office Archives - Page 3 of 9

How to feng shui your desk for success

Woman's hands typing at a lap top with tidy accessories on wood desk

Never has it been more important to focus on our wellness. We spend so much time sitting at our home office desk so let’s look at a few ways to get some wonderful positive energy flowing using the principles of feng shui.

1. Get rid of clutter

Clutter drains your energy! Set aside some time, a few minutes at the end of the day or a half-hour at the end of the week when you can go through and dispose of, or file, things that have accumulated on your desk and in your office. A home office filing cabinet should be a must-have to store work related documents, as well as personal documents, all kept in their place and easy to find when needed. De-cluttering should include what is on your desktop computer, back-up what you need and delete those old unused files to “create space” for new opportunities.

2. Desk position

If you can you should position your desk so you don’t have your back to your office entrance – you need to face the world and see what’s coming if this is not possible then you can adapt and hang a wall mirror over your desk which will have the same effect.

3. Which chair

The best office chair according to feng shui is one with a high back as this represents good support in the office, but this should also be put in the correct position. Whilst you want your desk to be facing your office entrance, try to ensure your chair is not in front of the doorway as this may allow positive energy to be drawn away from the space.

4. Bring in energy colours

Add some cushions to your workspace or add a rug in a colour that will inspire you. Use blue for career success and growth, green (plants for instance) improves health and balance. Yellow symbolises happiness and joy, and stick with white to encourage creative energy.

5. Add a touch of nature

Even a little bit of natural light is a great energy booster so try to get your desk near a window but if you do need artificial light make sure it is well-positioned and not casting a shadow on your workspace. Place one or more pot plants or flowers on your desk, the living energy of plants will refresh the energy in your space as well as your own personal energy. Wood is one of the five elements of feng shui so a natural rustic wooden desk fits in here perfectly.

6. Important areas

In feng shui there are three areas you need to think about to ensure good energy. The south is your fame and reputation area. As its energy is fire try not to add the colour blue here or anything to do with water as it will extinguish the fire energy. Water should be represented in the North which is the “career or path in life” area, this is the space for inspiring images, you can put these in black or white frames. The south-east area boosts productivity and positive energy, if possible this is the place to locate your office within your house. This space must always be kept clear and clutter free.

How to design the perfect home office for YOU

Laptop against pink wall with succulent in ceramic pot and white candlestick

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

10 Items That Are Cluttering Up Your Home

Pile of books with what's cluttering up your home writing

Whether you’re thinking of selling your home or simply want to create a fresh and more ordered space, you’ll need to de-clutter. But what items are cluttering up the space in your home and what should you do about it?

1. Things that are not yours – simple but true, if you have items in your home that are not yours and are just taking up space and gathering dust, either return to the sender or find another home for them. From library books to furniture that friends are storing at your place, now is the time to move them on.

2. Thin out your bookcase – if you are an avid reader, you will possibly have hundreds of books. Thinning out your bookcase is part of the de-cluttering process as is investing in display units that match your interior design style to store your edited book collection. Pass your books forward to friends and family or give them to charity and you will not only create space for new tomes, but share the pleasure of a great read.

3. Small appliances that don’t work or you don’t use – heading into the kitchen, you’ll no doubt find an appliance or two that you either don’t use or are broken. Recycle them (many councils recycle at the kerbside) and free up kitchen cupboard space.

4. Containers that don’t do anything – from baskets to plastic boxes, we buy these containers assuming that they will be perfect for helping us de-clutter and store things. Ironically, the trouble is, they are often aren’t and simply create more clutter! Get rid of these and replace them with other solutions, such as a coffee table with storage or a slimline console table with drawer for the hallway, so you still have places to store your belongings, but in a much more stylish way.

5. Toiletries in the bathroom – often the smallest room in the house, thinning out your toiletries will mean clearer surfaces. Easier to clean and keep clean, less clutter on tops and open shelving will work wonders for the appearance of the bathroom.

6. Spare bed linen, duvets, blankets… – from piling on top of the wardrobe to piling them in boxes under the bed, spare bed linen and the like are bulky and take up space. Consider a blanket box for the bedroom, which can also serve as an occasional seat or even update your bed to one with underbed storage drawers.

