Around the world, professionals across just about every industry are now working from home in order to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. In the age of widespread WiFi and productivity apps and video conferencing, the lucky thing is that working from home is easier than ever to facilitate in a home office. But that doesn’t mean that it’s easy altogether. The fact is, working from home and wrangling kids and all of life’s other responsibilities at the same time just got very real.
If you don’t love your work station at home–or if it doesn’t bring you a sense of calm, comfort, and productivity–now is the time to ask yourself some key questions about your space and how you can maximize it for an ideal work from home set-up. This means refreshing and readjusting your existing pieces, adopting some good habits and best practices, and investing in some new pieces and e-design services to make your home productive for work time and super-relaxing for non-work time.
Ask yourself the following questions: Do you have a large enough desk (at least 48” wide and 22” deep)? Do you have a high-functioning lamp (it doesn’t have to be a desk lamp, but needs to be something that is bright enough and hopefully aesthetically pleasing)? Do you have photos of your favorite things (kids, pets, family, and friends)? Do you have a tray to wrangle your glasses, candles, hand sanitizer, moisturizer, phone chargers? Do you have a comfy chair (I use an upholstered dining chair since i find most task chairs dreadful to look at)?
Once you’ve contemplated the above quandaries, read on for our top four design-centric tips on transforming your home for the current moment we’re living through. Hopefully, refreshing your home office will help you feel not just more ready to get work done, but also like you have an aspect of your life that’s fully in your control during this time of so much uncertainty. And most of all, stay well and safe, and don’t forget to reach out to your friends, family, and co-workers to see how they’re doing!
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
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Work from Home Tip #1. Get Organized
For people who work remotely, it’s important to get all of the items around your space nicely organized–whether or not they’re actual work tools. For example: It’s a no brainer to organize all of your electronics, chargers, headphones, work notebooks, pens, and file folders around primary work area–but it’s equally important to organize your creature comforts and items that truly make the space your own, like candles, framed photos, remotes, bottles of lotion, and water bottles.
Trays can be a super-stylish game-changer on this front. They’re useful in the dining room for food, drinks, and tabletop accessories, and in the living room they’re useful for decluttering. You can create groupings on your tray of candles and accessories together–not only will it look lovely and serve a function, but the process of styling the tray will help you mentally de-clutter as well. Trays are also useful for the inevitable shuttling of snacks and beverages from the kitchen to other areas of the home, which you’ll be doing more often than usual if you’re working from home.
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
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Work from Home Tip #2. Make Space for Kids
If you’re a working parent, the work from home scenario is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you don’t have to think about childcare and you get to spend more time around your littles, but on the other hand, if kids aren’t set up in their own space to play, study, and hang out, then they will inevitably start to take over your vital work space.
So what to do? Take stock of your space–maybe you already have play space carved out for the kiddos and all it needs is an extra table or desk to facilitate their at-home learning during this time. Or maybe you’ll need to get creative and transform spaces once used for other things. Either way, now is the time to bust out supplies and tons of puzzles, games, and craft materials.
You can now embark on much longer projects with your kids and other family members–like 800 piece LEGO sets–however to do this, make sure you have dedicated “work station” for your kids. And with this space for them, also give them new responsibilities and chores. Challenge them to keep their space as clean and orderly as you keep yours–and if some extra screen time is part of the deal, so be it (these are unprecedented times!).
Photo by Chasing Nostalgia; click to shop!
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
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Work from Home Tip #3. Prioritize Calm & Comfort
In these uncertain times, making sure that your home work area feels serene is essential. You can really transform a space by simply styling it with a few calming decor pieces. This will make your space feel finished and tidy–and also relaxing and safe. It’s also nice because you can often change your style just by changing the accessories–an easy and quick way to make a space feel new when you are craving change.
Pro tip: When you are styling, you want to do so in groups of three. This provides symmetry and balance. When you have less or more it tends to either feel like something is missing or like the space is busy and overwhelmed. Do groups of three and you will feel less anxious about your styling choices. They should also vary in height if possible! You can do this by mixing and matching: A vase, a decorative box, a set of coasters, sculptures or figurines, faux florals, a stack of books, a candle, a bottle, bookends, photo frames, and the list goes on.
You can also transform a cozy corner in your home by moving your favorite chair, adding a nice ottoman/footstool and a fuzzy area rug to create a nice, quiet reading area tucked away from the more digital spaces of the home. Add in a floor lamp as mid-level lighting, and even a side table to set your cup on. Instead of a chair, you could even do a plush, low bean bag to sink into!
Photo via Styling Frugal
Photo via Fancy Things
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Work from Home Tip #4. Invest in Design Services
You’ll likely find that, since you’re spending so much more time at home, the time finally feels right to tackle all the home design and refresh projects that you’ve had in mind for a while. If this is the case, we advise you to work with an e-designer to refresh or redesign your space. The best part is, that with our design packages, you can choose to refresh or redesign just one room if you want–be it your home office for the sake of productivity, or the bedroom for the sake of peace and self care.
Other projects that an e-designer can help you with right now–and it can all be easily done virtually–include replacing light fixtures, bringing in a new rug, considering wallpaper, and updating your kids’ spaces. So many amazing ideas flow once you’re forced to stare at your walls and make decisions.
With our Refresh package–which is priced at $100 and is great if you’re restyling a small space, or need final finishing touches–clients get exclusive designer-only discounts on furnishings, a three-day design time table, and up to two design revisions. With our Redesign package–which is priced at $500 and is ideal for a single room makeover–clients get exclusive designer-only discounts on furnishings, design schematics, up to three design revisions, and multiple layout options.
Design by Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
Photo via Kathy Kuo Home; click to shop!
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One thought on “Work From Home 101: How To Be Productive, Calm & Comfortable”
I can’t find the color way of the Schumacker wallpaper that you show. All the colors I see are very muted, not the beautiful sky or robins egg blue that is on the walls of the office. Can you tell me the name of the color? Thank you so much!