A 6-Step Guide to Creating Your Home Office

With more people working from home now more than ever, perhaps your company has recently decided to work completely remotely. Perhaps you’ve been working from home for months but have been working out of your busy kitchen or on your living room couch. The future is unpredictable, so you may be working from home for longer than you think. If you are working from home, consider getting started on creating your home office today. Creating your home office will provide you with an organized, personal space to work that can allow you to work more efficiently. Perhaps you already have some ideas in mind. Consider that you may even enjoy working from home with this makeover. Here is a 6-step guide to creating your home office.

Find a Room or Space to Redesign

If you’ve been working from home for a while, you may be sick of the same routine day after day in a space that doesn’t offer you comfort or efficiency. You may be working at an old desk in your living room. Perhaps you’ve even considered purchasing office space for sale to simply have an area to get work done without the distractions of your family or pet. Creating your home office is a much more practical project to embark on. Not only will you have space to yourself, but you can arrange it how you please.

Creating your home office starts by choosing where you’d like to work. Would you like to renovate your basement or your garage? Would you like to transform an unused guest room? Do you have an extra room on the first floor of your house that isn’t used very often? Consider these options with your budget in mind. Renovating your basement or garage can be done with a combination of DIY projects and professional help, but it may still cost more than you’re willing to spend on creating your home office. If you’re not looking to spend a lot of money and you have an unused room or space in your home that wouldn’t require much work or money to transform into a home office, then start there.

Make Bigger Changes First

If you’ve decided to renovate your basement or garage, then you’re going to have to begin the transformation process by making some big changes. First, let’s start with the garage. If your garage door has broken springs or doesn’t close properly, you may have to call in a professional to get it fixed. Your garage likely doesn’t have insulated walls, a heating system, or proper flooring. The lighting might be dreadfully dark, too. You’ll probably have to start this process by deep cleaning your garage, ridding of unwanted materials and items taking up space, and perhaps reorganizing any storage you have in it. After this, you should consider hiring professional help to get the walls, floors, heating system, and new lighting set up properly. Once these aspects of your garage are transformed, you’ll be ready for the next step.

If creating your home office in your basement is what you’d rather do, there are different steps you may have to take when renovating the space. If you already have a finished basement, you may just need to perform a deep clean and reorganize the space so you have plenty of room for your home office. An unfinished basement is a whole different story. To make this project feasible, you should highly consider completely finishing your basement. Not only will this transformation increase your home’s value, but you will find the extra space a great addition to your house for you and your family down the road. In order to finish your basement properly, you may consider hiring professionals to get the job done well and efficiently. This is a project you can also do yourself if you are handy and have the time. This includes adding new walls, adding flooring, perhaps changing the ceiling to cover ductwork, and more.

Perhaps you’d like to steer away from major home improvement projects such as renovating your garage or finishing your basement. If you have a different space in mind for creating your home office, then by all means get started! If you have an unused guest room you’d like to make into your home office, the process may be as simple as moving the bed out of the room, obtaining lock repair if the door’s lock doesn’t work properly, and cleaning and organizing any extra things you may have laying around in the room.

A simpler idea when it comes to finding space in your home for creating your home office is designating an unused area on your first floor to be your workspace. Perhaps your dining room isn’t being used very often. Consider moving the furniture, such as the dining room table, chairs, and perhaps a bookshelf, to the side. Utilize a corner of the dining room as your home office. You could purchase a curtain to section off the space and make it feel more secluded and personal.

Decide On a Layout

After you’ve decided on and prepped a room or area of your home, it’s time to decide what layout you’d like to have. Creating your home office is your project – so make it your own. Make a list of furniture, decorations, and office supplies you will need. If you have a lot of space to work with, consider getting more furniture to make the room feel more homey and comfortable.

The layout of your home office may depend on the type of work you are in. If you are an artist, perhaps you will need a table or two to spread out your work. If you’re a teacher instructing from home through video calls, you will need to consider how your desk, table, and computer are positioned so your students can see what you’re doing. If you’re a real estate agent, you may only need a computer on a desk and a comfortable seat to sit and make calls in. If you work for a web design agency, you may need a bulletin board to tac up work information as well as a desk on the bigger side so you have room to sketch designs or plan out your next project.