7. Magazines in the living room – there is something about reading a printed glossy mag that is a real treat, but you’ll soon find that they pile up in inconvenient places. The solution is to recycle or opt for storage solutions such as a coffee table with drawers.

8. Stationery and ‘stuff’ in the home office – it’s your work space which means you’ll be surrounded by the things you want and need, but if you’re not careful, it can look messy and unappealing. Clear surfaces by recycling items you don’t want or need and opt for home office storage solutions that allow for easy storage of items.

9. Out of date technology – we all have them; phones from years ago or chargers that we are no longer sure what they are for… streamline these tech bits and bobs and consider adding something like an open shelving display unit for charging phones and other tech.

10. CDs and DVDs – like books, CD and DVD collections grow over the years, but with todays streaming services, how many times do you ever put a DVD or CD on? If they are now obsolete in your home, ask yourself if you need to keep them. If you can’t bear to lose your favourite album or movie, consider sliming down your collection and how you are storing them. A reclaimed wood TV unit with cupboards and drawers is a perfect solution.

5 Ways to Increase your Home Office Productivity

The home office has the potential to see you at your most productive. Achieving more in less time is something we all try to do, but rarely manage. There are distractions to contend with and our own motivation can sometimes be lacking – especially when those houseplants on top of the industrial furniture really need watering, wouldn’t you say? Your environment may also detract from your productivity. So why not take a seat in one of your leather office chairs, settle in and read these top tips to help increase your home office productivity – it will be a healthy distraction if nothing else!

1 Find peace and quiet

The first thing you need to do when creating the perfect productive home office environment is to find the space that accords you peace, quiet and, if it works for you, solitude.

To get something done, you sometimes just need to ‘get your head down’. You have to blank out the rest of the world, switch your phone off, minimise the email tab, sit down on that white desk chair and keep the ‘noise’ of home life at bay. Heading into an office space within your home full of reclaimed wood furniture can help you do just that.

2 De-clutter your desk (and the rest of your workspace)

When we are ‘busy’, things get piled on our industrial desk. From books we consulted months ago to printouts of spreadsheets that are long obsolete, it is amazing what accumulates.

All that clutter reduces your workspace. If you can’t see the beautiful grain of your reclaimed wood desk, you certainly won’t be able to put your hands on the items you need, which will frustrate you…

Set aside a day – you’ll need a whole day – and de-clutter.

Top tip – if the rest of your home is cluttered with storage systems no longer working, you may also find that this clouds your mind and will be pulling down your productivity. Maybe the time has come to reorganise the whole house, starting with the storage cabinets and working up to the rest of your home office furniture…?

3 Calm the senses

With a quiet space in terms of noise and distraction, you have the beginnings of a calm environment in which to work. But your senses may still be on edge. You need to calm your mind.

With no clutter jarring your vision or noise ringing in your ears, add a calming scent to the room. Don’t choose heady scents that suddenly attack the nose. It needs to be barely there. Scented diffusers work a treat especially with a light floral scent that wafts gently about the room.

4 Set work times

With a long day stretching ahead of you, the sense of urgency can disappear. Setting pre-determined work slots can help. You have two hours, for example, to get the bulk of the report written. And when you do take a break from your reclaimed wood table, make it matter.

Walk the dog or even go for a run around the park, for example. Spend time outside, listen to the afternoon play on the radio… choose what works for you to rebalance and re-energise the mind.

5 Get dressed

We all have different routines, different likes and dislikes but there is evidence to show that getting up, showering and dressing, just as you would if you were going into the office, helps productivity levels remain high.

The armed forces have long used the discipline of ‘getting up and making the bed’ a part of training because it is known to work as a means of setting up the rest of the day. Straighten those sheets and ditch the PJs!

Why an Industrial Home Office Never Goes Out Of Style

Wooden desk with cup of black copy and notebook

The home office should be a comfortable, productive place to work. Style is, therefore, important. There are many schemes you can choose for your home office furniture, but the industrial style never loses its cool. Functional, practical and hardworking, it is a timeless choice that will last for years to come. Here’s how to give your home office an industrial-chic vibe.

