How to Create the Ultimate Home Office

If you work from home then you’re probably aware of difficult it can be to stop your work life from spilling into the rest of your home. One of the best ways to help contain and separate work from personal life is to set up a home office you feel comfortable spending the day in. And while everyone’s home office is going to look a little bit different based on your needs and the type of work that you do, there are a few key components that go into creating it that just about everyone should follow.

Creating the Ultimate Home Office

No matter where in your home you’ve designated your work space, or how much space you have, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the best office set up possible in your Richmond home addition.

Ample Space and an Empty Room

The first thing you need to do is start with a totally empty space. Clean everything out of there from your desk to anything that might be stored or displayed there. This is crucial, because you’re probably used to thinking of the room in a certain way. And that way might not be the best setup for your needs. By starting with a completely empty room, you get a fresh perspective on what it is you can do there.

Now take a look at what you need in terms of space. Do you need storage? Work tables? Extra seating? Do you use more than one computer during your day? Start to plan out the room according to your needs. For example, if you use multiple screens how can you best position them in the space – does it make sense to hang one the wall or do you need an L shaped desk set up that lets you swivel between them? With an empty room, you can see the many different possibilities for laying out your things so you can get the best configuration for your needs, rather than trying to cram everything into the existing layout of the space.

Use Your Walls

Desks, chairs, and filing cabinets are pretty much a given in the home office, but what are you doing with your walls? By tapping into this previously unused expanse of space, you can gain a lot more function and storage out of your home office.

Consider covering one board in cork to allow you to pin things right at eye level. Or get your computer up off the desk and hang the screen on the wall so you can see it better. Shelves, white boards, cubbies, and peg board racks are all great ways to help you organize your home office without taking up a lot of space. So even if your home office was once a walk-in closet, you can still fit in everything you need into the space as long as you look up rather than down.

Lots of Light

On average most people who work from home spend about 10 hours a day in their home office. That’s a lot of hours to be squinting in a poorly lit room. Every well lit room needs three types of lighting:

• Ambient lighting that lights the whole space – overhead or recessed lighting fits into this category
• Spot lighting that illuminates things on the walls, such as your bulletin board, or things you store on your shelves
• Task lighting that illuminates your desk and work area, such as desk lamps, under cabinet lighting, and even under desk lighting

With all the time you spend in your home office, you need to make sure it’s well lit. Use a combination of all three types of lighting, and invest in some good full spectrum light bulbs to help you feel as though you’re working in natural light – even if you never get the time to go outside.

And while you’re working on the lighting, be sure to invest in some additional power strips or outlets as well, so you can keep everything in the room running at once.

Invest in Good Seating

The type of desk or work table you use in your home office should come second to your seating. Get a good office chair that supports your back and lets you adjust the height for optimum comfort no matter what height of table you’re working at. If you work at more than one desk, or at an L-shaped station, make sure the chair rolls easily, and adjusts height easily as well. Remember that no matter how great your office looks, if you aren’t comfortable working there, you more than likely won’t be in there for long.

Bring in Some Personal Touches

Finally, make sure you bring in plenty of things that make you happy in the space. From the color of the walls to what you display on your desk, you need to personalize your office. Remember that despite being in your house, your home office is where you go to work each day; if you aren’t happy there, you’ll just find excuses to be somewhere else. So take the items you need, from a coffee maker to some posters to ensure you get what you need out of the space.

Set Up Your Office

Your home office is more important than you may think it is. While technically all you may need is a work station and a chair, a well laid out home office can help increase your productivity, while enhancing your enjoyment of the work. Take the time to set up your home office using this guide and find yourself enjoying the freedom of working from home more than ever before.