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This month’s theme: Home office goals
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As someone who primarily works from home, it is my dream to have an extra room to use as an office. Right now, my workspace is two feet away from my bed, which isn’t always conducive to getting things done. Yes, I can go to a lovely cafe, but sometimes I don’t want to leave the house and my coffee budget can only get so big.
Pros: These seems to the most achievable, as it’s a sectioned off potion of a larger room. I also love the bookshelf because it’ll allow more room to keep track of the books on my reading/reviewing schedule.
Cons: That green. It’s like pea soup, but I obviously don’t have to keep the same color scheme. I’d probably switch the curtains for blinds or shades.
Photo credit: Svet_Feo | BigStock
Pros: The description calls this Scandinavian style. Not quite sure what that means, but I like it! I love the brightness of the room, the string of lights, and an open wall for all sorts of decor.
Cons: That metal chair looks really uncomfortable. I’m also not much of a plant person and I’d repurpose that cute table for something else.
Photo credit: Kasia Bialasiewicz | BigStock
Pros: Shit, I love an accent wall, especially in this color. The metal accents are definitely my jam. Though the table clearly has enough space for two people, I would definitely want it all for myself.
Cons: More metal chairs. I’d switch one out for something a little more comfortable. And darker paint in a smaller space might make the room feel even smaller.
Photo credit: Kasia Bialasiewicz | BigStock
Pros: Look at all that natural light! Isn’t it beautiful? The minimalism might help with keeping the space decluttering and of course, those shelves would hold books. This desk space seems achievable for smaller areas, though!
Cons: I’d have to live in isolation because I don’t need people peeping into my floor to ceiling windows. Would it really even be peeping at that point? Stop with the metal chairs!
Photo credit: Kasia Bialasiewicz | BigStock
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What do you look for in a home office? Lots of light? Shelf space? Tell me in the comments!
I love the deep colors of #3 but the furniture would have to change!
My own home office is my late father-in-law’s ancient rolltop desk, set up in the corner of our L-shaped greatroom, right next to the sliding glass doors. Those look out onto 3 back yards, none of which are fenced, backing up to the woods. It’s a really peaceful view. The only down side is that the cats like to sit on top of whatever I’m doing, but then, that’s cats for you! And Amanda, the walls are green, but it’s a far softer green than #1 above – more like a deep leaf green.
My work office is on the upper floor of a converted Victorian house; kind of wonky, with a half-height door into the under-eaves storage space & a closet door covering the A/C unit where the fireplace used to be, but full of character. The walls are chocolate brown & the trim is white. And because we’re a non-profit the furniture is a hodge-podge, which also fits the house.
Those metal chairs would be uncomfortable for one of the hour-plus conference calls/Webexes I frequently endure! My behind hurts just looking at them. I like the first office space with its big window and comfy-looking sofa, and especially, the chartreuse color scheme.
My second floor work-from-home office has a window overlooking pasture and woods and a recliner chair for those really long “town hall” meetings. The office furniture is more cube-like than I would like, but this worker bee needs her file drawers and bookcases. I have an antique desk in a corner for crafting and old-fashioned cursive writing.
I work from home almost exclusively. I have a dedicated office in my basement with a desk with extra monitor, and a good office chair (I work for an office furniture/office interiors company… my chair is excellent and I got an employee discount on it!). Half my office is separated by a curtain and is storage for the house though. I have my webcam angled so it just sees wall/door/bookcase in the background.
No matter what your home office is, have a good chair, whatever that means to you (my spouse has a fitness ball chair). Your back will thank you.
Same all around. I really love the first except for the color. I’d have to toss half of the stuff in my home to get this look!
I used to own a 90-year-old house (the current one is only 80), so I can say for certain that small, dark rooms look amazing with deep jewel-toned walls. It’s all in how you handle the lighting.
And am I the only person who loves that yellow-green?
My big desk died awhile back so I am using my This End Up table from the 80’s with a file holder, a printer, my desktop on it. A comfortable chair, lots of shelves for files, books, stationery, craft supplies. The things I must have are a calendar on the wall and a very large cork board.
The offices above are lust-worthy but I worry about the light placement. Too much light in front of me can lead to migraines, well, anything can lead to migraine, but I am sensitive to light placement and do better if it comes over a shoulder. And, let’s face it, all of those spaces are way tidier than I am.
Ergonomic chairs (don’t give me an office chair without back support – I am with you here on the metal), natural light, and little clutter – but not so sparse it looks like you’d disturb the space just by walking into it.
Vicki: you may want to check out Curable Health (pain psychology program) for migraines. It was developed by migraine and other chronic pain sufferers and it’s helped me SO MUCH. It teaches you how to reduce the sensitivity of pain. It doesn’t matter why or what kind of pain you have, or if it’s caused by something structural or unknown – it works the same way for all because of the neuroscience behind pain and how it’s created and perceived by the body.
@JoanneBB: A good chair OR a convertible sit/stand desk! I’ve got one of those at the office & swear by it – it’s SO good to stand up for a while & stretch out my spine while still being productive!
I’d love that top office; plenty of natural light for color balance! And handy bookshelves for my reference books and floss samples. Agreed, though, that metal chair has to go.
Storage! None of these have enough storage. I need shelves, drawers, cabinets.
Also giving thumbs up to deep dark colors in small spaces. Had a wall in my 5 x 6 kitchen painted a red pretty close to that one, and it looked amazing. My tiny guest bathroom is painted this deep purpley brown – that much maligned puce in historicals – and it is fabulous.
The top one is my favorite too and I agree that it needs a different color scheme.
Unfortunately, my apartment isn’t big enough for an office space, but if I could have an office space I’d want wall-to-wall bookshelves( built into the wall). As for the theme of the room, I’d like it to have a lot of upcycled art and other steampunk themes. As for the color scheme, not sure what I’d go with and I’d Want some sort of English-style writing desk.
In our house, no table is big enough for two people. My husband has two desks and a table in his home office, two tables in his shop, and cubbies in the hall, and he still covers the 8-foot dining room table with stuff. I have to clear space to sit there for lunch.
I would go with either the second or fourth for an art studio, and the third’s color scheme for a personal library. I love baby pink with deep, rich burgundy reds together.
I dream of the day when one of my kids moves out and I can finally convert one of the bedrooms into an office. Both the kids’ bedrooms look out over the small backyard (with lots of lovely flowers) and the wooded greenbelt behind, and a bit of a view of the mountains as well.
So, anybody got suggestions for the lighting options if you can’t get natural light? I have a nice little home office but it’s an interior basement room – not even a tiny window.
Cotterpinx: I’ve had good luck with multiple sources at different heights around the room, and I love strips of LEDs shining up behind a bit of coving or chair rail.