Designing Your Home Workspace

Too often we’re forced to work in inhospitable, inconvenient, or simply uninspiring environments. The beauty of designing your own home office from the ground up is the opportunity to tailor the space to meet your own specific needs. When designing your own perfect workspace, it’s important to include small touches that will help you get the most productivity and enjoyment out of your office.

What Inspires You?

When designing your office, try to incorporate things that will make you enjoy your home office enough to spend long hours in it if necessary. Once, for example, I worked with a customer who wanted a bookshelf with a secret room — a bathroom — hidden behind it. Touches of inspiration don’t need to be that elaborate though. Even an article, photograph, or a painting that captures your imagination will do — just as long as it’s something fun and interesting that induces creativity but maintains a work-friendly state of mind.

Don’t Forget the Details

The small details can really make or break a workspace. Lighting, temperature, and acoustics can influence how you feel about the room. Even the practical details of outlet locations or HDMI cables will be important to you once you begin working in a new space.

Keep in mind the natural lighting available at the time of day you will be working. If you locate your space in a sunny area, then you may have to close your blinds. The presence of children or heavy traffic near your home can affect noise level. When choosing paint, pick colors that feel positive and motivate you to keep working. Avoid colors and lighting that might evoke negative emotions.

If you choose to hire a designer, find someone who’s created office spaces before — they’ll be more familiar with what’s appropriate, and they can help you envision exactly what you want. Give your designer a list of things that are important to you in your workspace. Attention to details will make the creative process smoother and keep you focused.

Working with an Existing Space

It’s easy to take whatever space you’ve got to the next level. Remodeling a room can be costly, but there are small touches that can radically improve a space. A new coat of paint in a color you like is an affordable way to transform your home office. Try an online paint store like Behr, which lets you visualize the colors. Make sure to choose a color that will keep your mood high.

Another inexpensive upgrade that you can make is wireless technology. That way, you can avoid drilling holes in a wall for wires you don’t need. If ever you decide to convert the space to serve a different purpose, it won’t have scars.

If you aren’t sure where to start, check out Houzz — it’s a great aggregator of new, fresh looks for outfitting your space. Working from home, whether it is a full-time arrangement or simply a place to get some extra projects done, can be productive and enjoyable. Don’t just stick a desk in a corner of a room; create a working get-away. 

About the author

Russ Anderson is the owner of Anderson Homes, which provides high-end quality homes with modern amenities such as media rooms, wet bars, and commercial-style kitchens at a price that is below market value. Anderson began building homes in 2003, and he has since built more than 200 homes, commercial buildings, and multi-family units. He approaches each home as an artist would a canvas, crafting a masterpiece.

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