Purchase Furniture

The next step in creating your home office is purchasing furniture and other supplies you will need to make your space as work-efficient and personal as possible. As stated before, the furniture you purchase may depend on the type of work you are in. If you’re not looking to spend a lot of money, consider going to a local thrift or second-hand store to find used furniture. You can always repaint or resand furniture that could use some upkeep. You can find lamps, bookshelves, and desks this way. When it comes to couches and cushioned chairs, however, you may need to be more careful when purchasing second-hand. Be sure to inspect any furniture you buy for cleanliness.

If your budget is high or flexible for this project, then creating your home office may be a fun, money-spending venture that you are more than ready to embark on. You may visit one of your local shopping malls or furniture stores to find nice, modern, and new furniture to decorate your new home office with. Remember that the size of the desk you purchase is important. If you need a lot of space to spread out and work, then consider buying a corner desk. If you’d like to have the option to stand while working, you can buy a desk that moves up and down depending on the height you’d like it to be. Perhaps you’d like a small desk and a large table and comfortable chair to work on. Think about what you’d like while creating your home office for the long run. If this will be the way you work for a long time, consider investing in furniture that will make the home office comfortable and efficient for you. You can also easily find furniture online if you don’t want to go to a store.

Create a Personal Space

To find more ideas and inspiration while creating your home office, visit creative websites such as Pinterest and search for ideas online. If you’d like a theme, think about what kinds of furniture would work and look best for you and in your space. Perhaps a yellow lamp, floral wallpaper, a bookshelf with knickknacks, or a picture frame suits you and will give you something pleasant to look at while you’re working away each day.

Aside from the furniture you pick out, think about what other decor you’d like. Thrift stores have decorations and other knickknacks you can purchase to liven up your workspace. While creating your home office, think about what items will make you happy while you’re working. Perhaps a poster of your favorite band, a vase of flowers, a couple of succulents, or some inspiration quotes will motivate you each day. Invest in a rug, a new lampshade, or perhaps a decorative throw pillow and matching blanket to decorate your space, too.

Other than decorations, consider what office supplies you may need. Perhaps your employer has provided you with notepads, sticky notes, pens, pencils, markers, and a mousepad. Outside of these items, you may need a bulletin board or a whiteboard to tac up or write down work notes. These items can be bought rather cheaply. Besides work notes, consider having information useful to your family available, too. Have the numbers to your local emergency plumbing services, urgent care, and roofing company written down in case of an emergency when you’re not home. Your family will appreciate your attention to detail.

Keep Work and Home Life Separate

Making your workspace comfortable and personal is important, especially if you’ll be spending 40 hours a week in it. However, it’s also essential to keep your work and home life separate. Creating your home office means you’ll be spending time in it working, so be sure to take your lunch break in the kitchen. If you are into putting a protein powder in a smoothie or making tea or coffee, be sure to keep all of these supplies in the kitchen and not your office. Keep your office a work-only space. Keep hair supplies, such as a hair restoration product or a hairbrush, in your bedroom. It’s really important to differentiate your workspace from your free time or bedroom space. If you wouldn’t bring an item to your normal office, don’t put it in your home office

After you’re done working, leave your home office. Go for a walk, cook dinner in the kitchen, do yoga in your living room, or kick back and watch TV in your bedroom. Working from home can feel like you’re immersed in work all of the time, and you want to avoid that feeling. Step away from work when you’re done. Be sure to take breaks throughout your workday to stretch, get some water, refill your coffee cup, or get a snack. About half of the homeowners who upgrade their outdoor spaces spend six or more hours there per week, according to the 2016 Houzz Landscaping and Garden Trends Study. If you are part of this population, take breaks outside to get some fresh air, perhaps on your deck or porch. Also, consider calling a family member or friend to catch up while you’re on your lunch break. Maintaining a regular routine and stepping away every so often is important and will keep you motivated to work while you’re home. Remember, if you were in a typical office setting, you’d be having regular social interactions as well as have opportunities to get water and snacks. Be sure to try to keep your routine at home as similar as possible. Creating your home office is an important step in building a space that allows you to work efficiently.

Between home improvements and renovations, new decorations, a trip to your local thrift shop, and the creation of a personal but efficient workspace, your working-from-home journey will feel much more fun. With the world feeling different these days, it’s important to have a positive attitude and make the best of what you have. Utilize space in your home for the better, and consider making renovations that will not only help you work from home efficiently but also improve the value of your home. Whether you’re looking for a cheap project or your budget is flexible, creating your home office can certainly be done. Get started with creating your home office today.