Whether you’re embracing the work-from-home lifestyle or just looking to upgrade your space, having a functional and inspiring home office is essential. To help make your home office a place you’ll love to work from each morning, here are five DIY or ready-to-buy ideas to transform your space.
Need a desk? Make one!
(photo credit Seth Smoot)
Ready to move from the kitchen table to a real desk? You can create a unique and budget-friendly desk with a little DIY magic. Build a “door desk” using 30-inch square bookcases, which are the perfect height for a standard-size door. Position the bookshelves at either end of the door to create a sturdy base. For a rustic look, repurpose an old door. Secure the door to the bookshelves with wood glue and nails for a functional and stylish workspace.
Get your (work) life together.
(photo credit Pottery Barn)
Add structure and organization to your daily routine with a versatile organization system. Invest in a solution that keeps your schedule, papers, and essentials like keys all in one place. A daily organization system not only streamlines your workflow but also keeps everything at your fingertips.
Organize your supplies and trinkets.
(photo credit: Better Homes & Gardens)
If you take a half hour to give all of your knicks and knacks their own home, we promise the small, but great sense of accomplishment is worth it. First, think of where you want to store these items. We recommend getting a crate or bin to put your supplies in, like this cute rustic tin one. Think of where your supplies crate will “live” in your space (on one of the shelves in your “door desk” is a great spot). While ordering your crate, get some mason jars, too. Give each supply its own jar, place each jar in your crate and put your crate in its spot. Let the good vibes of “being organized” wash over you!
Add some cabinet shelves to your desk.
(photo credit: Better Homes & Gardens)
For the items that you use often and don’t want to stow away into a bin, add a cabinet shelf to your desk. This will add some dimension to your organization, so everything isn’t splayed across your desk. It doesn’t have to be just for supplies, add a picture frame or a small vase of flowers, so you have something joyful in your line of vision throughout the day.
Add a plant!
Adding some life into your workspace will definitely help you press the “refresh” button. A house plant not only adds color to your space, but it also helps naturally filter toxins from your area. Not to mention, plants have also been found to help you focus. Dr. Chris Knight and his fellow psychologists at Exeter University say that employees perform better when household plants are added to their work spaces. In fact, after studying this concept for 10 years, the team concluded that workers are 15% more productive when there are houseplants around.
Here are some great ones to try (that are quite difficult to kill).
