Workers across America embrace working from home for many reasons, from COVID-19 to rising gas prices and the desire to be closer to family. Whatever your reason for seeking remote work, these simple yet modern home office ideas can make remote work easier.
- Use space more efficiently
- Have everything you need within reach
- Stay active during the workday
- Set boundaries with friends and family members
A Custom Office: An Overlooked Benefit of Working From Home
If you own your home or have an accommodating landlord, you have many choices for making your at-home workplace your home. Take advantage of the flexibility. Step out from your mental cubicle and reimagine a workplace that refreshes and inspires you.
Even if these home office ideas don’t work for you, use them as starting points for creative explorations of your office space. Now that you’re working from home, you don’t have to ask the boss’s permission!
A Desk with Room for Everything
For workers that use a desk for work, it is often the focal point of the workday. Choose a desk that fits your work style and responsibilities.
If you’re a visual thinker who likes spreading your work out, choose a wide desk with more surface area.
If you need everything at your fingertips, look for a curved desk or wraparound desk.
If your work involves a lot of equipment, find a desk with shelf space and bins around the footwell. A trash bin under your desk can help you keep it free of clutter during the day.
A Standing Desk
Keep your circulation going with a standing desk. If switching from sitting to standing during the day makes you more comfortable, get a desk with space at multiple heights so you can move your laptop between levels.
An Under-Desk Exercise Bike
One of the more popular modern home office ideas for health-conscious workers is an under-desk exercise bike. Even if you find it hard to type and pedal simultaneously, take an exercise break every so often. Close your eyes to relieve eye strain while you burn calories.
Choosing the Right Desk Lamp
If your eyes bother you after a day of staring at a computer screen, improve your lighting with a new, soft, energy-efficient desk lamp. A desk lamp or light fixture can be easy on the eyes in more ways than one. Choose your favorite color and a modern style that suits your personality.
Introduce Natural Lighting
If you are fortunate enough to have a window in your home office, leave it open and position your desk so that it does not create glare. The ambient natural light on sunny days could lighten your mood and make work feel less grueling at the end of the day.
Add a Window Treatment
Curtains, blinds, and other accessories help you personalize your home office and control the light levels in the room. Thick curtains keep out unwanted road noise.
Buy Noise-Canceling Headphones
If hanging curtains did not solve your noise problem, invest in quality noise-canceling headphones or play music at a moderate volume while you work.
An Ergonomic Office Chair
If you spend your workday hunched in an uncomfortable chair, you risk pain in your neck, back, and shoulders. Choose an office chair that supports your back, improves your posture, and allows you to type and read your screen without straining your neck.
Optimized Shelving Space
Physical books aren’t always a necessity for work these days. However, modern home office ideas often involve innovative use of shelving for plants, reference texts, papers, and more. Recessed shelving space often has a sleek, futuristic look.
A Privacy Door Sign
Let your family and guests know that you’re hard at work with a sign on the door. Use a door hanger or attach a board for magnets with messages like “do not disturb” or more humorous variations.
A Backdrop for Video Calls and Recording
When you organize your bookshelves, paint walls, and adorn your windows, keep an eye out for a photogenic space to aim your webcam at when video conferencing and recording video.
An Accent Wall
Don’t force yourself to work between four drab walls. Add a splash of color to liven up the room. Pick a warm paint color to invigorate you or a cool color to calm your mind.
A Filing Cabinet
It’s easy to forget how much paperwork, tax documentation, and written correspondence can pile up. A trusty filing cabinet may seem like a 20th-century holdover, but it still ranks among the more practical modern home office ideas.
A White Board and Cork Board
Save paper by writing notes to yourself on a whiteboard. Use a cork board or magnetic board to post important information.
Space for a Nap
Most bosses object if you fall asleep in the office—but they can’t see you if you sneak at nap at home! A futon, couch, or recessed sleeping nook gives you space for a power nap. If it is part of your video backdrop, tidy it up before taking any video calls.
A Mini-Fridge
We all need refreshments during the workday. Keeping a fridge or a water cooler on hand makes it easy to take snack breaks every so often.
A Tandem Desk
Are you at home with a partner or a roommate who also works? A tandem desk allows both of you to share the office space without having to worry about getting in each other’s way.
Dual-Use Furniture
If you are using a guest room or dining room as a part-time office, consider furniture that can convert from office furniture into guest bedroom furniture. Murphy daybeds are one option, but fold-out beds also work, and dressers can double as work surfaces
Personal Touches
Decorate your office with photos, mementos, diplomas, and awards. Use your alma mater’s colors to show school pride.
Create Your Dream Office with Enhanced Renovations
At Enhanced Renovations, we are the leading home remodeling contractor in Holly Springs, NC. Fill out our contact form to discuss your modern home office ideas or any other home improvement projects on the horizon.