Home Office Design

With the rise of itinerant and flexible workers, it’s important not to overlook the function of the home office. As people increasingly work sometime in the office, sometime from home, it is prudent to think about how to manage this transference of work space to ensure seamless output.

Whether you dedicate an entire room, commandeer the kitchen table or become the CEO in the alcove under your stairs, putting thought into the set-up of the home office certainly has its merits.

For some of us, working from home is more than just being able to flop down anywhere and open the laptop; it actually requires a designated and ergonomic area in which to complete significant tasks. Being comfortable and having a clear defined space will only ensure that productivity is at a maximum.

Here are a few things to ponder (home office 101 if you will):

• If you are going to be working with a lot of paper or files, it’s a good idea to have suitable lockable storage. This prevents information going missing or valuable floor space being overrun with piles of A4 80gsm, which in turn reduces paper cuts to the shins.
• If you have a busy household, it would be worth considering taking over a space that has a door. This not only serves the purpose of having a quiet area to work in, but you can also walk out and close the door, keeping work undisturbed and drawing a line that says work time is over for now.
• If you’re not particularly fond of the colour scheme in the work office, this is a chance for you to go wild with flair when designing your own HQ. Use walls creatively and consider blackboard paint as a quirky way of brainstorming or note taking, it’s also a smart use of space. You can also tack up as many family photos as you like without the rolling eyes of your unencumbered Gen Y colleagues.
• Pay some thought to the equipment you may require, for example all in one technology is space saving and wireless hardware reduces cord clutter. I would hope that in the year of our Lord 2014, you wouldn’t need to research fax machines.
• If you were spending 8 hours a day at a desk job you would invest in good ergonomic product, therefore the same principle applies for the home office. Comfort and support from your tools will only allow for greater productivity.
• If your home office is your only office, then a suitable location requires due consideration. Just as if you would leave a physical work office and go home, it’s vital to be able to shut down a home office workstation in the same manner.
• Home is where the heart is and now sometimes it’s where the office is too. Make it space savvy, functional and if budget permits, make it beautiful.
• Lastly, don’t let a small space restrict your imagination. Designed by Orla Reynolds As if from Nowhere is an independently functioning bookcase which houses four dining chairs and two tables.