It is a big bonus to be able to work from home. This approach reduces the stress and expense of having to commute to and from the office, as well as saving the hassle of getting up at an ungodly hour, trying to eat breakfast while choosing something appropriate to wear, and making yourself presentable.
In the past, you were very lucky to be able to work remotely, and the bonuses of working from home were generally savored only by those who were working for themselves. However, regardless of whether you are working for yourself or are working remotely for a company, it’s important to have the correct space, décor, and equipment.
If you find that you are working remotely, but are used to being a part of a busy office, you may find that after a while you may feel cut off and quite alone.
Having the correct work area, which is decorated to reflect your personality, and that has the space that you need to move around freely, as well as work comfortably, can actually deflect some of these feelings and instead help you feel safe, secure, and happy while you are working.
It is important when creating a sustainable working environment inside your home that you get it right. Finding out too late that you have chosen the wrong area within your home to set up an office or that you do not have enough room to work can be really frustrating and demoralizing, especially if you have spent a lot of money getting the area ready for your work.
What you will need for your work
In order for you to work out how much room you will need to work successfully and comfortably from your own home, you will first need to think about what it is you will actually require to carry out that work.
As far as furniture is concerned, you will probably require a desk or at least somewhere to sit and work, like a table or bench, a comfy but serviceable chair, preferably with adjustable seat height and backrest for support and comfort, and maybe some storage such as a drawer unit or shelves of some kind.
With technology, you will find that there are some space-saving options that you may want to take advantage of, such as working on a laptop rather than a desktop computer. Laptops are very convenient; not only do they take up less space, but there are fewer cables and they can be totally mobile should you need to take your work with you when out and about, visiting the office or client’s offices or their home.
There are many fantastic laptop deals available from reputable and well-known businesses like lenovo.com. Make sure you have all the specs you require written down so that you get exactly what you need for your work and not just what you desire for your lifestyle. You will also need to think about whether or not you will require the use of a printer, scanner, and photocopier or whether having these will just take up extra room.
Finding and creating your perfect space
Once you have worked out how much room you are likely to need in order to work from your home, the next point will be looking at your home to see whereabouts you can fit all this in and still have room to move around comfortably.
It is important to locate an area that is out of the way so that you do not get disturbed easily by the comings and goings of other household members. This will help you get your work done faster and to a much better quality.
You may find it highly beneficial to have a room all to yourself so that you cannot only close the door when you are working in order to shut the world out but be able to close the door on your work at the end of the day so that you are not constantly reminded of what it is you must do in your next working day or of unfinished work waiting to be completed. However, not everyone has a spare room to set up their own home office in, and they have to compromise another part of their living area.
It may not seem ideal, but another area where you can find space to work is in the corner of your living room. There are hinged partitions available on the market of different types, from beautiful carved wooden ones through to block-colored material covered ones, which can be used to hide your working area while you are not working, or zone yourself off from the rest of the room when you are.
Although with this option, you will still hear the noise of everyday life happening around you, there will still be the feeling that it is your workspace. There are other things you can do should you find that working in the corner of another room is the only option, and that is to buy a bureau.
Bureaus tend to have a compartment at the top with a hinged flap that doubles up as a desktop. Although these are not ideal for use with a desktop computer, they are perfectly good for use with a laptop and, as a bonus, usually come with either drawers, shelving, or cupboards underneath.
You may find in time, and if you have one, it is more beneficial to convert either your garage, basement, or even loft in order to have an area to call your working office. Being able to focus on this will make working in a part of the living room a little more bearable as it will only be for a short time.
Ensure that the space you decide to set up as your working area has enough light and ventilation. Not having enough light can cause eyestrain, especially when you are looking at a computer screen or laptop all day. Not having enough ventilation can make you drowsy, which in turn will make your working day seem longer and will be detrimental to your concentration levels as well as the quality of your output.
Getting the décor right to aid concentration
It is important to get the décor right to get the best out of your working environment. Being stuck in a space that has the wrong color for you, or patterns that nag at your hindbrain, will do nothing for your concentration, the quality of your work, your mood, or the enjoyment of being able to work from home.
Bright, gaudy colors or busy patterns on wall coverings can overstimulate the mind. This is not a good thing, and for some people, this can be a trigger for headaches or even migraines, as well as triggers for other conditions.
When you are looking at decorating your home office area, it is a far better idea to go for pastel shades. If you like bright colors or intricate patterns, stick to having them on your accessories or soft furnishings. This way, you will get a hint of what you like in a relaxing, calm working environment.
When thinking about decorating, pay close attention to the type of floor covering you want. If the access to your office area is via an outdoor space, you will probably want to go for an easy clean floor rather than a deep pile carpet. Something like wood, tiles, or vinyl will probably be best as these can be swept or mopped clean and will save time.
A luxury carpet will look very nice when it is first put down, but it will get marked easily and will require regular shampooing to keep it looking great. You may think that this is OK and worth the extra outlay, but you will very quickly find that marks on the carpet will distract you and cause you irritation.
If you invest in an office chair with wheels, you will also find very quickly that they do not work well with deep pile carpets, so if you feel that a carpet is a way to go, think about a short pile, or even better for wear, the loop pile variety for your workspace.
Creating the perfect look with recycled furniture
You can quite easily get the perfect look by using recycled furniture. This will not only keep the cost of your home office down but will be environmentally friendly, help any charities you happen to purchase the furniture from, as well as aid you in creating the perfect bespoke look for you.
There are plenty of places to buy second-hand or pre-owned furniture from. There are thrift stores, yard sales, and you may find advertisements in your local papers or shop windows. There are also internet platforms such as eBay, Facebook, and other specialists platforms that will be local to your area.
A lot of old furniture was built to last. A pot of paint is relatively cheap, and there are options, such as chalk paint, available on the market that need little to no preparation work to be done on the piece you are looking at repainting.
This means that the results for your hard work will be visible straight away and that you will not have to spend hours and hours rubbing down old paintwork to then have to prime it, so you can start the painting process. This approach can take a long time for you to achieve the look you want just with one piece of furniture.
However, when saying this, you do have to keep in mind that if you choose to use chalk paint, you will have to seal the paintwork with either a couple of coats of wax or lacquer and that chalk paint is designed to age, wear, and even chip in places, so if you are the type of person who likes everything pristine, chalk paint may not be the way forward for you.
With so many colors available and the ability to mix colors in order to get the perfect shade for you and your office, you can really make all your office furniture totally bespoke to you, so you can let your imagination run completely wild.
When it comes to soft furnishings, you can either choose to upholster items yourself – there are quite a few YouTube videos on how to do this with an electric staple gun and some fabric glue, or you can pay for a professional to do it for you. Both options will be far cheaper than buying brand new furniture from large stores in shopping malls, and again you will be able to choose exactly the right fabric to suit your personality and your workspace.