7 Unexpected Ways To Upgrade Your Home Office

An efficient home office relies on smart planning and storage. Purposeful design changes can help signal you’re in a dedicated working space and not just another room in your home. Take your office to the next level with savvy upgrades that maximize style and function, while also centering you in your work.

1. Reduce Stress with Plants. Just one small plant at your desk can help alleviate stress and even encourage you to keep your surface clutter-free. Studies also suggest plants improve productivity in an office setting. Decorate your home office with houseplants for fresh texture and color.

2. Upgrade Your Work Surface. One benefit of working from home is that you can choose the look and feel of your work surface. Say goodbye to coffee rings and ink stains by trading your desktop for Black Bardiglio Formica Laminate.

3. Opt for Supportive Flooring. You might have considered converter kits that transition your desk from sitting to standing. Or maybe you even have a fully adjustable sit-stand desk. But what about the surface below you? Anti-fatigue floor mats can reduce discomfort and provide support while standing at a desk. An area rug with a plush rug pad can also provide cushion underfoot.

4. Divide a Room to Encourage Focus. Room dividers are an easy way to separate a workspace from a larger room, hide clutter, and present a less distracting background for virtual meetings, all without making permanent or structural changes. Consider a folding style that you can easily pack up and store.

5. Hang Eye-Catching Art for Inspiration. Adding art to your home office has both personal and professional benefits. A few thoughtfully chosen pieces can result in a quick office update that helps you feel more motivated and productive.

6. Improve Lighting with Color-Changing Bulbs. If your workspace wasn’t originally designated as an office, you might lack adequate lighting. Ideally, your home office should have natural light as well as task lighting, which provides focused lighting to a particular area, and ambient lighting.

7. Utilize Wall Space for Planning. Although a lot is accomplished on computers, it’s not the only place we make plans, store files, and find inspiration. Sometimes only a hands-on approach will do. Combine sheet metal and a picture frame to create an inexpensive hanging magnetic board perfect for updating to-do lists, keeping project details at hand, and displaying inspiring imagery.


*Courtesy of BHG.com


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