Design Inspiration: Creating a Home Office Suitable For You
Although still a relatively new concept but remaining as popular as ever in the world of interiors, the home office is now considered a staple part of the home.
With many still working from home thanks to a new way of life after the pandemic, we’ve put together a guide on creating a home office suitable for you
Starting with the basics
Firstly, it’s important to create a work space that encourages you to be creative, or your most productive in a comfortable environment that suits your needs.
Finding the area in your home is the first step. Whether you have a whole room to utilise as a separate space, or if you can only make room for a small desk in the corner of your living room, it’s imperative that it works for you.
The first and (probably) most important piece of furniture for the home office is the desk. Finding a desk that not only fits within the space of which you are going to be using, but also offers practicality and durability is important.
Choosing a desk that comes with integrated storage such as drawers or a sliding pull out tray, is a great way to store your stationary but also to put away anything that can make the room feel cluttered when you have finished work for the day.
The oak Ballatta desk from Ercol is ideal to use with a laptop or as a writing desk and will add a touch of style to a living or work space.
The desk sits on tapered legs which are elegant yet understated, it can sit in a home office, a study and is compact enough for a hallway or a lounge.
There is a handy small built-in drawer to help keep the desk tidy.
If you are struggling for space and having to combine a room with home working, there are still great options available.
Finding a desk that has a slim practical approach such as a smaller depth or narrower legs can give the feeling of space in a smaller room.
Our Deansgate desk offers a cool, space conscious, apartment living vibe, giving a feeling of space thanks to its slim legs and frame, which is ideal in smaller interiors.
A great solution is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a desk you use as your main surface.
Console Tables and Dressing Tables are a different alternative to a desk in the sense that they are often slimmer in stature whilst also tending to have drawers too, so you still get to keep some storage solution.
Even if your home office becomes surplus, you will still have a use for a console table or dressing table!
In the hot seat
In addition to the desk, the next important part of the home office is the chair. If you are working for long periods at your desk, it’s essential the chair offers comfort and support.
Having a higher back chair helps to support your back.
The practicality of the chair should also be another deciding factor. Features such as tilt adjustment, gas lift seat height adjustment and castors for manoeuvrability all help to add to the practicality.
Another factor to take into account is the visual appeal of the chair. Perhaps you want to make a statement with a bold colour or you want the colour to work with other existing parts of the room, such as wall colour, curtains or blinds.
Our brand new Murray swivel chairs are great for making an impact with their velvet fabric covering.
For another stylistic approach, you can even use a dining chair, this works great especially if the desk is going to be in your dining room.
At the end of the day, it’s all what’s most comfortable to you.
Storing the essentials
At Cousins, we have various cabinet furniture available as not only office, but also dining or bedroom furniture.
Ranges such as Weston, Durban or Cape for example are also dining or bedroom ranges that can help blend in the same room, so your office furniture won’t stand out too much.
The Cape and Durban ranges are modular furniture ranges, offering flexibility and are highly practical so won’t compromise on work or floor space either.
Inspired by the needs of open plan living, they allow you to create functional combinations of shelf units and cabinet pieces that fit seamlessly within dining, lounge or home office settings.
Popular combinations include a corner desk, wide sideboard with an open display unit sitting on top.
By utilising storage furniture like a stylish filing cabinet or open display unit, you can keep everything tidy and divide a room to make it multi-functional.
When everything has its own home, it’s easier to maintain a tidy, clutter-free desk, making it easier to focus.
However, if you wish to make a statement, you can opt for a different style of furniture altogether. Mixing different wood colours, textures are all very on trend so there’s no reason why you have to stick to co-ordinating or matching!
The finishing touches
One of the most popular types of lighting for a home office is an anglepoise style desk lamp.
These can easily be repositioned to direct the light source onto a particular area of your desk depending on the task at hand.
Having enough lighting onto the area of which you are working is key, as it will help take the strain off your eyes.
Getting the lighting right is also beneficial to those video conference calls, If however, you are struggling for space on your desk already, another option is to use a floor lamp.
Having it close by will still help to light the area, but means you have more space on the surface to work.
An added benefit is that it can also be used as a reading lamp next to an armchair when not in use during working hours!
Despite living in a digital world, the traditional workings of a clock are still a popular choice.
A clock is a practical way to dress an empty wall and keep track of your time! With so many different varieties available, clocks are a versatile option for any living space.
You can even group together more than one to create interest and bring a variety of colours together in your room.
Oversized wall clocks can fill an empty void on a wall and are attractive statement pieces, creating a focal point in your room.
Many of our clocks come in various sizes too so regardless of wall space, we have clocks to fit all walls.
Wall pictures can be personal, focusing on something you like, a certain theme or a place you have visited (perhaps you want to reminisce of that holiday earlier in the year!)
For something more playful, abstract artwork can work well and bright images look dramatic on dark walls, whilst lighter walls create a gallery style backdrop.
Wall pictures can bring the colours of a room together in cohesion.
If however you feel a clock isn’t for you, another way to add your personality to your home office is through wall art.
Mirrors, pictures, wall units are a great way to dress your walls.
Mirrors can be used for both a practical and ornamental use. They can make a smaller room look bigger through the use of reflection.
If you want to create an illusion of a bigger or lighter space, then a larger mirror will work better.
Place a mirror on the wall opposite a window to really bounce the light around the room.
Just be sure to position yours high enough to avoid your eye line, or you’ll be prone to distraction
Well-chosen rugs can transform any room into a beautiful and stylish space that you can be proud of.
When choosing the right rug for your home office, you’ll want to choose a rug that fills your space, but isn’t so large it overwhelms your room.
Home office rugs should typically go under a desk to highlight and feature the desk. A large enough rug for your desk will help it to be spotlighted as the prominent fixture in your office.
It’s important to remember rugs underneath a desk should be large enough to cover all activity at the desk. This includes room for a chair to push out without going off the rug.
Runner rugs in particular can be used to divide spaces within a multifunctional room.
If you use runners, carefully measure and plan placement so that your rugs have the effect you want in your office.
Choose rug shapes and sizes that complement your space the way you want.
Our collection of space saving office furniture is styled to help you visualise your dream flexible work space, with many in stock for immediate delivery, view our full collection of Office Furniture.
In need of some expert advice? Why not pop into one of our furniture stores near you where our knowledgeable and friendly staff can help you create your perfect home office.