Curating a beautiful home office - Part 1
Working from home looks like it’s here to stay. Creating a more permanent, well functioning and aesthetically pleasing space is more important than ever.
It’s EXCITING we are presented with the opportunity to create a work environment that meets our own individual needs.
This week I am going to be talking about Planning........I know, I know, it sounds boring, but it is the key to creating a work space that will serve you for many years to come.
So often we head straight into purchasing items, new desks, chairs or lighting with no plan of what we want to achieve thus ending up with a mish mosh of things that ... well quite frankly ... look like a mish mosh!
So what do I mean by Planning? When it comes to your home office space there are three components you should think about:
Purpose
What purpose do you need the space to have?
Make a list of all the activities that you will be undertaking or things that you will need to store in your space. This could include things like:
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Home administration filing system
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Home computer station
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Work/laptop computer station
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Video calls
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Library
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Storage of kids craft supplies
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Storage of business records/supplies
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Work planning board
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Home planning board (calendar, to-do's, meal planner etc)
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Creative space
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Create photo/video content
Physical Space Plan
What physical space do you have to create your workspace in?
Drawing a scale plan of the space is a good idea to make sure any furniture purchased fits and so that you optimise your space, make sure you include any windows, doors or other features that will impact how furniture will fit in. There are some simple ways to do this:
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For the the ‘technophobes’, the old fashioned way by purchasing a scale ruler, you can pick these up for under $15 on Amazon. Simply measure your room dimensions using an ordinary tape measure and then draw it out to scale using the scale ruler. Once you have done this you can take measurements of different furniture and draw them to scale, cut them out and then work out the best placement within a room.
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The modern way by downloading a free 3D planning software tool, there are many to choose from (Sketchup, Floorplanner, Smart Draw, Sweet Home 3D).
Feel
How do you want to feel in the room?
Jotting down some key words at the beginning will help you later when it comes to choosing colours, furniture, artwork etc. Do you want it to be cool & crisp, warm and inviting, modern and inspiring?