Styling Your Home Office

Last week I promoted Virgina Woolf’s theory that every woman needs a ‘room of one’s own’ to be creative and we discussed the ‘Home Office’ and the need to have a room, or at least a designated space within your home, for this. 
This week I want to get you to focus on personalising your space so it is one you walk into and immediately feel inspired and ready to work.  Too often the ‘Home Office is a hastily thrown together space with work piled high in one corner and the washing basket, kids toys and an assortment of things with no other home, in the other.  I know from personal experience that this is highly distracting and whilst it may not be possible to completely separate your home office from the other functions of your home you do need to try to draw a line between domestic and work.
If you have managed to secure yourself an entire room for your home office great and if this is the case your first step should be to clear it of clutter, make the decision that you will not use it as a dumping ground for other things and look at the furniture you already have to assess what you need to add and what you need to take out.  My BIG tip is to widen your search beyond office supply stores.  These can be a good source of inspiration, but a beautiful home office can be created by using furniture traditionally designated to other areas of the home.  Take a second look at items you have in other rooms and decide if they could find a new home in your office.  I have a beautiful pine table for a desk.  It was a ‘dining table’ until I reclaimed it for my office and its size makes it perfect for the work I do.
If you only have an area of another room for your office, ensure that it is set up in a way that makes it obvious to others that this is your work space.  Ideally it should be a quiet area of the home where you can escape the hustle and bustle of family life, if only for a few hours each day.  You will also need a cupboard or filing cabinet that enables you to pack up your desk when the space is not being used for work.
Regardless of whether you have a room or a space the following tips will help you to personalise the space so that you have a sense of being in a ‘room of your own’ every time you enter the space.

• Organisation: whether your office is a room or a space everything should have its own place. Most of the disorganisation in our home starts with the simple fact that each item does not have a place.  Keep all of your tools in a well-ordered fashion and put them away at the end of each day. If you have difficulty with the task of organising yourself there is help available.  There are professionals who you can hire to help you work through your clutter and develop easy strategies to become a more organised.  There are also many resources available online and in print that can assist you with the tips you need to become a more organised person.  A great option for a home office within another room is to use a desk that is also a cupboard.  You can convert an existing cupboard into a desk and storage unit or buy one.  This works so well in this type of space because it can be packed up and closed when not in use.  Choose something that complements the décor of the room and if you want to get creative use paint and textures to personalise it.
• Storage: When considering storage think about the way you work.  What do you need at hand each day and what only needs to be referred to on occasion.  Do you have piles of magazines and books for reference?  Often these things are stacked up on the desk when they do not need to be.  Develop a system for keeping your clutter to a minimum and your resources well organised.  Keep storage simple with shelves and boxes, and use stickers to label the contents. This is where you can start to put your individual stamp on your office.  What styles and colours do you like?  There are so many options out there now for decorating and storage but don’t feel limited to office supplies.  Scrapbooking shops have lovely storage boxes that can be used for filing.  I tend to fill my office with items traditionally used in other areas of the home. For example my pens and pencils are contained in a beautiful glass vase.  I have a pin board decorated in wallpaper for notes.  Here is a great article about home office storage solutions to get you started click here… 
• Dual-purpose: Using a room that already has a purpose, such as a spare bedroom, for a home office, requires thought about colour and texture. You want symmetry between the two spaces but you also need to clearly define your office space from the rest of the room.  By using art, small objects and colour you can bring the two spaces together whilst defining the two uses of the room.  Upholstery is another way to achieve this.  Have your desk chair covered in a fabric you admire and which fits in with the décor of the room.  Rugs are another way of achieving a personal look. 
• Lighting: Working near a source of natural light is good for your health.  Positioning your desk near a window can help relieve boredom but for some it will be a distraction so consider how you work when making this decision.  I stay away from overhead lighting, as it can make areas appear flat and lifeless. Instead, use a lamp fitted with a halogen bulb, to create functional mood lighting.  Forget traditional desk lamps and choose a lamp that reflects your style and taste.

If you have a great looking home office why not send us a photo and point out some of the things you feel work particularly well.  Or, if your home office space could do with a makeover send a picture to us and we can ask our readers to offer you some tips on how to create a beautiful office space of your own.