Ways Furniture Can Improve Your Home Office Ambience

A home office is a great addition to any house if you regularly work from the comfort of your own dwelling, whether full, part-time or on a freelance basis. Make no mistake; this is an increasingly popular method of working in the digital age, with an estimated two million freelancers currently active in the UK alone.

Not only this, but a staggering 43% of the U.S. workforce is expected to be working independently by the year 2020, and this number will only increase further in the years to come.

Despite this, we all know the traps and distractions that come with working from home; it can be hard to focus, get in the right mood and shut off from everything around you.

That’s why a well-designed home office is essential and picking the right furniture can help form the ideal working ambience. In the article below, we’ll explore this further while offering some actionable advice on how to enhance your home office ambience.

A Comfortable Seat

An ergonomic, comfortable chair that has you seated upright and not slouching is vital. Choosing the right one can depend a lot on your posture and preferences. For some people, a solid wooden chair, similar to those found in many dining rooms, can be best thanks to its structure.

Yet for others you might prefer something that focuses more on comfort, with plenty of cushions. Though if it’s too comfy there’s a chance it’ll help you drift off to sleep on those warm days.

There’s a reason office swivel chairs are popular too, as they allow height and back adjustment to get the perfect position.

Classic swivel chairs arguably offer the best balance between ergonomics and pricing, so you should probably make these a key focus of your search.

Practical Desks

There are all sorts of office desks you can find these days. First you need to make sure that the one you choose fits into your office and has enough of a surface to get your computer, laptop, printer, telephone and anything else you regularly use on it.

As this will likely be the centrepiece to your home office, it needs to fit in with the rest of the room’s decor. A solid wooden desk with compartments and drawers for storage can suit many rooms, as can a fairly plain metal one. It depends if you want a more contemporary or classic style.

There’s also a growing trend for more simplistic desk designs, with various flat-pack furniture brands offering large piece of MDF complete with four adjustable legs. This can be easily assembled and resized to fit any space, while it offers a convenient and cost-effective solution for penny-conscious freelancers.

Well Designed Storage

Image courtesy of Furniture Plus

It’s amazing how many documents, post and files you can acquire even when there’s only you working in your home office. Especially if you work with a lot of different clients, storing these safely and in an organised fashion is essential.

But those boring metal filing cabinets that you get in a lot of offices can quickly have a dull effect on your home office. Instead, oak filing cabinets can quickly create a much nicer atmosphere. If you have a wooden desk and/or chair as well, this can fit nicely together and will make your home office feel more like the former rather than the latter.

Similarly, you should keep your eyes peeled for more creative and hidden storage solutions. These help to create a functional office space while also maximising the amount of floor space at your disposal, which prevents you from feeling as though you’re working in a constrained and cluttered space.

The Right Layout

In order for your home office to help you focus it needs to be laid out well. When there’s a window, use this to your advantage for the natural light when deciding where to place your desk. Or have it so you face out for a great view (if there is one of course!)

Small home offices can have little leeway but with the addition of mirrors it can create the effect of more space. And make sure that the door can open easily without hitting anything, otherwise you’ll be dealing with constant frustrations.

Creating the illusion of space is an important consideration for people with small offices or new-build homes, both from a psychological and practical perspective.

Creating a well-designed home office can be simple with the right furniture and layout in the right place, and by following these tips you can hopefully create a space that makes you as productive as possible!