Start with a neutral colour palette

The industrial style has a wonderful neutral backdrop to not detract from the typical industrial features that set this style apart from others. If you don’t have brick or steel work to leave exposed, opt for warmer but barely-there shades of very light cream or off-white. You could also stick with crisp white as this also helps the light in the room.

Choose reclaimed wood furniture

The industrial style is a sublime combination of reclaimed wood with cool steel and exposed brick. And so opting for reclaimed wood home office furniture, such as a reclaimed wood desk is a must. However, this doesn’t always mean a rustic or unrefined finish. It means opting for furniture styled to give it the ‘industrial’ edge that you are looking for. For a beautiful reclaimed wood table to leather office chairs, to storage solutions and display units, there are many options.

Get heavy with the metal

Metal is an important element in any scheme but whilst we are used to it being shiny and reflective, in true industrial furniture style you want matt or black metalwork. From the steel legs for a reclaimed wood industrial desk to an all-metal office table or storage item, the use of metal is a must.

Choose office storage that works for you

It is easy to be lulled into thinking that the storage solutions seen in the glossy pages of magazines and websites will be perfect for your home industrial office. Think through what storage solutions will work for you and then set about finding what suits your working needs best. From wooden storage cabinets to open shelving with baskets and wooden boxes, there are many solutions. But they only work if they work for you.

Play with materials

Brick is the obvious choice for channelling an industrial feel, but if you don’t have a red brick wall to expose, you can opt to showcase other industrial materials. Concrete is not just for car parks. And it doesn’t have to be grey and unfinished. Concrete, providing it is the right mix, can be buffed and smoothed to give it an industrial edge. Or why not cheat with concrete effect wallpaper? Add some wood touches and elegant lighting to warm the space.

Opt for pendant lighting

Lighting is key in any space but has extra importance in your working environment. That doesn’t mean you have to opt for harsh lighting or modern fittings. Choose a minimal pendant light fitting – the large metal bowl shade is ideal – and have them clustered or hanging individually in key areas of your home office, such as over your white desk chair or storage cabinets.

Stylish and functional, you won’t regret choosing the industrial style for your home office.

5 Ways to Create an Office Space in your Living Room

White desk with laptop and flowers in glass jar

Working from home is something more of us are doing, which benefits our work-life balance and wellbeing, not to mention the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But finding space to work is difficult, especially when you want somewhere with minimal distractions. The kitchen table is an obvious place, but with a bit of clever manoeuvring, you can de-camp to the comfort of the living room and create a productive working space with reclaimed wood furniture that fits the room whether you’re working or resting.

1 Desk next to the sofa

The sofa offers a number of opportunities to carve a stylish work zone. If space is limited, layering your furniture could be the answer. Add a narrow or console desk behind the sofa to create a work space and pop a rug under the desk to subtly separate it from the rest of the room. Additionally, instead of a side table next to your sofa, place a reclaimed wood desk at the end. To help the desk blend in, add a stylish table lamp that fits with the rest of the room.

2 Choose a desk that complements the style of the room

The temptation of working in the living room is that we flop onto the sofa with our laptop balancing on our knee. Whilst this is OK every now and then, for a work session where you need to get through plenty of work, a desk is a must. In the living room, you want a desk that fits with your style, such as an industrial desk for the industrial styled living room. The same is true for all the other office furniture you need including chair and storage cabinets.

3 Make the most of a nook & integrate the desk

An alcove or space next to the fireplace can make an ideal snug mini office. Consider a floating shelf for a desk that can convert into a display shelf at the weekends or pair a desk with a chair for an arrangement that will blend with the living room. Another trick is to style the area with art or framed photos on the wall above the desk – this not only makes it a delightful place to work, but will make a lovely addition to the living room.

