Working from home can be tricky without a dedicated desk or workstation, whether you’re doing it in your free time or as part of your work schedule.
Rather than lying upside-down on your bed or hunching over a crowded desk, you should turn your home office into a place you can show off to the entire internet! Here’s our quick checklist on how to create your own Instagram-worthy home office:
Add some personality
Trying to follow Instagram trends in your design will usually backfire. A good home office matches the style and preferences of the person who use it most, so incorporating your own style choices makes a big difference in how the room looks and feels.
For example, a nature-lover might want some small potted shrubs and desk plants to fill in empty spaces, whereas somebody who’s a fan of tropic holidays might choose some small palm trees instead. These are both plants, but they work best in different styles and add different types of personality to the room.
Balance form and function
Think about what you actually do in your office and adjust it based on your personal needs: a swivel chair for corner desks with screens on each side, an overhead light for artists with a permanent drawing space, and so on.
This can also extend to breaks – if you eat lunch in your office on workdays, make sure you’ve got somewhere you can eat without putting your work at risk, such as a separate desk or collapsible tray-table. This can lead to some excellent social media photos, especially if you can show off any quirky gimmick furniture you’ve installed.
Control incoming light
Poor or excessive lighting can lead to really awkward working conditions, so managing the light your office receives makes a significant difference. Curtains, blinds, room dividers, desk lamps, glass tints and overhead lighting can all be used to control the amount of light in the area, letting you adjust how bright or dim your working conditions are.
Don’t forget the weather
If your new home office is breezy in summer, it’ll still be breezy in winter. A change in weather or temperature can turn ideal conditions into a nightmare, so being prepared is important.
Heat is usually the biggest issue, but there are certain types you can get installed to keep heat balanced in all kinds of weather. Looking into commercial vinyl flooring might be a good way to prevent this, especially if you want to lay the flooring yourself.
Pick a nice chair
Your chair is the heart and soul of your work environment, so don’t worry if it doesn’t fit with your theme or style – you can always take photos without it in the shot. What matters is that it’s comfortable, sturdy and able to be adjusted to your exact needs.
The design issue can be alleviated with some clever thinking: if its colours don’t match your personal style, consider draping it with a blanket or thin rug that’ll make it more suited to your tastes. Not only does this help protect it from overuse, but it means that you’ll always have a blanket on hand if you spill something or need to stay warm in winter.