The perfect home office is more than just a surface to work on when you work from home. Sometimes it’s the only thing standing between “Mondayitis” and an otherwise highly productive morning. Your work environment has a huge impact on morale and work ethic, so it needs to be designed just right.

Creating an inspired office space is about more than encouraging productivity. As a reflection of your personality and profession, it should be stylish and welcoming as well. Striking the right balance between design and function is absolutely crucial.

How to Create a Stylish Office When You Work From Home

1. Stay Away From Social Zones

Just because your room is labeled ‘study’ on the custom house plans doesn’t mean you need to stick with that. Selecting the best location for you to work on your dreams and goals is a very personal decision and will differ between every remote worker.

Best practice is to choose a space removed from the main kitchen and living area. Stay away from zones prone to loud social interactions and distraction. Not only will you find it difficult to concentrate in that vicinity, but the sensation of ‘missing out’ could prove a temptation.

2. Light Up Your Workstation

Attempt to work in a dimly lit, stuffy room and even menial tasks will start to feel strenuous. Ensure you create your home office somewhere that has plenty of access to natural light, then place your desk right by the window. This will wake you quickly in the morning and heighten engagement throughout the day.

While most custom homes feature large windows in every room, older builds often lack that open and airy feel. In this instance, select artificial lighting for your home office that compliments the room and brightens up your workspace. Drop lights, when installed at the correct height, are an ideal solution.

3. Select a Functional Desk

Your desk is the glue that holds your home office together. It should be bought with consideration and prior research, not on a whim. The configuration of your workspace will change the ebb and flow of the room, not to mention your filing system.

Always look to the future while you’re out desk-hunting. The best home office will grow alongside your business, so give yourself plenty of opportunity to expand. Drawers and built-in shelves, while not always pretty, are a complete must-have.

If a corporate aesthetic resonates with you, go for a sleek glass top. For something more characterful, an untreated wooden desktop provides warmth and interest. You could even swap out the table legs for a vintage market find!

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4. Then Comes All the Rest

A filing cabinet and extra shelving are the known essentials of a home office. But what about those smaller details? Magazine racks, notebooks, stationery, a multi-function printer and calculator. Seems overwhelming? The greatest freedom of a home office is that the space is entirely yours.

Don’t hold back on losing the formal tone, inject some of your personality into your decor. Character is what makes the space unique to you! If you want to burn a vanilla-infused candle or listen to metal rock, there’s no one to stop you.

5. Don’t Forget the Time!

Time, something we always talk about but never seem to have enough of. Keep a clock beside your computer to keep track of your hours at work. One of the biggest roadblocks for remote workers to overcome is being able to ‘clock off’ and take valuable downtime at the end of the day.

In having the physical presence of time it becomes harder to ignore and will help to separate the time between your personal and professional life. Achieving work-life balance is a healthy and essential for a happier, more productive you.

6. Ready to go Green?

Never underestimate the power of nature for your wellbeing. Indoor plants are more than just a trend, they’re part of a broader lifestyle choice. From overgrown, bohemian climbers by your window to small terrariums that keep your laptop company.

Studies have shown that plants not only purify the air from harmful toxins but have a positive effect on your mental health. They can reduce stress and fatigue to enhance your productivity, while flowers deliver a calm and secure atmosphere. The best species for your office will be subtropical and able to acclimatize; think Pothos or Aloe.

Do you work from home? How do you create a stylish home office?