The digital age has made working from home increasingly popular. You can save on travel time and with a well-planned, home office interior design, you can work from the comfort of your own home.
Besides that, it is fashionable to invite clients home and showcase your work in a stylish office space. Hence, it is important for a home office to balance functionality with aesthetics in a way that reflects your individual personality.
Mistakes To Avoid When Designing Your Home Office
A cluttered, disorganized work space can be distracting and lead to loss of productivity. Here are some tips on what not to do when planning your home office:
Common Errors To Avoid
Don’t design your office as an afterthought! Even if it’s just a desk and a chair you require, find a space that is motivating rather than sticking a desk in a leftover corner of your living room.
Don’t skimp on your office chair; you are likely to spend many hours in it, so invest in a chair that is ergonomically designed to minimize neck and back pain. Find the perfect office chair to suit your needs here.
Don’t ignore the style of your home when considering your home office interior design. After all, your home office is an extension of your home. It can have its own, distinct style, but include elements that will help unify the design with your home décor.
Don’t set up your office in a spot that is too distracting. You know how you work best. While getting up and stretching is good practice, rushing to the refrigerator for a snack every few minutes is not. Set up your home office away from distractions that can cause a nuisance and disrupt workflow.
The Nitty-Gritty Of A Home Office
A well-planned home office interior design can be made more effective by paying close attention to details. When carefully thought out, smart detailing can elevate a good design; if neglected, it can render it ineffective.
Sound
Consider the acoustics of your office space. Focus and concentration are aided by peace and quiet. An office space that is furnished with too many hard surfaces can lead to excessive echoes and poor acoustics. Soft surfaces such as curtains and carpets can help rectify this.
What To Consider In Your Home Office Interior Design
Space
Space is a defining factor when it comes to planning a home office. Do you have a dedicated room for your office or is it going to be a part of your bedroom?
Home offices are versatile spaces; you can design a home office in a transitional space such as a lobby or convert a compact space such as a large closet or a maid’s room into an office, thereby making this a very versatile space.
Purpose
The purpose of the home office often determines design direction. You might want to impress clients by showcasing your work, which may necessitate a display wall or one that projects your brand identity.
Alternatively, you may want to provide a private work space away from family. The design elements in both these home offices will vary greatly.
Usage
Usage is another important element of home office interior design. If you want a work space just for yourself, you may require minimal furnishings and equipment.
However, if you plan on working with a team of employees, or want to host clients, you might need one or more screens or decide to incorporate a relaxed seating nook into your office space.
Personalize Your WorkSpace
What makes your home office interior design stand out from someone else’s is you. Customize your work space by including items that fuel your passion and make you enjoy the time you spend in your work space.
You might enjoy photography, or be passionate about plants. Incorporate your passions into the design, to create a home office that inspires creativity in a warm and inviting environment. Drab, sterile work spaces can kill creativity.
Customizing your space could be as simple as adding your favorite colored rug or adding a desk lamp that you love. Inspirational quotes, plants or bespoke furniture may also do the trick. Personalization lies in the details.
A well-designed home office may be a private haven, an opportunity to flaunt accomplishments or a place to conduct business in a relaxed environment. Whatever its purpose, adding things you like (not necessarily what is trendy) will define this as your personal work space.
Tips To Enhance Your Home Office Work Space
Even if you work well in noisy surrounds, it is best to situate your office somewhere quiet and peaceful.
This is especially true if your work involves regular use of the phone for conference calls. It is unprofessional for a client, at the other end, to hear a baby crying or the sound of the TV on full blast.
Plan for clutter. Having a concealed space for things you use regularly can make your office appear neat and organized, with minimal effort on your part. Hide unsightly wires, conceal keyboards and printers and organize space for much used stationery
Cool Ideas For Your Home Office Interior Design
Just because your home office is a work space, it doesn’t have to be designed using a traditional office style.
