Home Office Interior Design Ideas for Productive Workspaces
Until recently, the presence of an office in the house was a sign of luxury or workaholism. With the advent of the pandemic, the situation has changed dramatically. For many, the workplace has moved home. An office or work area has become necessary in almost every house and apartment. The thoughtful interior design of the home office contributes to fruitful and comfortable work.
So, do you dream of a cozy home office, but there is insufficient space for a full-fledged office? We show how to equip a comfortable workplace almost anywhere in the house.
Designing a Home Office Layout
The interior of the office, its size, and furnishings may vary. Let's highlight the basic design principles of a modern workspace, which must be considered to create an atmosphere conducive to work.
Placement. The most essential element of a home office design is its location. Since you have the whole house at your disposal, you can choose any room or area for the home office space. However, whatever location you choose, it is paramount that it serves as the best place for you to work. For example, if you have a professional job, you may opt to choose a dedicated space or room for the office, which is away from the hustle and bustle of the household. On the other hand, for a freelancer Mom, the kitchen or living room may serve as the ideal place for her to continue doing her work alongside her other household duties.
Functionality. An office is a room for work, solving important issues, and negotiating. The interior should be as functional as possible and allow concentration for long-term work. Nothing should be distracting. A few laconic, interior and decorative items will be useful, but you need to be sure that they do not capture all your attention or do not lead to hours of vacation memories.
Minimalism. The absolute trend of modern design. It is expressed both in the room's decoration and the setting. Avoid clutter. Leave yourself space for the flight of thought. A decluttered workspace calls for a clean area with minimum to no wires and cords. Invest in wireless devices if you can to reduce the number of hanging wires and cords. Whatever wires are necessary, conceal them neatly by attaching them under or behind the table. Bind them together with cord tamers to reduce the visual mess. Another way to keep your mess to a minimum is to incorporate hidden storage in your home interior design. A clean and decluttered space will facilitate a better thought process and keep the creative and intellectual juices flowing to result in high productivity and high quality of work.
Enough space. Although a minimalist space is what you require for a clean and simple home office, there should be enough space for you to work comfortably. This means that you should be able to conveniently move around the workspace, move your chair comfortably, and stretch your body easily. This is essential as a cramped space will lower your productivity and result in low motivation.
Self-care. Many people who work from home spend even more time at their desks than they do in the office. Properly selected furniture directly affects how you feel. The eyes and back are the first to suffer. Provide adequate lighting for your work area. Ideally, there should be enough natural lighting in the area to create a calm, yet bright space. Keep the colors of walls light and neutral so that the space remains lit up and bright. Use sheer drapes or blinds so that the glare of the light is reduced, however not to the extent that it darkens the space.
Do not save on a high-quality and comfortable chair where you can sit for many hours without fatigue, pay attention to the presence of a headrest and armrest. There are many ergonomic chairs and desks available in the market whose aim is to ensure a correct posture as you work for hours. A correct posture corresponds to minimum stress on your spine and muscles, thus keeping you refreshed and energized all day long.
Adequate storage. Another important element of a home office design is to add enough storage and shelving according to your needs. If you need a lot of reference material for your work and if this material is not at an arm’s length from your workspace, it will affect your productivity badly. If you have to leave your chair every time you need to check a file or book, not only will you get stressed out but will get distracted also. So keep your shelving and storage requirements in mind while designing your home office. Incorporate enough shelves on or near your desk so all your reference material can easily be stored there.
Personalize the workspace. Although a clean and minimalist workspace helps improve productivity, it does not mean that you cannot personalize it according to your taste and preferences. You can incorporate the interior design style that you have chosen for the rest of your home into your home office. Add decor elements that will help liven up your mood and inspire you. These could be an artwork, an object, a souvenir - hence, anything that makes you feel comfortable and inspired enough to do your work for many hours in a row.
Comfortable sitting. If the nature of your job entails holding physical meetings with clients, it is essential that you keep this aspect in mind while designing the home office and dedicate a sitting area for this purpose. Two comfortable chairs or a sofa can be used for this purpose. Keep this area as close to your workspace as possible so you have access to all your work files and material while you hold your meetings. On the other hand, if you hold online meetings with your clients, make sure that the background is simple, professional, and undistracting.
