Here are six tips to make your home office comfortable AND beautiful!
1. Don’t underestimate the power of color! Paint is the easiest, most inexpensive way to change the mood of your office. Pick a warm color (like yellow) to energize you or a cool color (like blue) to keep you calm.
2. Make sure your office has adequate lighting. Your computer should NOT be your main light source. Add a table lamp to your desk for direct task lighting and a floor lamp for more ambient lighting.
3. Organize your cords. Use inexpensive zip ties to gather your cords behind your desk so you don’t end up with a tangled mess.
4. If you can, move your desk so you can see out a window.
It’s amazing what a nice view can do for your mood. You’re not stuck in a windowless cubicle anymore – no need to stick your desk against the wall!
5. Invest in a comfortable, ergonomic desk chair. It will likely be ugly. That’s ok – your health is more important than aesthetics (and this is coming from a designer with an ugly, ergonomic chair in her office!).
See that chair I’m sitting on? Yeah, that’s not my real chair. It just looked better in the photos.
6. Spring for an external monitor with an adjustable base. Your back will thank you. A laptop on a standard height desk will make you bend over and seriously hurts your spine.