At Countryside Kitchens, we had plenty of time to design the space we needed to house our offices and meeting room resulting in “The Design Room”. However, as I was looking at the space and storage systems we have at home in our hall and dining room and seeing Jerry relegated to the kitchen table, I realised that the current situation has resulted in many of us working from home possibly for the first time in our careers.
Many people have quickly needed to set-up a home working space without the luxury of planning it. So here are some tips about home working and how to make best use of the space you have. If you are lucky enough to have a room
you don’t use very often such as a spare room or a garden room, this can be ideal as a quick and easy space to set up your office. However, it’s worth thinking a little more deeply about it as what starts out as a “We’ll just do this for the time being” can end up being a little more permanent that we initially thought!
Far from being an easy option
Home working can bring about significantly more stress. People working from home tend to work longer hours than they do at the office. The reasons for this are complicated, but you may well find yourself in your temporary office space for a lot more of the day you imagined. On top of your own time, if you are sharing the space with other family, who may be home-schooling or need quiet at certain times of the day, thinking how your space works is ever more important. Attics and dining rooms are often popular choices for a quick solution. Garden rooms, garage conversions or a new outbuilding are all longer term strategies that are certainly worth thinking about. A practical pragmatic, real world review of the situation what is best.
Take advantage of natural light. If you can choose a desk position where you can look out to a view and some natural light, you can rest your eyes and the glare will not effect your screen. Remember too that video calls will be helped when the camera is pointing away from the light source. Adding some translucent shades can help with glare from the sun if that’s a problem at a particular time of day. If you have no view or window, try to face a doorway so you can give your eyes a rest. Changing around artwork, thinking about the colour combinations and importantly, making the space your own.
So get comfortable!
Don’t just stick your laptop on top the boxes you meant to unpack when you moved in years ago!
Make sure you have a comfortable chair with good lumbar support and check its proximity and height in relation to the desk and keyboard. Speaking of keyboards etc, so much is wireless these days it’s totally possible to have a clean sleek, workspace without the clutter of cables. Make sure you are reached by your wireless router If not extend this signal or even grab a 4G mobile router and use that as failover or additional bandwidth whilst everyone else in on Netflix!
Storage
Smart storage can really affect your productivity so be sure to think about shelving, filing cabinets or cupboards for your storage needs. Consider your workflow what comes in, where will it stay while you are working on it, and where does it go when completed? You may well have a lot less space that you are used to working with, so setting things up with a touch of forethought can save you a lot of hassle.
Design
A fabulous part about working from home, is that you can decide how you want your workspace to look and feel. Think about colours, objects and personal touches. Working from home may well be part of a new normal. Adapting our living spaces to suit our new lives of mixing up home working, on-line meetings, home education and studying. At Countryside Kitchens and Interiors we’re able to bring a professional eye and practical advice not just helping you match your home office to your preferred design and style, but delivering a practical and beautiful home working space. With increased family time and more flexible working we have an opportunity to brighten up our days, help us be productive and happy at work and most importantly make us feel…. well, at home!
Shona x