A little creativity in your physical space can get the creative juices flowing. Here are some cool ideas for your home office space:
Go green with a live, green wall! Bring the energy of nature indoors with a sprinkling of green. Why limit yourself to traditional potted plants?
A live, green wall can be a unique addition, transforming the office into a bright and creative haven of productivity.
Recreational home offices are cool, chilled-out work spaces. A home office with an attached veranda or balcony can offer a flexible space for work or relaxation.
Head outdoors for a well-deserved drink after a long work day or close a business deal while enjoying the view from your favorite balcony chair.
If physical activity gets your creative juices flowing, you can even consider adding a pool table or a mini-golf lane for entertainment.
Use vertical surfaces. Walls are often overlooked, but can be effectively used in home offices to communicate work activity.
They can display examples of work, testimonials from clients or works in progress, effectively converting the office into a centralized business control center.
Be creative with glass. Glass can mimic a window, which is a definite asset in confined spaces. Opt for a glass door or partition for an open-office feel.
Particularly useful in windowless spaces, glass can provide an instant visual connection with other people and spaces within the home.
Think Outside The Box
Do you constantly host meetings at home? If so, consider a mini-amphitheater in your home office. You can incorporate this into stairs (if there are any leading to the office) or can have a simple tiered seat wall.
Take your office with you wherever you go. Portable offices are a novel idea, ideal for outdoor environments that are conducive to working.
If you love the outdoors and cannot imagine being cooped up inside, set up your office outdoors, surrounded by nature.
Furniture
Office furniture need not be dull or boring. Bespoke furniture pieces can reflect a client’s personal taste and add to the charm of the office space, without compromising on function.
They can also serve multiple functions, which is useful in confined spaces. For example, a well-designed table might serve as a storage unit as well as a work surface in addition to creating a focal point in the space.
Lighting
Effective lighting can enhance creativity. An office with a window is preferable as it lets in natural light and provides a connection to the outside.
Bright overhead lighting is best for work spaces as it minimizes reflection and glare. Lighting can compliment the style of the office, whether modern or traditional.
Storage
Storage is one of the most important aspects of an office space, irrespective of its size.
The type of storage will depend on what a client wants in their work space. Create a checklist of items to ensure everything is included.
Flexible storage options, such as adjustable shelving, can save space and be used to store multiple items.
Storage can become a feature of the home office interior design, such as a floor-to-ceiling display unit.
Technical Equipment
In today’s technology driven world, choosing the right equipment for your home office is essential. This will depend on usage.
Do you plan on holding regular meetings or is this more of a personal work space? Will you need screens for client presentations?
Determining the office’s function and its users will guide the necessity for specialized equipment.
Flexible Home Office Interior Design
A multi-functional work space design can add to the fluidity of your home office. If this is your go-to space for inspirational ideas, it needs to be functional, beautiful and comfortable.
Adding a seating nook or reading corner can immediately add an element of familiarity and comfort to a stuffy work space. It can be used for an informal client meet or to enjoy a cup of coffee before the day begins.
Screens can also serve multiple purposes. Ideal for presentations, they can also serve as a TV screen for after work hours. This allows your office to be used as a media room, when it is not being used for work.
Flexible work/play offices are a huge trend in home offices, particularly those designed for work teams. They allow employees to be able to work and relax in the same space, without needing to go outdoors.
Multi-functional home offices are a great way to make a work space serve several different functions.
They inspire creativity, offer a great environment for brainstorming ideas and can be used as game rooms, media rooms or just as a place to enjoy some solitude when not used for work.
Your Milestone Home Office Interior Design
Adding a home office can transform the balance between work and home life.
Designed properly, a home office can function as a hub for your business, enabling you to control processes, conduct business transactions and procure new projects, all from the comfort of home.
Whether it’s a compact home office you desire or a large, sophisticated work room base for your business operations, our design team at Milestone can customize your work space to fulfill your needs.
Contact a member of our team to kick start your home office design project today!
