A home office is a loaded topic. Often times, your home office is a little area you clear out for yourself and it’s certainly nothing special. But what if how you feel about your home office design is reflected in the work you do there? Today, we will be talking about the importance of a proper work space as well get you started with some good ideas.
Look around your work space; what does it say about you? Is it cluttered? Stuffed in a corner? Among exercise equipment and a dusty yoga mat? Whatever it looks like, does it reflect you and the work you are trying to do? That’s the most important question.
Your surroundings affect your productivity as well as other important things, like, you know, happiness. In the last few years, since quitting my job and starting my own business (based from home!), I have become super sensitive to the state of my home. My home office design matters greatly.
I live in a small apartment that serves many purposes. It’s a pretty open floor plan, as far as apartments go, so clutter in one space means clutter in all spaces. If I’m sitting on the couch and the desk is a mess, well, then the living room is also a mess because it’s the same space. Ya feel me?
Your mind views it as a whole and doesn’t see invisible room boundaries.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been Marie Kondo-ing my home basically since January. In the last couple months, I’ve sold so much stuff on Facebook Marketplace, and I have never felt better about my home. Let me clarify, the way I feel about my home isn’t “Oh, this looks nice and I like the design” (which, I do). It’s more of a giant sigh of relief, an inner calmness, a deep security.
We are biologically programmed to maintain our space and set it up for optimal wellness. When we don’t, there’s a disconnect and your body is uneasy.
This is why I am passionate about interiors and how they affect your psyche. Even the first cavemen were probably like, “Hey, that rock looks better over there” or “Let’s find a cave with more natural light”. So, let’s set you up with a home office design that’s light, bright, and perfect for productivity. Sound good?
Your Home Office Design
All photos courtesy of Emily Henderson
Recently, Emily Henderson revealed her newly flipped mountain house. Doesn’t that just sound dreamy? It’s the perfect example of how she took an awkward space and turned it into a neutral oasis that is perfect for contemplation and important work. So, let’s dissect this space!
Emily chose a neutral palette, tons of natural elements, and a minimalist aesthetic. You know the old adage, “cluttered space, cluttered mind”? Well, it’s true.
By minimizing what’s in your environment, you will maximize the mental space you have to work on the task at hand.
There won’t be unnecessary stimuli in your home office design so your mind can concentrate even better. We have surely evolved over the years, but your mind is still constantly scanning its environment for threats like it expects a mammoth to come charging in. Pretty primitive, right? So, let’s just work with the mind we have and give it a mammoth-free environment where it can just chill out and focus.
A neutral palette is a good jumping off point, but that also doesn’t mean it’s right for you. In Chinese Feng Shui, red is actually a great color to use! Yes, RED. Red is my least favorite color because it’s just so aggressive. If your style is somewhere between a Scandinavian minimalist and Feng Shui red lover, then that’s the palette your home office design needs.
For me, personally, I prefer a neutral palette with pops of color and pattern through art and textiles. I’ve tried the all neutral path, I’ve tried the moody dark room path, and neither were right for me. I’m a creative, so I prefer my surroundings to be calm, but with a little spark (just like my mind!).
Emily is an interior stylist, blogger, author, former TV star, Target partner, the list goes on. With that many hats in the air, this lady needs some peace! Wide open spaces in her mountain house loft was just the ticket. Our bodies relax in nature, so bringing nature indoors or even just pulling back your curtains for better light will work wonders.
Now, large spaces aren’t ideal for everyone. I am used to small (read: very small) spaces, so I feel like this giant loft with huge ceilings wouldn’t be my ideal work space. Can you see what Emily did to bring down the ceiling height visually? She added a decorative mobile.
I feel like work spaces should be on the smaller side, but that’s just me; that’s how I thrive. By installing a light fixture or mobile from a great height, you are visually creating another plane and shortening the distance between you and the ceiling. Visual trickery, you see. It just makes the mind more comfortable.
Because there are so many “hard” elements like wood and tall glass windows in Emily’s office, it’s important to soften things up. You’re giving your mind a visual cushion and your body a literal cushion. Adding textiles like rugs, pillows, and cozy seating will make your mind feel right at home and ready to work.
Ah, the big one: office storage. HOW OH HOW will you make your office storage not be a complete eye sore? Easy! Don’t buy things labeled as office storage. It sounds counter-intuitive, sure, but it’s a winning strategy.
Go to estate sales, shop local thrift stores, and buy secondhand to get a really nice piece of solid furniture that will be great for storage. Kitchen and dining storage is often decorative but always functional. Check out that console, the buffet, the bookcase with doors. You’ll be surprised what a nice piece of furniture with concealed storage will do for your home office design. Then just style it so it doesn’t look like storage!
What about your home office design could use some tweaking so that the space suits you better? School just started, so I know you might be financially tapped out. Who can just buy everything for a new space on a whim? Well, lucky for you, my friend, that’s not necessary.
I’m a HUGE advocate of shopping your own home. I just wrote a post on ways to use your outdoor furniture indoors, so everything you need to spruce up/create your office, you might already have! You can even use your outdoor rug indoors! There are a ton of neutral outdoor rugs that will probably be on clearance right now, so check the sales section.
Are you ready to tweak your home office design? Your mind and thriving business will thank you. Message me with any questions you might have; I’m happy to help, always. Happy designing!
-Kristen
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- Emily Henderson’s Portland Project Reveal
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