Designing a Modern and Inspiring Home Office Space
With more and more people turning to work from home roles, home-based offices are experiencing a surge in popularity.
Whether you’re spending part-time or full-time hours in your home office, you deserve a space that feels like a natural extension of who you are. Now’s your chance to nix the standard faux-leather desk chairs and uninspired white walls for a look that inspires productivity and matches your personality.
Here are 8 tips for designing your brand new office space.
- Consider Colour
You can absolutely leave your walls bare or choose a colour that you’d love to surround yourself with. While designers don’t recommend using super bright shades on all the walls, you may want to consider creating a feature wall with your favourite tone. For more on colour psychology and what might work best in your space, thespruce.com has a fantastic list of the 10 best home office paint colours, with a really nice blend of lively and subdued shades.
- Add Art
Adding art is another way to add colour to the office space. Art can be anything from favourite family photographs blown up and framed – or printed onto canvases – to abstract paintings. Whatever matches your personality and gets your creativity flowing will be the right pieces for your space.
- Choose High-Quality Furnishings
When you’re spending hours every day in your home office, you need a comfortable space with solid, good-quality furnishings. Upgrade to a comfortable chair that’s the right fit for you and made of materials designed to last.
While you’re outfitting your new space, this is an ideal time to splash out on a desk built to suit your esthetic and needs. A beautiful desk can act as an anchor for the whole room.
At Incredible Home, we’ll custom make a gorgeous millwork desk with storage options, designed to your exact specifications. Complete with soft-close drawers, custom storage options and a wide selection of custom finishes, your desk will be designed to match exactly what you desire.
- Add Plenty of Storage for Books and Supplies
Nothing is quite as distracting as clutter. For this reason, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough storage space for your books, office supplies and other objects that you want to keep off the top of your desk. Custom built wall shelves and cabinetry provide plenty of vertical space without taking up square footage and disrupting the flow of the room. As with our custom desk options, we can create custom shelving and countertops. If you prefer a certain countertop material like quartz or laminate, we’ll happily arrange the supply, delivery and installation for you.
- Emphasize Natural Light
Natural light can have a profound effect on concentration and wakefulness levels. The ambient light will also prevent eye strain, drowsiness and headaches that can be caused by overhead and fluorescent lighting. You may also be happier and more productive since many studies have found that more exposure to natural light equals better sleep patterns and a more positive mood overall. Gently diffused light that fills the room while preventing glare makes for an excellent work environment.
- Add Effective Task Lighting
Prevent eye strain by adding a great piece of task lighting to your desk space. This can double as décor as well if you find a piece with some character that you particularly like. If surface area is at a premium, you can also choose an articulated wall-mounted lamp. Position table lamps and light fixtures to avoid glare on your computer monitor and any harsh shadows. Wall sconces can add a soft light to the room as well. Add a floating shelf with under-mounted LED lighting to compliment your Incredible desk. The goal is to create ambient lighting that illuminates your workstations without being over-powering.
- Frame Your View
If you have a great view, it can act as a piece of art. Frame your windows (or a glass door if you have one) with curtains or draperies in a shade or pattern that you love. The key is to draw focus to the view without adding any distractions, so feel free to experiment with different shades and patterns. Many homeowners choose neutral window coverings since they’re so timeless. However, curtains can also be a simple way to add a pop of colour, combining function and beauty.
- Add Greenery
Plants do double-duty for office decor. They cleanse the air, add a fresh feeling and effortlessly bring life to any room. Easy-care succulents are a popular choice since they need very little maintenance. If you like the look of a larger plant, try a snake plant, a lush jade plant or a peace lily. You can also hang air plants in elegant blown glass globes to save surface space. There are some incredibly realistic looking silks and other faux plants in home décor stores. While these plants won’t require watering, you do want to be sure to dust them off regularly to keep the air in your office clean. As a final touch, you can choose pots in a variety of colours, textures and designs to add even more visual interest.
When you spend many hours a week in your office, it is vital to create a space that you really enjoy being in. We hope you’ll be inspired to treat yourself to a workspace that works as hard as you do. If you’re unsure what aesthetic you’d like to create for your office makeover, our expert designers are here to help narrow down your selections. Our team in Victoria BC has transformed ordinary into Incredible for many happy clients. Contact us today by phone or email to get started on your custom office storage and functional pieces as part of your design project today.