Floor Layout. The last but definitely not the least thing to keep in mind is to design a floor layout of your home office before you actually furnish it. There are even some online apps available where you can create multiple sample floor plans and choose the one which best suits your preferences. You can choose different furniture types and place them in the floor plan to see which goes best in the workspace. Once you are satisfied with a floor plan, you can design it accordingly and buy the corresponding furniture.
Home Office Design Ideas
An ideal option for placing a home office would be a separate room. This is possible if you live in a country house or a multi-room apartment.
Important! Choose a room in the quietest part of the apartment/house so that the active and noisy children's games, the sounds of a working TV, or household appliances do not distract you.
Try to equip the office in a room with sufficient natural light and large windows. Please note that the windows do not overlook the playground or the schoolyard, from where children's screams and fun will be heard at the height of the working day.
From the point of view of privacy and silence, an office on the attic floor of a country house will be good. No distracting sounds or seductive smells from the kitchen should be there. Such a room will be appreciated by people of creative professions. They will be able to create a full-fledged studio there.
One of the interesting solutions will be a work area under the stairs. From an ergonomic point of view, this is a good option, but natural lighting is likely to be insufficient, and artificial sources must be provided. Yes, and household members descending the stairs above their heads can distract from work.
The following sections discuss the various options of how you can incorporate a home office setup in various rooms of the house, from which you can draw inspiration to design your own home office.
1. Small office in the living room
A small office in the living room is a compromise option, be prepared that household members can distract you with extraneous sounds. But there are pluses: as a rule, living rooms have good lighting, creating favorable work conditions. In this home provided by Swiss Interior, the interior design of the living room is divided into areas for work and leisure. The floating tabletop saves space and can be used not only as a desk but also, for example, as a bar counter or console for placing art objects.
Blk 303A Punggol Central HDB Resale
2. Desk in the corner
Often the corners remain free, and there are great opportunities in them. The corner arrangement of furniture creates special comfort, giving the impression of a cosy "mini-room". This placement is suitable when there is little space and you need to maintain visual space. The small depth of the table is compensated by the wide span of its side “wings,” which leaves enough space for the necessary details.
Inz Residences 5 Room Masionette Condominium
3. Small workspace in the bedroom
It is believed that having a home office in the bedroom is undesirable. However, oddly enough, sleep and work get along well. It is easier to concentrate in the bedroom, as there are fewer distractions than in other rooms. Just remember your bedroom interior is designed in a way that the table should be placed so that the bed does not fall into view - otherwise, instead of compiling a quarterly report, you will want to lie down, albeit with a laptop, and the mood will no longer be working. If you do not need much space to work, take a narrow console table, it is also suitable for makeup.
Swiss featured project: Executive HDB Resale
4. Home office on the balcony
A home office layout on the balcony looks very cozy and romantic, but its arrangement requires a lot of preparation. Install blinds or curtains to prevent bright light from reflecting on your laptop screen. The reward for the effort will be a beautiful view and a secluded space.
5. Small office on the windowsill
Among the advantages of a small office space on the windowsill are significant space savings and a large amount of natural light, so the lamp is needed only at night. When choosing a place, consider the direction, preferably the one where the sun will not blind your eyes. Shelves adjacent to the table will help keep the necessary papers at hand. A beautiful view from the window will help to relax the eyes.
Blk 413C Northshore Drive 4 Room HDB BTO
6. A simple home office for two
For a couple, you can install a double-sided Partner Desk table or an extended tabletop. Observing several conditions to share the workplace productively and peacefully is important. Everyone should have their own sacred space, which must be kept in order. Listen to audio content on headphones, and go to another room to avoid interfering with your partner's work when talking on the phone. Spend your lunch and coffee breaks together, so you don't forget why you chose to live and work under the same roof.
