The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of people to close up shop and start working from home. Our living rooms have turned into offices, our bedrooms into homework stations, and our garages and basements into home gyms. We’ve all had to adapt and change our working environment to properly function. While it may seem like an easy solution to grab your computer, plop on the couch, and call it your new cubicle, you should put a little more thought into where and how you plan on working from home.
An organized and thoughtfully designed workspace can drastically improve your professional performance—especially when spending so much time cooped up indoors. A healthy work environment can prevent many ongoing health issues, such as eye-straining headaches, sore shoulders, and neck or back pain.
And now that it looks like “work from home” and “school from home” might not be going anywhere anytime soon; now’s the time to explore interactive and impactful workspaces from home. Families are beginning to do away with the setup of a traditional home office and opting for a much more unique and family-friendly working space. We’ll be exploring these creative and modern-day workspaces so you can be inspired to come together as an entire family while you’re spending time at home.
Incorporate Natural Light
Don’t remain locked in a dark and dreary bedroom during the workday—if possible, pick the brightest, sunniest room in the house for your home office setup. A room with an abundance of natural light is much more welcoming and conducive for activities like typing or working on a computer where you may experience eye strain and blurred vision. A bright and inviting space leaves more room for creativity in your work and your design. If you’ve got lots of natural rays shining through the window, why not set up a little reading nook or sewing station? This way, you can get your work done and enjoy some of your favorite hobbies as soon as 5 pm hits.
Open Shelving is a Must-Have
Open, easy-to-access shelving is imperative for storing school and craft supplies for your children's use. Make it easy for them to access paints and pencils, toys and puzzles, and books or journals to use during homework time. If you prefer a more modern, less cluttered look, you can place items in wicker baskets to keep things organized. You can give your workstation a personal touch and label each basket with the names of your family members. This will allow your room to remain tidy so everyone can enjoy the space during work or playtime.
Activity Zones
Make sure you have a small section of the room that is designated for some sort of activity. You don’t want to wake up in your office, go to work in your office, and go home all in your office. You need a change of scenery to break up the day and give you something to look forward to. You’ll feel much more accomplished when you know you can find some space to unwind after a hard day rather than remain in your home office all through the night.
Delegate specific areas for your fun and creative activity zones. If your kids love to draw, make an art corner with plenty of paper and crayons. If you enjoy playing guitar, grab your instrument and plenty of picks and create a little music stand. This will maintain an organized working environment and give every member of the family the change to feel at home.
Color Pops
You shouldn’t open the door to a home workspace and see a room full of what look like desolate hospital walls. You should feel excitement as you begin to express your bold and fiery side. We’re not saying your walls need to be magenta or aquamarine, but painting your desk or storage cabinet is a great way to add a pop of color to make your workspace much more engaging.
Put up a colorful curtain or lay down an area rug full of textures and patterns. There’s no need to go crazy with design; use what you have. Pull pieces from other areas of your home into the design of your inviting family workspace or home office. That storage cabinet can turn into a stand for your printer and stacks of paper, and that old rug can turn into a makeshift racetrack for your kid’s toy cars (if you use your imagination).
Be Creative as Possible
Taking a bold approach with any kind of home décor is the perfect opportunity to showcase your artistic side. Either that, or it’s an opportunity to show how much HGTV you watch—we can’t get enough Fixer Upper either. Have you considered starting a family art project? You can create a very cool and inviting family workspace by having each family member paint on white cardstock with watercolor paint. You can create galaxies, rainbows, sunsets, or anything else you can think of for your home office backdrop. Once you grow tired of one look, simply grab some paint and start a new project.
Make it Cozy
The most important thing to consider in a home workspace is comfort. You want it to be an area where every family wants to spend time whether you’re creating a new space or not. Incorporate cozy seating with lots of plush pillows and warm blankets. If the environment is spacious and comfortable enough to work in, you will be more productive each day when you can mimic your ideal workspace.
Bunk Beds
If your kiddos are spending summer vacation stuck at home learning, a proper workspace is crucial for kids to be able to concentrate and continue their education. There are plenty of bunk beds available that have built-in workstations on the bottom level to help them while they’re learning remotely. You know your kids will be comfortable in their room and it makes it much easier for the parents who have taken on the responsibility of teaching to know they can access a small desk and study area for each lesson.
When the school bell rings and it’s time to pack up, everything can be easily organized and stored away until the next (remote) school day. Hopefully, your students will bring you a shiny red apple for your own desk.
Make a statement with your home design and include plenty of work surfaces. Creating something together as a family and ensure everyone has a comfortable spot to work and learn. And if you need any new furniture for your inviting family workspace, give us a call or visit our store to shop the entire catalog of home and office furniture. If you’re going to work from home, you might as well work in style. Stop by today.