lead: Set up an ideal home office

Take cues to tailor a productive and inspirational workspace right within the comfort of your home

Shristi Nangalia

When you are working from home, maintaining a work-life balance can be a challenge. However, good design can help achieve a wholesome, organised and functional working space at home, one that aids concentration and productivity. If you are planning to start working from home and anticipating to set up a dedicated office space at your home, the following pointers will come handy:

Locate the right area

Although it is best to have a designated home office room, not all of us can have or afford that kind of luxury. In such cases, situate your workstation in sync with any other area of your home. You can sneak your worktop in the bedroom, living room or practically any dead area or corner where a desk and some storage can make way.

Think out of the box spots like an enclosed area in the balcony/deck, the hallway or the space under the staircase where you can set up your workstation. It all comes down to how your home is laid out and how the existing furniture and storage is arranged. However, do consider the immediate surroundings of space; it should offer you an atmosphere you can work in.

Plan everything!

Jot down your all requirements — from the desk size to chair type, from equipment to plug points, all that fit the nature of work you are to do and the area that you have located for your home office. Look for all the available options in the market.

Think about storage

You will need storage to stash your books, papers, stationery, equipment cables and more. According to your needs and the available space, work out the type and placement of your storage units. You can brew a perfect setup with a combination of under-desk drawers, free-standing cupboards, built-in shelves and/or floating shelves over the wall.

Light up the space

Ambient task light is a basic necessity. Make sure your office desk gets sufficient light, either natural or artificial, to achieve clarity and productivity at all times. While desk lamps, spot lights, hanging pendants and ceiling panel lights can let you light up your workstation adequately, you can add hidden cove lights under shelves and backlit panels to instill some good mood and intrigue too.

Call it to action

Take the help of a designer to achieve the perfect dimension, layout and organisation of all the furniture, storage units and lighting, and hire a contractor to get all the installations done.

Make it all look good

An aesthetically sound home office can directly help elevate your mood and make you switch from home to work mode, and vice versa, easily. Sometimes an offbeat furniture piece, a bespoke lighting fixture, or a standout colour scheme can induce the required personality without hindering the functional aspects of your workspace. Give your home office a personalised touch by accessorising the space with things that make you feel positive and energetic…like your favourite action figure, a quoted frame that always inspires you or the baby houseplant you always thought of inviting. And voila, your ideal home office ready!