Whether you have formerly worked from home, or have found yourself being forced to do so due to lockdown, it’s clear that the concept will still be sticking around for the vast majority of us for the foreseeable. So, in an attempt to keep our motivation levels high and stop our work from taking over the whole dining table, here are our top tips for creating the perfect home office.

Fun yet functional

A home office should be both a practical work space, and somewhere you enjoy spending time. Opening the door and walking into a beautiful office every morning will put a spring in your step and ensure you actually use the room—rather than being tempted to set up camp with your laptop on the sofa.

It’s important to create a lovely, personal space with plenty of your own design touches, but somewhere that’s also functional and organised rather than cluttered. