2020 has seen a rise in the need for proper home offices to work from home. Sitting on the sofa is fine for online shopping, but if you intend to do real work from home, it’s important to curate a space that supports productivity. Our interior designers have weighed in on their must-haves for a functional and beautiful home office.
The first must-have for a productive work-from-home set up is proper seating. The right seating is ergonomically healthy, with a seat height that is comfortable for whatever surface you’ll be working on. If you have a flexible work style, a large armchair is right for relaxing with a phone in hand. If your WFH set up is more rigid — one that requires multiple monitors, paperwork, and desk tools — you’ll want to work at a desk and have a chair that will sit comfortably at one, too. We recommend chairs that allow you to comfortably rest your forearms on your desk without raising or lowering them. Personal preference will inform whether you want a stationary chair or one on casters. Lastly, choose a comfortable chair with proper leg and back support. Sitting for hours in a chair that’s too hard, like a traditional dining chair, can cause pain and quickly make working from home miserable. At O.P. Jenkins, we have many beautiful desk chair options that make your office chair look like a thing of the past. High-quality desk chairs are available in leather, upholstery, and more.
The next piece of furniture to consider in working from home should be an investment piece: your desk. Desks come in a variety of finishes, shapes, and sizes. While it’s always important to consider scale, we recommend getting a desk in the largest size your working space can accommodate. This will allow plenty of room for both electronics and spreading out paperwork, as well as a comfortable amount of surface area for writing and typing. A beautiful and sturdy desk can be an heirloom piece and makes any office a room to show off.
Next to consider is storage. Don’t settle for unattractive manilla file drawers! Many other beautiful pieces of furniture can be utilized for both accessible and hidden storage. Bookshelves come in a variety of styles that perfectly blend the home and office spaces into an area that has a purpose and warmth. Beautiful consoles look like decorative sideboards, but they offer hidden storage with shelves or drawers.
Lastly, add beautiful lighting and accessories. While working from home may be a pain, use this area to relish in the freedom from fluorescent lights and lifeless colors. With an office at home, you can add warmth with soft lamps, meaningful art on the walls, and greenery for accessories. Don’t skip this step. Our designers want to emphasize that the details make the difference. You may be shocked at the finished look that accessories create.
If you’re struggling to find ways to create a beautiful space, we can help. The interior designers at O.P. Jenkins are experts in updating spaces in big ways and small, to create areas that feel new.
At O.P. Jenkins, our interior design services are complimentary. Schedule an appointment with us today.