Set up a home office: Ideas for the workplace in your own home

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, working from home has become an integral part of many people's everyday lives. Working from home requires a high degree of self-organization - especially when it comes to furnishings. The perfect home office must not only be functional, but also comfortable in order to be able to work there in a goal-oriented manner and feel at ease at the same time. In this blog post, you will find tips on how to set up the ideal home office!

Setting up a home office - common mistakes

One reason why your home office may not work quite as well and not offer you the best working environment is because of mistakes made when setting up or using it. Do any of the items on this list sound familiar?

• You use the dining table as a desk
• It's too dark and there's hardly any natural light to work in
• There are lots of things in the chosen room or corner that distract you from your work (e.g. home office near the TV or bed)
• You don't pay attention to your posture and regular movement
• You work on the couch too often

Not all of these mistakes can be avoided. Some, such as working on the couch, are justifiable in small doses. However, it is important to be aware of how you work at home and how you can set up your home office to make it more comfortable and productive for you.

Home office furnishing ideas: 6 tips for home office furnishings

In addition to avoiding mistakes, there are a few other things you can do to set up your home office properly so that you can work productively and with motivation. The following tips will help you set up your home office:

1. create space for your home office

The most important thing about your home office is: your home office! This means that it should be a separate, preferably self-contained area. Even if you don't have your own room for it, you can still separate your home office spatially: with a shelf, a few plants or even a curtain.

Separating your work and living space will help you to concentrate better and minimize distractions. If you have to set up your small home office in the living room or another distraction-rich room, try to move away from the distractions. For example, you can use a practical desk partition that blends in well with your living space.

2. find the right place for your desk

The desk is most likely the center of your home office. That's why you should pay close attention to where you position it when furnishing your home office: ideally, your desk should be positioned to the side of a window so that you get enough daylight and don't get tired in the dark. It should also be ergonomic, for example height-adjustable. Also ask yourself whether it offers you enough space for your documents and devices. If you're not sure how high, wide and deep your ideal desk should be, you can find a handy guide here.

A height-adjustable desk as part of your home office equipment is so healthy because it allows you to work sitting and standing. This relieves the strain on your spine and allows you to move more and relax your muscles. If you don't have a height-adjustable desk, make sure that it is at least the right height for your height.

3. choose the right office chair for your home office setup

An office chair that is easy on your back is ideal for working from home. It is particularly important that it can be adjusted in height and that the backrest supports the curvature of your spine. Office chairs with lumbar support in particular are a fantastic way to protect your back, because sitting is not just sitting. Sitting can also be ergonomic and should be done correctly to improve your health and well-being.

Your office chair is correctly adjusted when both your legs are at 90 degrees to the floor and your arms are at 90 degrees to the edge of the desk. Your shoulders are relaxed and your legs are well supplied with blood without being under too much strain.

4. don't forget the technical equipment

What home office equipment should not be missing from your home office? On the one hand, this question is individual, depending on your profession. However, it is clear that your workstation should contain at least the following elements:

• PC, monitor, mouse and keyboard
• a solid internet connection
• the ability to play sound
• Camera for video conferencing
• at least one power socket
• a desk lamp with warm light for cloudy days or twilight hours

5. make sure you have enough storage space

Storage space is an often overlooked part of home office furnishings. It's easy for documents to pile up and soon find themselves in kitchen drawers and behind cupboard doors! Get yourself a mobile storage unit or a small shelf with drawers to store the most important items for your work, such as notepads, paperwork and charging cables, and to separate your personal and professional life.

6. design your home office - get some nice decorations

Last but not least, the atmosphere has to be right! You can only work really well if you feel comfortable. Get some decorations, pictures or a beautiful string of lights or LED strips to visually enhance your workplace and make your home office cozy. A small houseplant will also quickly make it much cozier. To keep any decorations out of the way, hang them up on hooks or pin them to a practical pinboard.

Setting up a home office, little space - what now?

Not everyone has their own room to work in at home. Nevertheless, you can still get a lot out of your workspace with these simple tips when setting up your home office:

• Get an extra small, height-adjustable desk. You can still work ergonomically without taking up too much space.
• Work with a bar table extension. You can attach this to a normal dining table, for example, and work standing up.
• Make your workstation mobile by only setting up your workstation to the extent that you can quickly "put it away" again if necessary.
• Combine and set up multifunctionally: Even if mixing your private and work areas is not advisable, sometimes you have to work with the given circumstances. Think about whether you can use your desk for other purposes so that the space it takes up does not reduce your private space (e.g. using your sturdy desk as a kitchen worktop).

Setting up a home office - easier than you thought!

As you can see, setting up a home office is sometimes not that easy if you want it to be both efficient and suitable for your own four walls. It is important that you pay attention to spatial separation, ergonomic home office furniture and the right comfort factor. Avoid using your dining table or couch as a workspace so that you can continue to work productively and with focus! We hope you enjoy designing your home office and wish you every success in setting up your home office workspace!