Name: 10 Home Office Design Mistakes to Avoid!
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10 Home Office Design Mistakes to Avoid!

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;Skip to contentAre you making one of these home office design faux pas? An interior designer shares simple fixes for all the biggest office design mistakes.In the age of working from home and distance-learning, many people’s home office needs have changed. Here are the top 10 mistakes I see people make over and over when setting up their home offices- and how you can fix or avoid them altogether!No one wants to work in an office with no windows… and for good reason! Natural light improves your mood and energy levels. I always gravitate toward bright spots near windows, so I chose the brightest spot in my house for my own home office.THE FIX: If you can locate your workspace near a window, you should absolutely do it! Although it’s not good to have a window directly behind you if you do a lot of Zoom meetings or video conferencing- more on this later.If you can’t place your desk near a window, there are still many easy ways to brighten up a dark space in your home. I live in Seattle, where we have something like 300 cloudy days per year, so I know! You can check out my best tips for bringing in more natural light here.Most people need to store stuff in their home offices. But if you don’t plan for storage, you’ll inevitably end up with a space that feels cluttered. And then you won’t want to work there.THE FIX: Make a list of everything you need to store in your home office. Is there anything you could get rid of to free up some space?Effective office storage generally begins with drawers. I like drawers because they’re easy to get things in and out of, and when they’re closed, they look sleek and clutter-free.You’ll likely need at least one file cabinet. And a few drawers for storing office supplies are probably in order too. I really like these Alex drawer units from IKEA that double as desk legs. We currently have three of them in our house, and I’ll probably get another for my own desk soon.I’m also loving this Ikea-hacked built-in file cabinet from Sarah at Making Joy and Pretty Things.I know we talked about natural light before, but now we need to talk about artificial light. Most rooms in your home probably have overhead lights, which are meant to light the whole room.But your desk is likely in a corner or against a wall, where it’s not getting great light.THE FIX: You absolutely need at least one task lamp for your home office. I really like to use wall-mounted task lights in home offices because they can be directed toward your face for video calls. Even better if you can have two or more wall-mounted lights shining from opposite directions to make the light more even and flattering.This is the Ikea hacked desk I built for our home office/ homeschool room at our last house:Or you can use a table-top desk lamp. I love the look of these lamps. My only caution is that they can be easily knocked over if you move things around a lot on your desk.Here’s a collection of all my favorite inexpensive desk lamps available online.I don’t need to explain why this is a problem. If you only need to sit in your task chair for an hour or two a day, then go ahead and get something inexpensive and cute. Check out this list for inexpensive desk chairs for kids (and most will work for adults too).But if you sit in your chair for 6-plus hours a day, then you need to make a really good desk chair a priority. Your back will thank you!This Soho Management Chair from Laura Davidson (in the photo below) is my go-to when designing home offices for clients. It’s comfortable, supportive, durable, and adjusts in every way you can imagine.Up until a couple of years ago, most of us weren’t really concerned with what was behind us while we worked. But now our co-workers and classmates have a front-row view into our homes. Don’t let that view be a couch piled with laundry or a stack of boxes.THE FIX: I like to put a tidy tall bookshelf (i.e. not one that’s crammed with as many books as it can hold), with some books, a few decorative accessories and plants, and possibly storage baskets or magazine files as a Zoom backdrop.I really like these Kallax Cube bookshelves from Ikea for room dividers. As you can see, this one separates my office from the kids’ homeschool room, and it’s the backdrop for all of their Zoom meetings.People can usually only see the top two-thirds of the room, so if you need to store a lot of books, I recommend putting most of them on the lower shelves.My friend Jennifer Morrell from An Inspiring Home designed this really simple bookshelf arrangement and it’s a perfect Zoom backdrop.Here’s another great example from Timisha at Toolbox Divas. Notice how it’s interesting, but not cluttered.If you have a wall behind you, consider one or two large pieces of art and a tall indoor plant (fake plants are great for this!). Here are some great ideas for masculine wall art (many of these ideas would be great for women too!), and my favorite faux indoor plants that everyone will mistake for the real thing! If nothing else, put a tall fake plant behind you.The cords and chargers in my house have been breeding since the kids started distance-learning. The rat’s nest of cords under, and now also on top or your desk is a problem. It’s a