Working from home? How to Create a Home Office Space

Nowadays more companies are implementing agile working conditions allowing employees to work from home or work remotely. This reformation of the strict 9-5 office day has proven to increase levels of productivity and job satisfaction among employees. 

However, to ensure productivity at home it is important to create a space in which you can work comfortably. We chat to interior designers Lauren Martin and Louise Rankin of North Design to learn more about creating an office space in the home. 

1. Nowadays more people are working remotely or from home. How important is it to have a dedicated home office space to work in? 

If you have a job where you can work remotely it’s very important to consider creating a home office. If you have the luxury of a spare box/smaller room in your house, it can be transformed into a multifunctional space. You can invest in floor to ceiling joinery the room can double up as that extra storage space as a lot of us need. Or you can fit a sofa bed in the room so it’s still usable as a spare bedroom.

If you don’t have a room that you can dedicate solely to an office space, have a look at the current areas in your home. A great way to conceal an office space is within joinery. Joinery usually works on those long walls in your house that you are struggling to fill. Use these walls to your advantage to gain extra storage and desk space. The desk space can be open within the joinery or concealed. 

We have designed a couple of concealed options for residential clients in the past year as shown in the images below, these options were in smaller houses which had to incorporate a working space into their living areas, these designs give the home owners great flexibility to conceal away their office space when not in use. 

2. Where is the best place to start with an interior design project like this?

Start with the basics. Firstly, consider what you need and what you want to get from the space. Consider how you work and what equipment you need. 

For example, how much storage do you require, and do you use a laptop, monitor or multiple monitors? This will help you to determine the desk space you need and give you a better idea where this will work in your home. 

Ask yourself questions like “will it be full time or part time usage?” and “will it need to be an adaptable space?” Evaluate the noise levels in the house and if you have children consider where they will be at your time of work. Think about light and lighting in your office space - do you like the space you work in to be bright and airy or do you like it to be dark? These questions will steer you in the direction of colour for the space and location in terms of brightness and window light for your screen time. 

3. What elements should a home office include?

This is dependent on your space options. We always recommend looking into wireless options: they give you more flexibility with layout as you’re not confined to working beside one plug socket. There is a lot less to our equipment now with the likes of wireless, the cloud and Dropbox. 

More people are leading paperless lives and requiring less storage space. However, if you do require more equipment for your home office, there are endless options for smart desk tidies on the market. IKEA now have a super office section which includes desk tidies and clever storage hacks.

4. Is there a link between home office interiors and worker’s motivation and inspiration? 

Absolutely! A space which is catered to your needs and well thought-out will encourage ease of working. If you can, imagine the difference between working in a clean space that is set up as you need it, compared with a space that may be cluttered or have hazardous extension leads running across the room due to lack of pre-planning. There is no doubt that a well thought out space, with no distractions will encourage a good working environment. 

5. Where can a home office space be incorporated in smaller homes?

We get asked this question a lot, clients needing a home office to work from but having no idea where to incorporate it into their home. We encourage clients to use those unused nook areas or long walls in your home that you are struggling to fill or put furniture in. 

Use these areas to your advantage to gain extra storage space and desk space by creating a wall of joinery. These desk spaces can be concealed or on show within the joinery, giving those with a smaller home the option to conceal away their desk space so visitors will never know it’s there!

6. Can a home office be created on a budget?

Of course it can! IKEA is amazing for design-led affordable office pieces. We find the best way of designing a space on a budget is to mix pieces. You don’t necessarily want a room that is all IKEA as it can be quite recognisable. We encourage our clients to mix IKEA with different brands to create a more unique space. 

Paint is an excellent source when on a budget, it’s an affordable and flexible product and you can do yourself! Try to get creative with colours and designs - if disaster occurs you can always just paint it white and start over! 

Wherever you’re at with your home make sure it’s protected with a home insurance policy from AIG. We offer optional additional cover for contents to cover your most prized possessions. Get an online home insurance quote today.