Working from Home in 2020: Creating a Beautiful Home Office

At The Interior Designer we understand that working from home is hardly a new phenomenon, however the COVID-19 crisis has made it an unplanned requirement for many people (including many of our family and friends). We have a feeling that once this crisis eventually recedes, many people will continue working from home, so we wanted to share some practical tips with you today. Also, it wouldn’t be an interior design blog without some inspiration!

To get started, it is ideal if you can make the space separate within your home (we know this is not always achievable), however if you can at least create a dedicated space, it is going to help you with your mindset and help keep your work and home life separate. Do you perhaps have a room that you can dedicate for your home office or a dedicated space in your home? It honestly will make all the difference when it comes time to clocking off!

One solution might be to convert a guest room into dual space, an office most of the time and a guest room (when needed). Some not so exciting, but very important facts include having your desk at a proper height, meaning if you sit up straight your forearms are parallel to the ground and your wrist is not bent up or down when you type or use your mouse. You need to be working as you would in your place of work, so you maximise your productivity whilst at home.

Also, if you are using a monitor, aim to get a large monitor such as a 26-27 inch, so you are not spending hours straining your eyes. Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you should use your 13-inch Mac laptop – it just won’t work long term! After doing some research, we found that when sitting straight, your eyes should be at a height of around 25%-30% below the top of the screen, as you will then keep your shoulders level and won’t be hunching forward. You can also use a monitor riser, which will enable you to adjust the height of your monitor, so it is the perfect solution for you.Play around with this and make sure it is perfect for you!

As much as at The Interior Designer we love a gorgeous chair, when setting up your office to work from home, a correct office chair will encourage the needed upright posture and you will be able to adjust the height to what fits your body best.

Again, we love stunning lighting, lamps and chandeliers, however for your dedicated home office space, let’s focus on overhead lighting such as a ceiling light, as you don’t want a lamp right next to your monitor that is going to result in a screen glare and you squinting. Here are some of our favourites and they will be sure to turn your home office into a beautiful oasis – https://bit.ly/30SrMoU

You can always have other lamps around the room, however, place them so they don’t create direct glare on your monitor screen, and this will be a matter of moving them around your home office space to find out where they help you the most.

These are very simple suggestions to help you with the set-up of your home office, however they are extremely important in ensuring that you enjoy working from home and don’t feel uncomfortable throughout the day. Take your time choosing some extra pieces, such as photo frames, lamps, candles and books to place around your office space, so you are reminded that it is a happy space in which to work.

Remember to take lots of breaks, get fresh air and above all, enjoy the space you have created. For more interior design inspiration, tips and tricks, visit us at www.theinteriordesigner.com.au.

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