With 12% of workers working fully remotely and another 28% working a hybrid mix, investing in an office space that inspires productivity and creativity has never been more important.
If you’ve ever sat down at your desk, ready to get started on that 1000-word report or outline for a new project, only for nothing to come to mind, the design of your office space might be impacting your creativity more than you realize.
In fact, just having clutter around increases cognitive overload and can reduce our working memory.
If your home office needs an overhaul, but you’re unsure where to start, you’re in luck. We’ve put together home office ideas and design tips to help you create a space that inspires you to perform at your best. Let’s get into it.
8 Home Office Design Tips to Transform Your Space
#1 - Select a Quiet Location
If you have a designated home office, all you’ll need to focus on is how best to design it. If you have to be more creative with where to set up your office, however, opt for somewhere as quiet as possible.
If your children come home mid-afternoon and rampage through the lounge, it’s probably not the best place for working distraction-free. Find a room in the house with a clutter-free corner that doesn’t experience too much foot traffic and has adequate space for a desk and chair.
#2 - Install Some Greenery
Did you know that having plants in the workplace increases concentration by 19%?
So the next time you’re looking around your home office and wondering what to add, consider plants and flowers.
Not only are they attractive to look at (and ideal for adding color to a plain space), but they actually improve the air quality in the room, too.
#3 - Consider Lighting
The more lighting in your home office, the better. You need a brightly lit space to support your productivity levels and help you feel more awake and refreshed. Unfortunately, not everybody has access to an abundance of natural light, so you’ll have to be creative with your lighting choices.
The best way to style your office lighting is to opt for one main feature in the ceiling and supplement it with lamps dotted around the room. Complement a desk lamp with a standing lamp in a similar style for best results.
Pendant lights and spotlights like those in our office lighting collection are ideal for brightening the space without overpowering it. If you don’t want the space to look too clinical, remember to choose bulbs in warmer colors instead of bright white.
#4 - Keep it Clutter-Free
The refrain ‘tidy room, tidy mind’ exists for good reason. While you might think clutter is just a minor inconvenience, studies have shown that being surrounded by clutter in the workplace negatively affects your levels of satisfaction and pleasure from work.
But if your job requires a lot of equipment or documents, keeping your space clutter-free is easier said than done. That’s where storage comes in. If you lack the floor space, build upwards instead, adding shelves to your walls that can hold books, folders, and notepads.
Lockable filing cabinets and cupboards can provide you with a safe space to secure important documents without the risk of losing them.
#5 - Prioritize Ergonomics
If you’re sitting at your desk for up to 8 hours a day, whether or not it’s comfortable can have a long-term effect on your physical health.
Fail to consider ergonomics, and you might find yourself a few years down the line with chronic neck and back pain.
Choose a desk that’s wide enough to accommodate all of your key work items - usually you’ll need a width of around 60 inches (150cm). Height-wise, look for a desk that’s 28-30 inches (70-75cm) tall.
If you want to avoid falling into a sedentary lifestyle, you could opt for a standing desk or height-adjustable desk and install a small treadmill underneath it to get your steps in while you work.
Installing a footrest is a good idea to support your feet, and you should avoid sitting directly in front of drawers or cabinets. Raise your laptop to a height where you can look at it while keeping your neck vertical and ensure you’re not hinging at the wrist to type.
#6 - Keep Inspiration Close
While it’s true that your workspace shouldn’t be cluttered, having some inspirational nods around can help you to engage your creative side on days when it’s proving more difficult.
Keeping a mood board above your desk covered with ideas, post-its, examples of past successes, and motivational quotes can be one way to inspire productivity while still keeping your desk neat.
#7 - Be Cautious With Color
Naturally, you want to create an office space that’s warm and welcoming, not a space that feels cold and clinical. But before you pick up the pot of bright orange paint, remember that colors can affect your mood.
While blue is famously relaxing, colors that are too bright can create feelings of nervousness. Dark colors, too, can feel draining, especially if you’re sat in a space for hours on end. If you do opt for a dark color, brighten it with light flooring and plenty of lighting.
Opting for light pastel colors, light blues, and light greens is the safest way to go, with white and cream being obvious choices for a more neutral space.
#8 - Minimize Messy Wires
Nothing makes an office look more cluttered (and be more prone to trip hazards!) than having wires running under your desk and across the room.
Invest in wireless electronics where possible and attach visible wires to the bottom of your desk using tape to avoid your feet getting tangled in them while you work. A cord tamer can help you gather loose wires together.
However you choose to design your office space, bear in mind that it should be relaxing, conducive to productivity, and above all, pleasant to spend time in. After all, when you’re working late on a project or joining an early morning call, having a comfortable office space can make all the difference.
For lighting that keeps your space bright and welcoming, check out our curated selection of office lighting, created precisely to inspire those lightbulb moments (pun intended!).