Home office in 2022

Presumably, you have stumbled upon the phrase “home office”. Whether you yourself need to create one soon, or some of your relatives or friends have talked about this topic – home offices are a thing these days, especially if you often work remotely. But this requirement popped up amidst the chaos so suddenly, that most people didn’t have the time to adjust their homes or construct a whole new room. Some time has passed, and you are right to think that there is an answer to the question - how can one squeeze a personal office in a small apartment or in already occupied rooms? Let’s find out! 

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A separate room or existing space

The first thing you have to do, of course, is to choose your home office’s location. You have to take into consideration many different factors, such as – the free space in your home, your own preferences (perhaps you are not very happy about the idea of turning the attic into your home office, or you are scared of small spaces, so the Harry Potter-like office under the stairs is not an option), where the natural light is more available etc. Each of these things will affect your productivity as well as personal well-being.

If you already have a spare room that you can dedicate to this converting to an office, that’s great, nothing works best like a separate room that draws a line between work and personal life, but if not, you will have to get creative and create a workspace yourself.

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Separate space is as good as separate room

Worry not if there is no room available to turn into a home office, as long as you can dedicate some space for work in an already occupied room, without interfering with your home life, you will do just fine. 

To create your office corner, you will have to choose which room to “sacrifice” – whether it is the dining room or the living room, there are some rules you have to stick to. The first is that you should avoid any distractions. If you work in a living room, bear in mind that the TV or magazines on your coffee desk might seem tempting to drop a quick glance at. If you have no problems with that, and are a master of temptation, you can go on and create your work space in the living room. But, perhaps, you are a keen coffee fanatic, and drink coffee not for your pleasure, but to purely survive, then, maybe it is best to consider creating your office space in the kitchen, so that the nectar of life is right at your fingertips and you don’t have to constantly take breaks from work to make a cup or two. 

Where do you feel most productive? What is your work style? Which place already has most things you need for work? Think about these things and it will be easier to create your office. Some of us don’t even need a desk to work and are more productive at filling Excel sheets while laying on the couch, rather than sitting behind a desk. If you are one of those people – move your home office to your couch (just be careful - try not to turn into a couch potato)! Try to seperate your desired spot from your ordinary life. If you cannot do that with extra walls and doors, a simple curtain or sliding door will help detach work from home. 

After you have chosen the lucky location, you can get to the furnishing part. For your small office to do its job, you’ll need a small table. If there is enough space for one – great! You can try getting a transparent one, so that your office spot does not look too busy as it would if you opt for a dark brown table, for example. 

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If there’s not enough space for a decent table, lucky for you, such things as wall-mounted tables exist. Those are attached to the wall, so after you are done working, you can just fold it against the wall, and it will look just like a part of it – no one could even guess that it is actually a table! And the best part is – this table does not take any free space of the room when folded, so you can attach it to practically any free wall that you have! 

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Health before work

While working from home, you mustn't forget about your well being and health. As our parents used to say - sit up straight, don’t sit too close to the monitor, and keep the room well lit. Your job is not worth destroying your health, so take care of yourself. 

Since there might not be enough space for a big, comfortable office chair with luxury back supports, you can take care of your health in other ways, for example, via lighting. Why is that important? Well, light can affect your health and productivity - studies show that daylight regulates your sleep-wake cycle, thus your sleep quality is improved. And a well rested person is also more productive and in a better mood. It is also a fact that those, who are exposed to natural light during their working hours, score better results. Also, daylight is not as harsh on your eyes as artificial light is, which is the reason why these workers have fewer headaches caused by eye tiredness and eye strain. Increased vitamin D intake is also worth mentioning. 

If sun rays have no way of reaching your workspace, you will have to do with artificial lighting. Try to mimic natural light as well as possible. For paperwork and other focus-demanding tasks, you should try adjustable desk lamps. Those will help you by providing a direct, well-defined light. You can also add a decorative light source to your main one. This way, the room will be better illuminated and your home office will also get a nice, warm vibe. 

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Did you know that air quality also impacts our health and well-being? You don’t necessarily have to buy those fancy air humidifiers or purifiers - good old mother nature can take care of your air quality. So go fetch a plant or two. Not only will they benefit your body, but also, your workstation will look more cosy, organic, and peaceful. Everything has to be in balance, so go on and put a bonsai tree, your new piece of peace, next to those documents that you had to sign two weeks ago. 

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Separate office vibe

Make your office stand out from the other rooms in your house so that you don’t feel as if your home life is connected to work. Different environment and design in the office room will help you get that inner peace after a hard day of work. 

This can be acquired even without much construction work - did you know that there are self-adhesive wallpapers? You can choose a professional-looking wallpaper, simply stick it to one of your walls like a sticker (or apply the wallpaper to all of them) and you are good to go! It’s fast, easy, and most importantly- your home office will get a completely different vibe from the rest of your house. DeccoPrint offers various wallpaper designs - from elegant tropical, flora and fauna related designs, to fancy looking art deco wallpapers. Those types of wallpapers can be ripped off without damaging the wall, (if done right) so you can change those even according to seasons or occasions, if you like. 

As decors, you can choose items that inspire and motivate you to work, for example canvas or posters with inspirational quotes. The Success City is one of the companies that has an appealing section of motivating canvas. But if you wish, you can also create your own design, or find another image to print on canvas, they offer that option too! Try looking up companies that print various designs on products, and get creative! Order your own customised coffee mug, or a mouse pad to make your little office more personalised. Also, it’s a great idea to get a nice framed picture of your family or your furry friend, so you don’t forget who you are grinding for.

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Use space wisely

Even in the tiniest home office, you can squeeze in all the necessities for work, if you do that wisely. For example, you should try using all the space available vertically. Set up shelves above your desk to store all your work stuff, so that it doesn't take up much space on your desk or the space around you. 

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In conclusion

Hopefully these tips helped you get at least some fresh ideas for your upcoming home office project. Now go, make the best of it!