Blk 807 Yishun Ring Road 5 Room HDB
7. Behind the bar
The bar counter is a useful and multifunctional piece of furniture. Behind it, you can not only sit with a glass of wine with friends, have breakfast, or arrange “coffee breaks”, but also style a small office. This solution is suitable for small-sized studios, allowing you to save on the desktop. This placement is also suited for part-time homemakers who have to juggle between their household duties and work.
How To Make Your Home Office More Comfortable?
Invest in an ergonomic chair and desk to ensure a comfortable sitting posture to prevent back and shoulder pain.
Keep your desk organized. This includes all your papers, documents, stationery, and any other material that you require while working.
Create a well-lit environment either by maximizing the natural light flowing in the space or by utilizing various forms of artificial lighting.
Personalize your workspace to help keep you motivated and determined, as opposed to a space where you feel down and not determined to reach your full potential.
Ensure that the workspace is neither too hot, nor too cold. Having just the right temperature in the area while you work is crucial to increase productivity.
Lastly, keep the space clean and decluttered.
How Can I Make My Home Office Look Professional?
A workspace that looks professional says a lot about you and the kind of work you do. Therefore, it is imperative that your home office design gives a very positive and professional vibe. To make your home office design look professional, you need to start with the desk. The desk is the centerpiece of an office and it kind of sets the mood for what to expect. Invest in a good quality desk with all the adequate storage and shelves to store all your necessary materials. Keep it organized and decluttered to give a professional vibe.
Moreover, you can add a couch in the office if you have enough space. Add in a few plants and some wall hangings that may showcase your qualifications and achievements. Also, make sure the lighting in the room is on point as a well-lit room directly corresponds to how professional an area looks. Keep the color scheme of the room neutral with a few bright-colored accents to add a trendy touch to your office. Add a comfortable throw on the sofa and a cool rug on the floor to create a cozy yet professional feel in the space.
How Do I Design My Home Office For Productivity?
To increase productivity in any workspace, it is crucial that the space is bright and uplifting, so that one feels motivated to keep on working for hours. It should also give a very calming appeal so that you do not feel stressed out and can focus all your energies on your work with a cool and relaxing mind. To design your home office for productivity, keep the following tips in mind:
Make sure the general ambience of the room is uplifting by choosing a neutral color theme and ensuring there is a lot of natural or artificial light in the room.
Add some plants in the space to give a soothing appeal.
Place a desk lamp on your desk to brighten up the desk area.
Keep everything organized and minimize clutter.
What is a good size for a home office?
A home office should ideally be big enough for you to house all your necessary work-related furniture and materials while still providing enough room for you to easily move around. Based on this, a home office should ideally be between 50 and 150 square feet.
Final Words
Having a small home office within the walls of your own home in Singapore is the dream of almost every office worker since this provides many advantages, such as allowing you to save time and money on daily travel by public transport. When deciding to start a professional activity at home, it is necessary to think about where and how to design a small office interior, which, in turn, must meet certain requirements. So, with the above tips, you can organize your home office, which will be comfortable and stylish.
Swiss Interior is one of the best interior design firms in Singapore that provides interior design packages, house renovation, HDB BTO interior design, and condo interior design for homeowners in Singapore. Contact and schedule an appointment with us today!
About Swiss Interior
Swiss Interior is a leading interior design company in Singapore since 2012. Led by founders Jason and Ronnie, the Swiss team serves customers from all walks of life, delivering bespoke and dream interior design and renovation services to all homeowners in Singapore.
Accreditations & Awards:
- Singapore outstanding enterprise award (2013)
- HomeRenoGuru Most Trusted ID (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
- First ID firm to win 1 Week Kitchen Challenge by HomeRenoGuru (2019)
- Featured in NOC RenoKing (2020)
- HomeRenoGuru Top 10 ID Firm (2020, 2021)
- Featured in CNA Lifestyle Making Room (2021)
- Qanvast SuperTrust (2021, 2022)
- Featured in HomeStyle Magazine Year End Cover Page (2021)
- Featured in Sheikh Haikel & Anna Belle Francis DreamHome (2022)
- Sidac Accreditation (2022)