Home Office Design

Get the best out of your home office. You are saving a ridiculous amount of time by not travelling to and from work each day when you set up an office at home. But if the environment isn't functional and your use of the space less than efficient, you may not reap the benefits.

In creating a work area at home you want it to be able to operate independently from the rest of the house.

Have you thought about converting a garden shed or garage into a work area? Or having a dedicated building installed in the garden that you can then make into an office? I have even read of an office being constructed in a tree house, so think laterally about where you have space that could be used (and just imagine how lovely it would to be stuck up a tree all day!).

If you aren't lucky enough to have a dedicated room, what are your office options? You need to create a space in another place and the dining room is a perfect spot for doubling up. There is already a table and chairs (although you should invest in a dedicated work chair - you are going to be sitting for several hours a day and don't want to end up with backache). You probably already have plenty of lamps and good dedicated lighting in the dining room and adding another piece of storage that won't look out of place shouldn't be too tricky if you pick a unit that matches your existing colour scheme.

If you need to adopt a corner of the lounge, try and make sure that you position your desk on the same side of the room as the door and preferably behind where it opens into the space. That way, if you don't tidy up at the end of everyday, a cluttered desk isn't the first thing that people see when they walk into the room. I would urge you to invest in a screen. Whether you opt for a Japanese-style paper design, an old-fashioned fabric piece or even a wooden screen, this can be moved into place to disguise the work area and moved out of the way when you have nothing to hide.

Avoid working in the bedroom if you can. You need to get away from the office and if work is on your mind when you go to bed, and within easy reach, it's a recipe for an unsettled night.

I started out with a fairly chaotic approach to the 'office environment' when I started working from home but quickly realised that I needed to address a few specific issues.

Time is money: Don't start doing all the jobs that you used to fit in at the weekend during your working day.

Good communication is a must: Have a dedicated phone, fax and internet line for your work.

Organisation is essential: Make sure that you have storage, then get some storage, and finally bring in some more storage. There is nothing more off-putting when you start the working day than piles of papers on the floor and a desk littered with literature.

Layout is key: Set up the space so that information you need instant access to is positioned near to the desk. Occasional reference material can go in a cupboard on the other side of the room.

Safety is an issue: Keep an eye on the number of plugs going into sockets and extension leads and keep cabling organised so that it doesn't get into a spaghetti-like state.

Lighting must be right: Get dedicated task lighting. Do position a lamp on your desk but don't allow it to reflect on the screen.

You need a good ambience: I have an 'energising' scented candle to burn and keep flowers on my desk.

Avoid distractions: Position your office away from the busy or family areas of the home.

Make it a dedicated space: Try and keep the office area clear of anything that isn't related to your work.

If you try to implement as many of the above as possible, you should find working from home works for you.


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