pain and it looks messy.THE FIX: I’m going to be perfectly honest and tell you that this is one thing I really haven’t mastered yet. But I’m actively working on finding solutions for the cord-clutter and lack of nearby outlets in our home, and I’ll update this as soon as I have something figured out!One thing I am trying to do when we need to buy new things, is get bluetooth or cordless versions wherever possible. Headsets, mice, keyboards, etc. Fewer things that plug in = less cord clutter.Your task chair gets caught on the rug every time you roll in and out from your desk. Or you don’t have a rug at all.THE FIX: It can be tricky to find the perfect rug for a home office, because it needs to be just the right size and shape. Ideally, you’ll want your task chair to be able to roll on hard flooring. But it’s nice to have a rug behind you if there’s space, since it helps to dampen noise and makes a space feel more cozy and put together.Emily, from Small Stuff Counts‘ desk drawers are organized beautifully- and practically too!Your dogs want to sit under your desk while you work, but there’s not enough room for everyone. Your cat is licking himself inappropriately on the back of your chair while you try to give a presentation.THE FIX: I’ve found that pets often want to hang with their people while they work from home, which is great! As long as there’s space for them and they’re not causing too many disturbances. Maybe consider space for a dog bed under your desk for naps.I set up my design workspace right by two windows that overlook a pond and walking trail. I kept finding mud on my desk and eventually realized what was going on. Also 738 failed login attempts on my laptop.It would have been ideal to place the desk somewhere the dog wouldn’t jump on it. Better still to train the dog to stay off the desk. But in lieu of both those things, I added an extra desk leg to make sure she didn’t break the desk.I haven’t had a cat since I was a kid, so I don’t have much helpful advice for them. Leave me a note in the comments if you have any suggestions. But maybe consider a cozy spot for the cat to nap out of camera view.Can you think of any more home office design mistakes? Tell us about them in the comments!8 Ikea Alex Desks You Need to See!The Best Home Office Desks On The Cheap!Modern Closet Office Reveal!Home Office Lighting: How to Choose A Desk LampLearn how to make a fun and colorful pom pom wreath for Christmas, Winter- or any season in this easy video tutorial! Happy December! Today several of my blogger buddies and I are sharing our DIY Christmas wreaths. I know you’ll love their wreath ideas at the bottom of this post! Right now, the little…Time for a new home office desk? I’m sharing the best modern cheap desks you can buy online for a stylish and functional home office design. Working from home is all the rage these days. And if it’s time to set up a dedicated home office or distance-learning space, the first thing you’ll need is…We’re having a couple of grey rainy days here in Seattle. It’s early August, and the weather makes me think about school… and how much I’m looking forward to it starting again. Is that terrible? To be perfectly honest, Summer is hard for me. I like the idea of summer… relaxing in my gazebo reading…These Ikea Alex desk ideas will inspire you for your own home office. From corner desks to closet offices, to long desks with multiple workstations. What Is The Ikea Alex Drawer Unit? Ikea Alex drawer units are probably my all-time favorite Ikea products. I can’t even tell you how many home office designs I’ve used…Did you know that you can order new legs for your sofa on Amazon? Well, you can, and I just this did for two different sectional couches in my house. We’re going to be stuck at home for several weeks while the Coronavirus spreads through the Seattle area. So what better way to pass the…This small organized pantry closet on a budget with shelves and baskets is full of cheap and easy ideas to keep all your food visible and easy to access! I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: I was not born with the gift of organization. And as much as my parents…Pingback: 10 Ikea Office Ideas - Jessica Welling InteriorsThank you for this information about this home office mistakes to avoid. I really appreciate you sharing this work space idea. Lucky to be reading the things to be avoided.Reply&nbsp;Oh Hi! I’m Jess!I’m an interior designer, fearless DIYer, and single mama to two sweet girls and one crazy puppy.I want to inspire and teach you to create a home you love on your budget. And you don’t have to wait for the kids to grow up to do it!All the images in this demo website are from Unsplash.

;Skip to contentAre you making one of these home office design faux pas? An interior designer shares simple fixes for all the biggest office design mistakes.In the age of working from home and distance-learning, many people’s home office needs have changed. Here are the top 10 mistakes I see people make over and over when setting up their home offices- and how you can fix or avoid them altogether!No one wants to work in an office with no windows… and for good reason! Natural light improves your mood and energy levels. I always gravitate toward bright spots near windows, so I chose the...

10 Home Office Design Mistakes to Avoid!

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