Home Office Interior Design Tips To Maximize Remote Working Productivity
The increased attention to maximizing remote working productivity has introduced a new layer of challenges; at home, we are distracted by our children, our pets, and the loss of a sense of formality that comes with our traditional offices. Nonetheless, the show must go on, and Americans are adapting to working from home without sacrificing productivity. In order to maximize your productivity while working at home, spaces will have to be adapted. Below are design tips to utilize the spaces you already have at home, monitor distractions with acoustic architecture, and properly utilize color to increase productivity and wellness.
Take Advantage of Natural Light
When choosing a home office space, consider a space with enough natural light. The brain thrives off of natural light as it improves mental health and leads to an increase in productivity. If possible, choose a room with a window, and position the desk to be facing the outside world. If no such room is available, a room with a glass door is another great option, since it will make the space feel larger and less confining, as well as that it’ll introduce natural light from the rest of the home. It has also been proven that natural light, rather than artificial light, is beneficial for home offices because it reduces eye strain and headaches. This is more important now than ever, as we are spending more time than ever working online, leading to an increase in screen time that leads to headaches and eye strain.
Distinguish Work and Play
When working from home, it can be difficult to distinguish your professional space from your personal space. Deliberate attention to doing so, though, will help increase your productivity as it helps the brain focus and shift into work mode. Working from the comfort of the couch or a bed can be tempting, but that leaves us vulnerable to distraction, particularly if we’re sharing space with others. To create a distinction between workspaces and home spaces, a physical barrier can be helpful. Whether that’s a sliding door or a glass door, a separation of space can improve productivity.
Investing in a decorative screen panel can also help you mitigate the outside noise from partners, children, or other disruptions.
The Greener The Better
Research concludes that adding greenery to an office space increases productivity by decreasing overall stress levels. In combination with a healthy dose of natural light, adding plants to a space can boost mood and overall well being, leading to a more productive workday. As added benefits, plants will naturally filter the air in the office.
Play With Color and Surface
Color undoubtedly affects our brain; blue colors are attributed to intelligence, yellow affects emotion, and white brings clarity and creativity. In determining the best work from home space, a solid surface with blue accents is going to positively affect the mind and increase productivity. A white solid surface countertops will set the scene for a wide variety of accent color preferences. Whether the preferred style is minimalist or calls for pops of color, a solid surface desk is the best non-distracting option. A solid desk will also encourage one to keep it free of clutter, as physical clutter is known to hinder productivity as it symbolizes the clutter of the mental space.
There is no way to avoid the pandemic changing the way that we’ve all learned to work from home. However, in the name of settling into a new sense of normalcy, a home office can be designed to maximize efficiency as much as possible. By identifying the best space with glass, windows, or natural light, creating a clear distinction between work and home with acoustic architecture and utilizing color and a white solid surface, working from home can be just as productive as the real deal!
Mandy Lee is a contributor to Innovative Construction Materials. She is a blogger and content writer for the building materials industry. Mandy is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.