10 Ways to Refresh Your Home Workspace
Transform your workspace into a haven of productivity with the essential items necessary to cultivate an energising and engaging environment.
When home workspace furniture mostly consists of a desk with a computer and a few peripheral devices, how can you turn this everyday space around? We have put our heads together to come up with 10 ways to refresh your home workspace, keep reading below and begin your 2023 Home Office refresh today!
1. Move the furniture around
Let’s start with the big things! Furniture. Usually we have a standard way of furnishing an office space, with a desk against the main blank wall etc. But now is the time to think outside the square. Is there another wall that the desk can go on, or even, does the desk need to be against a wall? Can you reposition your working space to enhance your view out the window? Although this may take the help of someone else to lift things around, it is a great place to start your home office transformation. Switching up things in your space might just be as simple as flipping things from one side of the room to the other!
If there is room for new furniture in the budget, then reach out to us via email at hello@jemmervaledesigns.com.au to discuss any larger custom pieces that we can quote for you. Or to view our Home Office range click here.
2. Optimise your organisation
Getting the most out of your space requires organisation. For many of us our home workspaces are not large opulent spaces so clever thinking and unique storage options are key to transforming your space into a haven of productivity. Open shelving, rather than closed cupboards are a great way to open up the space while providing convenient storage. To view our open shelving range click here. If you are renting, some shelves might not be an option, but we have a range of shelving options for renters that can be attached to the wall using 3M mounts just like these Magazine Racks or Book Shelves. When your shelving is in place, baskets, tins, plastic tubs can then be added to store your office items. Don’t forget to label your boxes/baskets for quick and easy gathering later on.
3. Personalise your space
Your home office should reflect you. Think less about what your desk space at your work office is like and make your home office reflect more of your home, your style, and your idea of comfort.
Photos of your loved ones and art works that are meaningful to you are our favourite ways to add personality to the space without adding too much clutter. Where possible, having custom pieces made for this space can transform the simple into the beautiful. Having something bespoke and made for you is special and is such a contrast to the flat-pack volume furniture that fills the majority of office spaces. But if you can’t afford a custom desk, that’s okay! Start small with your custom pieces. For example, a custom pottery vase like below can be used for pen storage. This is by far a more unique and sophisticated way to store pens than a plastic or wire mesh pot!
4. Declutter and add calm
There is nothing quite like a good declutter to improve your mood and increase your productivity! Having lots of stuff around you not only makes it difficult to find physical things when you are looking for them, it can also increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Source: (https://www.mibluesperspectives.com/stories/for-your-business/the-science-behind-decluttering).
When your desk is cluttered it will make it difficult for you to focus. So think about the must have items on your desk. When sorting through your items put them into four different piles: Toss, Keep, Upcycle or Donate. Having predetermined piles will help you to make decisions as to what you really need in this space, while giving opportunity for items too good to throw out to find a new purpose.
5. Change it up with colour and decor
Without a doubt, a pop of colour can lift the mood of a room! Get your creative juices flowing by considering simple pieces of decor that can be added to shift the drab to the fab! What colours do you love? What mood do you work best in? Maybe you need those calming palettes to give your mind space and to get in the zone. Or maybe you are someone who needs a splash of bold colour to invigorate your creativity! Whatever the type of hue is you, go for it!
Think about your choice of artworks, cushions, small decor pieces or plant pots as ways to introduce a theme to your colour palette. Even selecting a diary or notebook in the colour palette of your office space can make all the difference.
Also think about the colour of your furniture pieces, having all white furniture in a home office is rather pedestrian, that’s why we love introducing warmth and authenticity to our home office spaces with the interest that timber provides.
6. Make it a living space
Our home offices are a much bigger part of our lives than they have ever been, so when you are thinking about your home office refresh, think of it as another “living space” rather than a workspace. Soft furnishings can really help in this regard, so don’t discount a throw rug, mat or the odd cushion in your styling choices.
We also love to add real indoor plants in all our rooms, but if real is too scary, there are some very life like faux options that might be best for you! Plants can be added to open shelves, hung from a ceiling or elevated off the floor by displaying in a plant stand.
7. Think about all four walls (and the ceiling!)
Stand back and consider each wall. Is it a large space that needs filling or is it a small space that can be utulised in a creative way? Large walls can be just as difficult to style as small ones. Shelves are a very versatile blank canvas in home office spaces and are a great way to begin maximising the potential of your room. Narrow profile shelves, such as Gallery Ledges, can be used to display those personalised styling items such as art work and can easily be swapped and changed overtime. Bookshelves can be used to hold everything from your inbox paper items, to stationary. To view more of our shelving range click here. Oh, and don’t forget the ceiling too, perhaps there is a corner of the room where a plant can be suspended from the ceiling. Check out our Leather Strap Plant hanger here.
8. Lighting
Natural light in a workspace is ideal, but not easily changed, especially if you are in a rental. So you may need to be creative with your lighting choices and consider them thoughtfully as they can really impact the mood of the room. Even the brightness of the globes can make all the difference. Bright white colour temperature globes are usually recommended for home office spaces for an energetic and productivity feel. But if you have the option to consider smart bulbs, that can change colour, this will give you the option to change the colour of the white to suit your work mode!
9. Rethink your storage
Do you need that outdated filing cabinet anymore? With more and more of our lives being electronic, you might find that you need to purchase an additional back-up harddrive to store your personal files, and condense the amount of paper files you need. Think about introducing more open storage, as closed cupboards give us an easier opportunity to hoard junk and cram things in behind closed doors. If you have an open shelf with appropriate containers/baskets/files then you will find yourself making more considered choices when you are filing something away.
10. Ergonomics
While this is not the most exciting thing to think about when refreshing your office space, it is really important. We love making aesthetically pleasing furniture, but with Paul also being an Occupational Therapist, then we also know how vital this element of a home workspace should be. We will go into greater depth into this with our future articles, but for now here are two things to keep in mind;
The comfort factor of your chair - we all love a pretty chair, but when you are sitting on a stylish hard plank for hours a day, you might want to find something to keep you comfortable and productive all day!
The height of your monitor - investing in a monitor stand, and they don’t have to be the latest and greatest, even a simple timber riser can go a long way in improving the ergonomics of your desk
Now with these 10 things in mind you can be inspired to make big changes! Or maybe it is just the small changes that will make a big difference! Refresh your office space today!
