Being able to work from home raises the question of how to set up the perfect home-based office. Where do you start? The very first thing to think about is where in the home will the office be located? I would pick a space with at least one window for natural light and have it located away from any high traffic areas in the home. I would then take a look at what the skeleton of the room needs for example is the paint color acceptable or do I want to paint the walls? What kind of window treatments would I want? Is there room on the walls for art or decoration?
When picking your paint color always take into consideration the size of your space and your furnishings. If your office space is small look for a color that will make it appear larger. Never paint a small space a dark color. If you are working in a large space you can add an accent wall to help make the space feel a bit smaller. Also consider the color of your furnishings when picking a paint color. Dark woods would match better with warm colors and the light woods with variations of pastels. After you pick your paint color then it is time to head over to the paint store and get some samples. Put your samples up on the walls and look at them at different times of the day. Some folks like to work during the day while others might be working in the evenings.
Other items to take into consideration after the paint color has been chosen would be window treatments, art/wall decoration and lighting. There are several options for window treatments such as vertical blinds, horizontal or mini-blinds, roller shades and draperies or curtains. As far as wall decoration, put up your favorite inspirational quote to help motivate you through your work time. Be sure to put your achievements such as college degrees or certifications up on the wall and don’t forget a nice grouping of those family pictures. Lighting choices will be natural light provided you have windows in your office space, floor lamps, task lamps and decorative lighting. Of course, you would add these items after the office has been painted and the furniture you have chosen has been permanently placed.
This leads me to the layout of the home office space. There are many different configurations for the office floor plan such as U shaped, L shaped or square shaped. Measuring your space before purchasing the furniture is very important. Do a floor plan and make sure that everything will fit into the space.
Add a touch of your industry to your space so people will know what it is that you are doing while working at your desk. For example, if you are a company representative selling health and wellness products have a couple of products displayed. Finally add your basic office equipment such as computer/mouse, printer/copy/fax machine, telephone, shredders, bulletin boards, white boards, etc. and you have successfully set up the perfect home-based office. Now it is time to enjoy your new office space and get to work!