4 Use accessories to change the tone of the desk

When you work, you want an office table that offers you plenty of space. But when you are not working, you want your desk to look like a piece of living room furniture. You don’t want your work area to be constantly reminding you of just how much you have to do when you are enjoying down time. As well as opting for a style of desk that fits with your interior scheme, using trinkets and other accessories can also make a huge difference. Simply clear them away when you are working, but return them to the desktop when you’ve finished for the day. As you use the room in the evening or any other non-working time, you won’t be ‘looking at your work desk’.

5 The office chair is important too

The other issue you’ll battle with when your desk is in the living room is the desk chair. Don’t forsake your comfort for a tiny chair so that you don’t have an eye-sore of a modern desk chair in the living room! The good news is that there are alternative to these dark plastic looking chairs. For example, if you have a modern style, opting for a white office chair is ideal and a handy extra seat when you have company. For the industrial look or for a contemporary feel, leather office chairs are a great choice.

Top tips to up your office recycling

The average office is thought to produce over 1,100 litres of waste per year and although recycling rates are improving, there is a lot more we can do to reduce the amount of ‘waste’ that ends up at landfill. But how can you up your game when it comes to producing less waste?

1 Opt for recycled/repurposed office furniture

The temptation is to assume that the only way to kit out an office is to opt for brand new corporate style office furniture.

Nothing could be further from the truth as there are many stylish furniture options made from recycled materials. Who would have thought, for example, that an office desk could be made from reclaimed scaffolding planks? Scaffolding planks are also used bookcases and display units too, both of which are ideal as office storage.

Reclaimed materials go beyond reclaimed wooden desks too, with shades for pendant lights being made from woodchip, the waste product from sawn timber.

Reclaimed materials go beyond reclaimed wooden desks too. Shades for pendant lights made from woodchip, the waste product from sawn timber, make for a stylish statement and is a great eco-friendly option.

Glass is also a material increasingly recycled, producing stunning pieces for the office and the home. A recycled glass lamp, for example, is ideal in the office and the meeting room.

2 Makes efforts to reduce consumption

There was a time when every task or activity in the office seemed to be paper-dependent. There was also the ink involved in printing and the energy not just in the production of the paper but in the use of office equipment and so on.

Times have changed and technology enables us to work more consciously. Overall, businesses are realising that reducing their consumptions of materials is not only better from the environment but for their profit margin too.

But where the use of paper and other consumables is unavoidable, small efforts to consider not just how much you use but where you get these materials from all make a difference. Recycled paper is fantastic quality, as too are refillable ink cartridges.

3 Invest properly in recycling

It’s one thing paying a company to remove your recycling every few weeks, but another to really invest in the system.

This means not only using a local recycling company but also endorsing the system in the office. Clear labelling of suitable containers, regular reminders to colleagues to recycle as much as they can and to reuse things as much as possible is just as important as engaging recycling contractors to empty bins.

4 Remove personal desk bins

When you have a bin next to your desk, the temptation to drop things in it is too great. Remove personal desk bins so that colleagues go to a central recycling point to recycle their waste. This is not only good practice to increase recycling efforts, but is a good excuse to stand and move, which is essential for your work wellbeing.

5 Raise awareness

Recycling isn’t complicated, but it is important to raise awareness of how we can do more of it, and how we can achieve this. We assume that everyone knows how to do it but this isn’t always the case.

When expanding your recycling system, do so with training and awareness-raising sessions with staff, as well as reminders on not just how to do it but why we’re doing it and its importance.

Recycling in the office is no longer optional but essential. How much more could you do?

Enrich Your Workspace With Biophilic Design

A man sitting by a wooden desk typing on a laptop with a green plant in the background

Biophilia is the “love of life and living things”, referring specifically to the connection humans often feel with nature. Many experts believe that when we nurture our connection with the outdoors, our creative self is enhanced. And that’s why getting to grips with biophilic design will reap rewards in your workspace.

Whether you work from home at an industrial desk or from your office in a corporate building, introducing elements of nature will help you. But how?

1 Introduce live and artificial plants

As you would expect, top of the list is the introduction of plants to the office space. We’ve long known the benefits of adding plants to a room, many of which are true for the work and office space too.

Real plants can help purify the air and also add a pleasant scent to a space too. Plants also make a space look welcoming and the great news is, you can opt for artificial plants too.

