Designing your own home office can be challenging, but extremely rewarding.

After all, if you work from home, you will probably spend most of your day in this space. It needs to be practical and professional, but also somewhere you enjoy spending time.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Your space

The first thing to consider when planning your work from home space is: where is your space, and what kind of space is it? 

If you’re lucky, you’ll have a whole home office to yourself, but even if you don’t, no worries. Perhaps you have another, underused space that could be repurposed some or all of the time? A dining room, guest bedroom, basement or snug?

If you don’t have an appropriate room available, you can still make a practical home office space in another room in your house. A corner of the living room would work well, especially if you’re a work at home mom who needs to keep an eye on the kids at the same time. Look for space saving, slimline desks with storage underneath and put shelves above to maximise your work corner. 

I would advise against putting your workspace in your bedroom, because you risk blurring the lines between work and rest.

Ergonomics

You probably spend a lot of time at your desk. And if you work from home, you can end up spending even more time sedentary than people who work in an office, with no water cooler chat to distract you. So look after your back, and make sure you choose the best, ergonomic chair you can afford. 

You might even want to consider a yoga ball instead of a trafitional seat. Or how about a standing desk? 

One of the benefits of working from home is that you don’t have to worry about looking silly in front of others, so go with whatever set up feels great to you!

Consider your needs

Will you host meetings or receive visitors in your home office? If so, what kind of atmosphere do you want to project? Welcoming and casual, or professional and imposing? This will be reflected in the choice of seating you offer, and the layout of the room.

If you have the space, you might want to add a small round table in addition to your main desk, for discussions and reviewing projects together.

Personality

Finally, don’t forget to inject your own personality into your workspace! Whether you have a desk squeezed into the living room or a whole room to yourself, you’ll spend a lot of time there and you deserve to make it as pleasant as you can.

Put some favorite pictures on the wall above your desk to give you something to stare at during breaks, and invest in a colorful cushion or rug to soften the look. After all, it may be a working space, but it’s still your home.