Creating the perfect home-office

More and more people are choosing to work from home these days. Whether it’s to spend more time with the kids, cut down on commuting or to follow their entrepreneurial dreams; people everywhere are saying goodbye to the traditional office and hello to the more casual home office. However, let’s not forget that working from home can pose its own challenges.

Here are some tips on how to make your workspace, inspiring and business ready. I’ve also included a couple of Feng Shui tips to get you off to a prosperous start:

Get Inspired: It’s very important to determine the feel of a space. Do you want a space that’s sophisticated or funky? Are you more drawn to pieces that exude a sense of luxury or are you more inclined to pick artistic items? Your office should be a place where you feel inspired and surrounding yourself with beautiful things can help get those creative juices flowing. You can do this through framed pictures, artwork, home accessories or anything else you are drawn to.

Put those Blinders on: It’s very easy to get distracted when your office is in the same space as the rest of your life. Define your space and make sure that you assign a separate space for your office – not necessarily a separate room – just a space that can be cordoned off with room dividers when you’re working. Don’t think this can’t be accomplished in a small space. We custom designed an armoire for one client’s living room that doubled as a filing cabinet and office desk for work; and folded back into a piece of furniture for play.

Choose with Feng Shui: Never put your home office in your bedroom. The energy in your bedroom should be calm and relaxing so you can wake-up rejuvenated and ready to work. The activities we perform in a space add to its overall energy and you don’t want to feel stressed out about a project as you’re trying to unwind and fall asleep.

Let there be Light: It’s very important to have the right lighting in an office as we all know that lighting affects our mood. Don’t think it’s true? Just think about how you feel on a gloomy day. A workspace should always be well lit. Bright spaces make you alert and ready for action. This doesn’t mean that the lighting has to be that obnoxious florescent lighting that’s used in most offices; you can use multiple warm lights to make the space bright. There are plenty of energy-saving warm lighting options to choose from on the market.

Keep it Neat: Organizing the space is the first step in setting up a functional office.  The basic principal of Feng Shui states, that in order for a venture to thrive in a space, there needs to be free flowing energy. This means there cannot be blocks of clutter or disorganisation that traps energy and makes it stagnant. The rule of thumb for organizing is to use the vertical space, but don’t overdo it or you’ll feel boxed in. Wall mounted shelves add an illusion of space as your eye travels to the wall.

Does your home office inspire you? Tell us about how you made your office inspiring. Or if you have questions related to your home office, let me help to get you going.