Five Top Design Ideas for Your Home Office or Study
Advances in technology, coupled with the need for a more balanced lifestyle, mean increasing numbers of people are embracing the idea of working from home. Over 1.5 million people across the UK are now classified as ‘remote employees’, and are enjoying the flexibility and freedom that comes with not having to travel into the office every day.
This brings with it a whole new set of design challenges and opportunities, as people try to create the ideal working environment in their own home. At the Bespoke Shutter Company, we install café-style shutters in London, Essex and Hertfordshire, often as part of a home office design. Here we look at five key design trends for home offices or studies – and why you should make shutters an essential ingredient of your domestic workplace.
Use Walls to Save Space
Often space is at a premium in home offices and studies, particularly if you are converting a small bedroom. If you fix a desk directly to the wall, you will save yourself valuable room, and make it easier to clean the carpet as you won’t have to manoeuvre the vacuum cleaner around the desk’s legs.
As well as a desk, you can also attach shelves, cupboards and drawers directly to the wall. All of these will help to keep your desk comparatively clutter-free.
Take Care with Colours
It’s a good idea not to be too bright or brash with your colour schemes as these can distract you from the task in hand. Equally, a neutral white colour can be too clinical and unwelcoming. An ideal compromise is a pale shade of blue, green or grey.
You can also pick a colour which matches the nature of your work. Studies have shown that yellow, for instance, can be warm and welcoming, and is a good colour to use if you need to be creative. Blue, however, is thought to be a better choice if your work involves a lot of repetitive tasks.
Go Green
Many larger companies incorporate 'living walls' into their office design, as the plants which are built into them help to boost the air quality – and provide a more natural, homely look to any working environment.
While it may not be possible to install something on that scale in your study at home, the addition of a houseplant or two will certainly improve the atmosphere. Cacti, for example, require very little moisture or maintenance, while peace lilies don’t need much light and will forgive the occasional over-watering.
Take a Break
Remember you need to take regular, scheduled breaks from your computer screen to stay fresh and healthy. If you have space, create a separate ‘zone’ for some ‘me-time’ with a comfortable armchair or sofa, and add some homely touches such as cushions and rugs. A coffee machine or a fridge will help if you are going to be working for a long time.
Have Shutters Installed
If you install shutters in your home office or study, you will be cutting back on unwanted noise by as much as 50%. The wooden louvres create a more effective barrier against the hustle and bustle of the outside world than other window coverings such as curtains.
Solid wooden shutters also offer plenty of privacy. This is particularly important if your home office is on the ground floor and you don’t want people to see any sensitive or private documents you are dealing with, or any expensive IT equipment you have installed.
And shutters provide lots of control over your levels of heat and light. In summer, you can close them, keeping out all the hot air, while adjusting the angle of the louvres to ensure a steady air flow. This adaptability can also help keep direct sunlight off your computer screen, avoiding the problem of glare. In winter, because they are such excellent insulators, shutters will keep the warm air in and the cold air out.
Café-style Shutters from The Bespoke Shutter Company
Many home-workers choose café-style shutters, which only cover the bottom half of the window. This means the room is still light and bright, and it avoids the problem of the sun shining directly into your eyes or onto your screen.
The Bespoke Shutter Company have many years of experience in supplying and installing top-quality café-style shutters in homes in London, Essex and Hertfordshire. We can also supply a variety of other styles, including tier-on-tier and full-length shutters, plus shaped shutters for more unusual windows. If you would like to learn more, follow this link and fill in the online form for a free, no-obligation quote. You can also call us on 020 3131 3155 or email us at info@bespokeshutters.com.
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