Working from home is all the rage, but it’s actually really hard to do if without a great home office. The kitchen table just doesn’t cut it for extended productivity, nor does the living room couch. If you’re going to work from home successfully, you need a home office whose sole function is getting things done.
That being said, there’s no reason your home office can’t also be beautiful and reflect your tastes and personality. In fact, the ideal home office is beautiful and functional, a space where you feel good logging long hours each day.
In this blog, we’ll be outlining the essentials for remodeling a home office. These are the things you’ll need to create a beautiful, functional space for working day to day.
Select the right room for your home office.
A good rule of thumb is to test out a room for a month before you decide to dive into a home office remodel. Then you’ll know if the space is too noisy, cold, hot, quiet, dark, musty, or whatever to be a viable home office.
Important: This space should be one whose door you can close and leave. You need to be able to have set “work hours” and “rest hours” during which reminders of your obligations stay out of sight. Otherwise you could get stuck working 24/7, which is the opposite of what most people want.
Choose (or custom build) a desk with multiple settings.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with the health news, here’s a great article talking about the health perils of sitting all day. Parking it for 8+ hours every day can lead to risks of increased mortality, leg disorders, muscle degeneration, and back problems. These are factors to consider before remodeling your home office.
One way to remedy the situation is to select (or custom build) a desk that lets you sit or stand while working. The “standing desk” has been a growing trend in workplaces throughout the United States, but it’s important that the desk be able to function normally as well—because standing all day has its own health risks.
Ultimately, you want a customized productivity station that allows for movement throughout your day. A contractor can build you something that’s just right for your working style.
Storage, storage, storage.
When it comes to productivity, aesthetics are extremely important! Did you know that the color of a room can actually affect your productivity? It’s the little things that improve (or threaten) your mood and make you less able to focus on your work.
Along those lines, it’s important to build enough storage to keep your space free of distracting clutter. With papers everywhere, books flopped all over the place, and office supplies piling up, what are the chances you’ll be laser-focused and clear-minded during your workday? For most people, pretty slim.
Building custom storage can be a key component in home office remodeling. Think shelves, bookcases, storage boxes, and more to keep the clutter at bay and your productivity churning. A contractor can build you storage that fits into your home office like puzzle pieces and really maximizes your space.
Make sure your lighting is awesome and adjustable.
Everyone knows that a well-lit space is best for mood and productivity, so part of remodeling your home office should be selecting a space with great natural lighting. But you should also ensure that your artificial light sources allow for customization.
Here’s what we mean: You need task lighting for your desk to prevent eye strain, cheerful lamps to turn on and off as you please, and sources of ambient light you should be able to dim and brighten throughout the day. Things like lighting and temperature have a bigger impact on productivity than you think, so the ability to adjust them to your preferences is paramount.
