Life
Time To Design a Better Home Office?
How do you decide what is important in a new home office?
For me it is important to keep in mind that I will be spending a full third of my life at least in that office space. I cannot compromise and choose a desk chair simply because it is the least expensive possible. I will be spending a great deal of time in that chair – I need to make it a good one.
I also will be looking at everything in that office – ALOT. Ideally the space would have plenty of windows in order to access natural daylight. This is especially critical in the winter months when daylight is precious.
See assistance if necessary to make the space as natural as possible while also allowing for maximum storage and work space opportunities. It is much easier to overestimate up front rather than trying to come up with space after the design is done and there is less flexibility. Seeking office design assistance really eliminates so much stress and you can think more about what you are looking for and someone else can do the work to make it happen.
I find color extremely important. I love color! White walls are okay but not when I am working in my office and need creative inspiration. I need colors that energize and make me happy. Do you want your office space to be calming or energizing? Relaxing or exhilarating? I am totally the energizing type of person and I would choose colors that meet that need such as red and violet but I also want “happy” so I would incorporate green, orange and yellow. The combination of orange and green or orange and violet make me feel best for sure. If you are not sure what colors evoke which types of responses then you can certainly speak to a consultant. They are experienced in the psychology of color.
The desk area should either have two desks or a table/desk that can easily accommodate two people. At any given point in time while I am doing work, one of my children (11 and 16) decides they have a need to also do work. I am working very hard to teach them that they will not need to work a 9 to 5 job when they get older as long as they start making plans now and doing some early work. They remember that every time they see me sit down to complete my work. The best way to model success is for me to include them in the process.
Lastly, space is at a premium in our house – as it is in most houses. Most people don’t have an assortment of spare rooms to create spaces for everything. I do have a craft room but I am not willing to give that up for an office space. What I do have is a spare bedroom that can be redesigned to be a multipurpose space – office and guest room. Then I have a permanent office and whenever the kids or family come to stay – there is still a guest room.
What would you love in a home office space if you could have anything you want?