Top tip – simply clustering plants on a wooden table in the office or adding a plant to your reclaimed wood desk will add an instant welcome note of biophilic design.

2 Make the most of daylight

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real complaint that many of us suffer from at times during the drab winter months. But it can also affect us when we are shielded from natural daylight at other times of the year.

Natural daylight is a softer light for the eyes to process and so maximising this is an important part of biophilic office design.

What you don’t want, however, is harsh sunlight that makes you squint and drains the colour from everything with its harshness.

Top tip – maximise daylight in your office space by choosing office furniture that reflects light around, as well as metallic finishes that are stylish and reflective. As well as desk lamps, consider pendant lighting for darker areas.

3 Choose natural colour schemes

Decorating the office with colours we find in nature that soothe and calm are perfect for firing up our underlying creativity.

As well as muted greens, consider light blue for notes of the sea or pale yellow to bring the feeling of warmth. Avoid dark hues and shades that swallow natural light as they can also be too brash and jar the senses.

Top tip – this design is all about maximising comfort and so opting for office furniture that supports and enables your creative flow is just as important too. From choosing ergonomic office desks and storage solutions to choosing the best office chair, this design embraces the ideals of how nature supports our wellbeing in every sense.

4 Use natural materials

Using natural materials is especially important. Reclaimed wood furniture is ideal within a biophilic designed office, for example. Repurposing hardwood such as English oak beams and fashioning into desks and sideboards is ideal for supporting your endeavours to create a welcoming and productive office space.

Top tip – as well as the industrial style, consider rustic furniture for the office space too, including reception areas and meeting rooms as this style has very close ties with nature.

Want to work from home? Let’s get your home office ready!

You’ve delivered on your New Year resolution to work from home and even if this is only for some of the time, you need to create a functional, versatile and stylish WFH space. Here’s how.

The number of people working from home has doubled since 2009, according to BBC figures, with 1.54 million people working their main job from the cosy confines of their home or apartment. And the trend looks set to continue.

But, it’s important to find the right space in your home and when you do, that you create a home office that is perfect for you.

Unused nooks and corners

In older houses especially, there tends to be space that we don’t use simply because it’s in an awkward place. Don’t waste the space any longer – utilise it as your office.

As well as adding a perfectly proportioned home office desk, invest wisely in the best office chair you can afford so that you are not only supported as you sit and work, but it looks stylish in your home. Leather office chairs look and act the part and are also perfect if you have clients or work colleagues over for meetings.

Focus on light

Whether you are sat at your PC for most of the day or use other equipment, lighting is important. Avoid shade where you can, making the most of natural light (but not harsh sunlight) in the space.

You’ll need to consider layers of light in your WFH space too. As well as a pendant light, opt for a table lamp on your reclaimed wood desk and floor lamps to illuminate darker areas.

Choose your style

We spend many hours ‘at’ work and it’ll be no different when you work from home. There may be times when you spend more time at your desk to deliver a project than you normally would and so getting the right style that sparks and nurtures your creativity or focuses the mind is essential.

As well as the warm but minimal Scandinavian style, the industrial style is popular. Clean lines with a fresh, appealing look, an industrial desk is the perfect place for clever thinking.

Don’t forget accessories and office storage

Forgetting storage means that within a few days, your home office will begin to look cluttered. If there is one thing that stifles creativity and production, it is mess and clutter.

As well as choosing a home office desk that suits you and your work, you need to consider storage. A small sideboard, for example, could offer the storage solutions you need, as too could a shelving display unit and drawer and cupboard space in the desk. There are many options but which one would suit you?

Try something different

Working from home and choosing your own office furniture is a welcome change from the corporate style we are accustomed too. That means you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment. As well as reclaimed wood furniture for the office, why not consider something completely different like a leather writing desk?

Mean business – embrace the outdoors!

If you are blessed with garden space, why not consider a garden office? A fantastic addition to your garden, it may an ideal place to work. With plenty of light, you’ll have all of nature around you to inspire your creativity too. Add insulation and heat, and you have an office space ideal for all year round.