Home Office Trends in 2021

The year is almost through and we have seen quite the increase in home offices since 2020. Not only has the number of remote workers expanded dramatically, but those who were already working from home started treating themselves to a better (you could almost say more professional, or traditional) work environment.

We love designing workspaces. We have helped customize solutions for many organizations around Southern Ontario for over 60 years. Designing functional and attractive offices in the home has always been a favourite project of ours, and with home workspaces becoming more commonplace it has opened exciting opportunities for us to deeply connect with customers in a new atmosphere. Our decades of experience designing personal offices allows us to guide customers towards the perfect working space for them. So, we thought we could help you improve your home office by sharing some tips and tricks that customers have found to be exceptionally helpful. These are our top home office trends from 2021.

YOUR OWN STYLE

One of the best pieces of advice we can offer clients when designing their home office is to make it a space you love. Incorporating your own personal style not only makes you proud of your new home office, but researchers have found that working in an office environment, surrounded by elements we love, improves productivity by 32%. You will be happier and more efficient with a setup that includes your favourite greenery, special knick-knacks, or even a nearby coffee station.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER LIGHTING

Ideally, your office would be flooded by natural light. Research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that test scores and reading rates improve significantly when working in natural light.

If natural light is not an option, use adjustable LED lighting. Not only are LEDs better on your eyes, they’re more economical, and environmentally friendly. Smart technology has made it easy to find adjustable lighting that comes with different colours and a remote.

Try this; in the morning choose a warm coloured light, which is calming and has proven to help us focus. In the afternoon it’s recommended you adjust your lighting to be a cooler or blue hue, which helps increase productivity, just in time before our energy levels start to drop… usually around mid-afternoon.

THE RIGHT DESK

It’s exciting shopping for new furniture like a desk, but try to keep in mind how functional of a desk you need. It’s become trendy to use minimalistic desks. These are desks without any storage. They look gorgeous, especially in-store, but many find the lack of drawers often leads to a messy workstation. Then, not only are you frustrated, but your desk has lost all its appeal and you will probably have to spend even more money on bulky stylish organizers to match. Remember, your desk is the heart of your home office. It should be beautiful and functional.

If your desk is facing a wall, then a computer desk with a hutch, such as this beautiful oak option from Sauder will provide you with plenty of organization. These days however, it’s more comfortable to be facing the door, or be in the center of your open office space. This double pedestal desk from Offices To Go is perfect for an open setup. It offers a sleek design with plenty of storage.

STANDING DESKS

Speaking of desks, we’ve known about the harmful effects of sitting at a desk all day for years. This past year, with home offices popping up everywhere, people have been taking the initiative to stand more while working. Standing invigorates and re-energizes you. It helps ease your back pain long-term and allows you to take it easy on your posterior. The real big bonus from is seeing how much it decreases cardiovascular issues and obesity. Just be sure to wear a good pair of shoes to help your feet absorb the pressure, or grab one of our

COLOUR CODED ORGANIZATION

Colour based organization has become popular because of how easy it makes our day-to-day tasks. Since our eyes can focus much faster on colours than text, it’s a good idea to use colour coded folders, markers, etc. Use these cute pastel highlighters to keep yourself organized!

GOING PAPERLESS

Digitizing your files can be a big project but now that you’re working from home, you’ll appreciate the clutter it prevents, and how easy it will make filing. Plus, when you’re finished you will have an easy way to file more than just documents. Important emails, images, presentations, and more will all be at your organized finger tips.

We hope these tips help you along the way in your journey to becoming efficient yet stylish and comfortable with your home workstation.