Working from home - How to transform your space!
Here in the UK, we are officially on lockdown due to Covid-19. There will be a large number of us who are now working from home. With this comes challenges. Where will I work? How will I organise myself? How can I turn my living-space into my work-space? But don’t worry, there’s no reason your at-home office or working space can’t be organised, functional and a pleasure to be in. Whether you have an entire room to work with, or just the kitchen table.
Why is it important to have a good home working space?
In order for us to be productive, our space needs to be functional and inspiring. When we enter our working space, we need it to tell us that it is time to work. A space full of distractions, with poor functionality, will play havoc with our concentration, and ultimately prevent us from getting tasks done. We might be at home, but we still need to do our job, even if we’re now doing it in our pyjamas….
Solutions for an excellent at-home work environment.
Whether you have an entire room or just a table to work at, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your space.
Let the outside in. Position your desk or work surface so that you can see the outside, but not in direct sunlight. Natural light will send signals to your brain to make you alert and ready to work. It also stimulates your brain’s production of feel-good serotonin. However, the sun’s glare in your eyes will make you tired and distracted.
Banish clutter. Get organised with filing boxes and trays. If you have a shelf nearby, use it to keep the things you need close to hand. Using some of the room’s features to store your work items will make the room feel more like an office, and less make-shift.
Room re-design. One of my favourite jobs at Fawn Interiors is helping clients to transform their rooms. Often people feel that their room doesn’t and can’t work for them. With a little help from our experts, a room can be completely transformed, sometimes just by moving the furniture around and adding some staple, statement pieces.
The brief was to turn a very large dated living room into a more contemporary space where all the family could relax and also entertain. They showed a big dislike to the old fireplace so we designed a whole new concept and made this the focal point of the lounge.
A good desk chair. A comfortable, stylish desk chair is a relatively small investment that you’ll thank yourself for after just a few hours. Only use it when you’re working. This will train your brain to know it’s time to focus when you’re in it. Avoid the dining chairs and anything too squishy.
Get inspired. You don’t want your workspace to be so sterile that you lack inspiration. Choose some artwork to have on display. Select one or two objects to have nearby that bring you joy (I love flowers, especially hydrangeas, in my office). Decide on your style and theme for the space for continuity. Pinterest is a great place to get ideas. My personal style is classic-contemporary, with a hint of eclectic. But, I love exploring different tastes for clients.
Form meets function. Your home office needn’t be boring. Stylish touches can transform a room from drab to fab! Treat yourself to a stylish pen pot and pens, or choose a statement lamp. A bespoke desk is a thing of beauty and can offer so much to a space. My time spent working on high-end superyachts taught me that with innovative thinking you can have both form and function.
Bespoke fitted joinery. Do you have under-utilised room that you have decided to dedicate to being a home office? Incorporating a bespoke wall of fitted joinery is a brilliant, beautiful solution. The ultimate in stylish, functional spaces, these pieces are unique to you and your home. Fitted joinery walls work with your room, personal preferences and needs, maximising space and functionality. If this is something you’d like to explore, contact us on info@fawn-interiors.co.uk or 0117 205 0203.
The brief was to create a wall of joinery to fit along a slanted wall. The aim was to make the breakfast room look 'square' but it also needed to serve a purpose by providing sufficient shelving for books, storage space for the kids, a desk and some filing drawers without it looking overbearing! It was no mean feat, but we were able to utilise the slant to our advantage so placed the desk area (behind secret doors) on the right hand side. The open shelves were put on the left to balance the doors on the right. All the storage drawers are low level creating leaving a perfect opportunity to allow space for artwork creating a gorgeous focal point to the room! A real example of a multi-functional piece!!
I’d love it if you could share before and after photos of changes you make to your at-home work spaces! You can send them to us by email : info@fawn-interiors.co.uk or tag us on social media.
Whilst our doors are currently closed, we are still very much open and excitedly working with clients remotely on a whole range of services. So whether you want a room re-design, a custom desk, some interior design pointers or to create your dream kitchen from scratch, we can still help! So get in touch!
I hope you’ve enjoyed our blog post! Stay tuned for the next one coming soon on 'How to hire a contractor' and let me know if there’s any topics you’d like me to cover!
Love, Robyn.
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