Whether you work entirely in an office, exclusively remote, or a combination of the two, where you work can impact your productivity. And those around you. And given that we usually spend more waking hours working than anything else, it’s important to consider how to design an office space that feels like home, meaning that it provides a level of comfort and wellbeing that allows productive work to happen.
I found over the past year or so that I had zero desire to work in my home office. It was cluttered, cramped and lacked functionality that made it a place for me to get work done. We had left a bookcase from a previous owner in there, threw in a desk we had from college, and stuck a chair in the space that we liked but didn’t know where else to put. There was one single light that didn’t provide adequate lighting and was downright ugly. When I was working from home, I almost entirely avoided working in it, instead opting for the couch or kitchen island. That was okay, but I was constantly having to go into the office to grab things I needed.
We realized a redo was in order. As we’ve redone our home office and thought through how to keep the home in it – while creating the functionality to do office work – here are the key tips we’ve discovered to make the most impact on our productivity and enjoyment:
1. Bare minimum, it has to be clean and safe. We often jump more to the fun stuff when talking about how to create productivity or design a space – the thrive instead of survive stuff – but we must start with things that are hygiene factors. They may not create satisfaction, but they can create a lot of dissatisfaction. For example, in our home office prior to renovation, we were aware that there was some water damage in one wall because it was warped. When we decided to redo, the first thing we set about doing was seeing what was going on there and replacing the outdated paneling. Come to find out, there was a TON of mold behind the wall. 
We treated it and put up shiplap. Interestingly enough, I had been struggling with some severe allergies over the past few months. Well, after the mold was treated, I realized a week or so later that I hadn’t had to take an allergy pill in about a week. By setting out to change the wall up, we ended up addressing an issue that really is at the heart of being able to work effectively in a space. Namely, it doesn’t make you sick!
2. Lighting, lighting, lighting. We love our local The Light House store and Deborah Willis is always so helpful in locating what I have a vision for. 
We knew the main light fixture in the ceiling needed to be replaced and we also realized we needed more lighting. We are always so pleased with the quality of work Jackson Plumbing and Electric does, and they come quickly- you don’t have to wait for weeks on them! They rewired some things so we could put lighting on both walls of desk space, and we love the way the lighting helped us to survive and thrive in the office space by providing ample light and also a touch of style we love.
3. Hide stuff. In the old office, cords were everywhere. The printer sat on a file cabinet that was not big enough for it and the electric fence dog base sat in the midst of the cords running everywhere. Extra work bags laid on the floor and got kicked around. As Drew set out to design and build cabinetry that made sense, my main request was to hide all this stuff! We needed it in the office, but I didn’t want to look at it. He structured hidden shelves and cabinets to hide the printer, bags, and dog base and inserted holes and outlets into our desks for easy plug in. Now we aren’t tripping over cords and looking at stuff that is distracting and demotivating.
4. Speaking of motivating, include things that uniquely inspire and motivate you. For me, that is art- we love the art we got from local artist Betsy Stark and Wetumpka artist Nick Nyberg at our annual art festival, River Clay. A collage of things collected over time that resonate with me hang on one wall- a drawing my dad did of me and Drew during the first dance at our wedding, a card that a colleague gave me to remind me of my purpose, a framed set of notes from a conference speaker that helps inspire me to work hard and some challenging work, and the reminder to live in the and hang to help me focus and prioritize. Of course pictures of our kids hold special places on our desks and some live plants help add some energy to the office. And of course, I can’t get enough books so a bookcase was imperative.
Also what has simply motivated us both is bigger screens! We both work off laptops and this was getting old and hard on our eyes! We now have docks to display the work we need and have the opportunity for dual screens when needed.
5. Sitting is the new smoking. They say the sedentary life is killing us. If you do work in an office the majority of the time, you are probably sitting a lot. We installed an adjustable desk so we can stand and work when needed. We’ve even thought about putting a walking pad underneath it so we can walk and work. We will see where that goes.
6. Add Style. In addition to the lighting and art that added style, we searched and selected things that looked nice, or at least to us, and pulled everything together. Here are some finds we love:
- Office Chairs
- Door Pulls
- Wireless keyboard and mouse
- Rug (we love that this rug is named “Graham” our youngest’s first name :))
- Desk accessories and more
- Butcher Block Desk Tops
7. Less is more. We realized in all this that in order to make our office space feel like home, we had to get rid of a lot of stuff too. It needed to create space to think and literal SPACE, so we purged books, pictures, paperwork and office supplies that served little to no purpose. A cluttered office leads to a cluttered mind and less productivity. If it isn’t necessary for functionality or inspiration, get rid of it.
How do YOU create a sense of home where you work?
