![Laptop against pink wall with succulent in ceramic pot and white candlestick](https://www.modishliving.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/how_to_design_the_perfect_home_office_feature_image_cb0cb1fe-837b-48c7-b778-e38a13f4db4b.jpg)
The home office is a hot topic right now. Whether you love the natural beauty of reclaimed wood furniture or like the ultra-modern look, here are a few pointers to getting it right first time!
Location, location, location
If you are not lucky enough to have a separate designated office then you need to decide which room you are going to double up in. The living room? A spare bedroom or a corner in the kitchen. This is when you need to consider who else might use the room when you need it to work from. If you are on the phone with clients a lot, then background noise of rattling pots and food preparation noises will most likely not work well! If you have guests often then the spare bedroom may also not be the best choice.
Natural light and a room with a nice view would be an ideal choice but if you don’t have this luxury, you can always hang a landscape picture or pictures of friends and family on the wall and of course, add some houseplants for a bit of soothing greenery. Oh, by the way, blue or green work brilliantly with a rustic wood desk to create a stylish and soothing theme for your home office.
Size matters
As a rule of thumb, you should allocate an area of 210cm x 150 cm (approximately 84″ x 60″) for your workspace. You will most likely need more space than you think, a comfortable office chair can be bulky and you need enough room to get in and out of it without being a contortionist! Remember, if your chair has arms you will need more space to get in and out! And, if you have clients come into your home office then you will probably need a couple of armchairs that can be pulled up to your desk for meetings.
For a similar aviator style desk and chair see our Aviator Vintage Jet Brass Hornet Desk and Aviator Keeler Wing Chair.
Choose the right desk and chair
This, of course, depends on what you do – we would say a 120cm wide desk would suit most home workers with a laptop – so a reclaimed wood desk with a couple of drawers may be all you need, we love the industrial simplicity of the Standford desk (pictured below). But, if, for example, you are an architect and need to look at plans then you may need much more space. Do you need to have a printer on your home office desk? In trays? Reference books? All these take up valuable desk space. We also suggest you invest in the best office chair you can afford, it is all too easy to adopt a bad posture sat at a laptop in an uncomfortable chair all day.
Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk, Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Filing Cabinet & Standford Grey Faux Leather Office Chair
Tidy desk, tidy mind
So the saying goes! If you have the space then invest in some office storage furniture. A sideboard, a small bookcase or some rustic shelves to store stationery, books, catalogues, office supplies, ink cartridges and any other items associated with your work. Not only will it keep your workspace tidy but it will also be much easier to find the things you need quickly! It’s also a good idea to tidy up and tuck away cables where possible, not only will your space look better but this can prevent you and others tripping on them.
Photo featuring: Quinton Reclaimed Wood Desk