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Fierce Living

Styling Your Home Office for Productivity and Style

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Dollarphotoclub_90047439Gone are the days of a musty gray cubicle.

With the rise of the telecommuting job and entrepreneurism, your workspace is yours to design and create. If you have some extra room in your home or apartment, arranging an office space will greatly help you boost your productivity.

You know you want your office to be ergonomic and efficient, and yet it should have an edge of style to it. While it may seem like you’re asking for a lot, there are some tips out there to help you create a space both functional and beautiful.

Sound too good to be true? Keep reading!

Think Clean Lines

When you’re at work in your home office, you want all of your focus to go on the project at hand. In order to minimize distraction, keep clutter and knick-knacks to a minimum. It’s okay if you don’t file everything as soon as it comes in, but have a set bin or file where it goes to keep it out of your valuable workspace.

Clean lines can be created in numerous ways. From the furniture you select to the way you keep your desktop, you can create maximum space in even a tiny office. Pick a modern desk with metal or glass pulls for a classic look. If you already have a nice desk but don’t like the color, paint it in a light, neutral shade. Clean lines create a clean and creative mind!

Pick an Accent Piece

If everything in your office is pretty but bland, spice things up a bit with a show-stopping accent piece. A warm and cozy chair in a velvet material will draw the eye but won’t distract you from your work. Or maybe you’re into artwork. Go ahead and splurge on a cool world map and mark all of the places you’ve been or want to go.

An accent piece should be either functional or inspire you, or if you’re lucky enough, it will do double duty. Think outside the box with what your accent piece will be. A rug or a lamp is a perfect choice, but you could also create an accent wall with a customized quote that inspires your creativity!

Focus on Lighting

It’s easy to want to jump right into the paint color you’re going to select for your walls or the furniture you’re budgeting to buy. And while that’s great, you should also make sure you’re researching the lighting you’ll have in your home office.

Natural lighting is perfect, but sometimes, when you are working on a computer screen, the glare can become annoying. If you don’t have a window or the light is too harsh during your work hours, invest in some warm and inviting lighting!

Floor lamps can be beautiful and functional, casting direct light if needed or a glow to fill the room. If you’re tight on floor space, you’ll want to consider a lamp for your desktop or track lighting. Good lighting will make it easier for you to stay focused on projects without squinting.

Keep It Cozy

Working in your home office just got even better. A few studies have revealed comfort in an office can actually increase work productivity. So break out some pillows, make that tea and get to work!

To create the perfect realm of comfort in your home office, keep some feng shui principles in mind when you’re setting up your office and purchasing your furniture. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

  • Keep your chair in a location where you can see the door.
  • Have a view out a window, if possible.
  • Bring nature indoors with some easy-to-keep houseplants.
  • Separate your home office from the rest of your life. Ideally, this would be by closing a door, but a curtain or standing divider will work.
  • Keep cords hidden to minimize unnecessary clutter.

By “keep it cozy,” we don’t mean add a bed into your office — the goal is to work, not nap. However, a beanbag chair or a soft blanket may just be your ticket to achieving those goals!

Create Sensible Storage

If there is one thing you won’t be able to live without in your office, it is storage and lots of it. Whether you’re using your office for business or just personal use will affect the type and amount of storage you’ll need.

The main goal with storage is to create a place for everything, which will reduce the stress of not being able to find what you’re looking for — we all know that feeling too well. Sensible storage means it’s functional and easy to organize. It’s great if you have a shelf that is three feet deep, but is it really practical if you’re only going to place books on it for display?

Probably not. The form should fit the function, so before you splurge on storage bins and cubbies, figure out what you’ll be storing. If you want certain items out in the open, how will you display and store them? If you’re looking to hide away paper clutter, you’ll need a way to file all items to keep your desktop clear.

With some of the above items taken into account for your home office design, you’ll have a dazzling workspace in no time!


 

Savannah Hemmings, She is Fierce! Contributor

Savannah Hemmings

Savannah Hemmings is a lifestyle blogger and personal stylist. She has a passion for equal wages, guacamole and chickory coffee from New Orleans. When she isn’t writing about her favorite design trends, you can most likely find her training for her latest marathon.

Connect with Savannah… Sincerely Savannah, Twitter

 

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