. You need to have a designated space for the reference books, for your printer paper, for the computer program manuals and so on. Always use the same place for your mail and make sure that the phone is easy to reach. You may not have enough storage space, in which case you should look for another area in your home for the supplies and items. Don’t forget to use some power surge protectors for your computer as well. Storing some backup disks in another part of the home is never out of style either. It just means you’re cautious and think highly of your work.
