How to Redesign Your Home Office

If you are one of those lucky people who can work from home, you probably have a room set up as your office. But unless you’ve done a redesign recently, it is likely in need of an upgrade.

In the years (or months?!) you’ve used it, your office has probably accumulated quite a bit of “stuff”, some necessary and some not. It may or may not have been designed with efficiency in mind when you first started using it. And even it if was, your needs and habits may have changed.

You may be thinking that a redesign seems like a luxury. After all, it would be nice, but who has the time or the money for a total makeover? The good news is that you can make some important changes in comfort and efficiency without breaking the bank.

(If you have the money to renovate from top to bottom, go for it! If, however, you are like the rest of us, read on!)

Start With A Floor Plan

When redesigning your office, start with the basics. Measure the space and create a scale model on paper.

Before you go any further, create a flow chart of your typical work day. Is all your work done in one place, or do things need to move from place to place (even if only from printer to organized stack/spot.) You can increase efficiency by creating a flow chart so that each phase of your work flows easily into the next.

Now that you have this in mind, use your scale model to plan where to place/move furniture to match your flow chart. Be sure to do this in pencil!

Now call in your significant other or friends to help you move the furniture to match your plan.

If You Really Want To Go All Out...

Not required but highly recommended: deep clean each piece of furniture and the space you moved it from as you go. Believe me - the time spent doing this will pay off in the increased comfort you feel in your squeaky clean space!

Also not required but recommended: consider moving all the furniture out and applying a fresh coat of paint. It will liven things up, and if you use that crew of friends it can be done in no time!

Consider a few accent pieces to go with your fresh coat of paint. Well-chosen pieces in a complementary color will help to unify the space and make it feel classy.

Next Step: Organize, Organize, Organize

Don’t worry - you are most of the way there!

Next up on the journey to your fabulous new office: create a “desk plan”. This is similar to the floor plan you created earlier. Again, think about the flow of your work and make sure you are placing your desk, office supplies, storage, etc. in the most optimum locations. Place the most frequently used things within easy reach.

If you are always having to go fetch more printer paper, for example, get a cute box with a lid that can hold the paper close by without looking messy. If you previously had to open a drawer every time you needed a paperclip, get a classy storage bin to put them in instead. Which leads to the next step...

Get some matching desk supplies and organizational tools. Like the accent pieces mentioned earlier, matching supplies create a sense of unity and make the space more pleasant. And of course, make sure these supplies match what you put in your office earlier.

Now you are done. Take a step back and enjoy your new space for a moment.

Okay, long enough. Time to work!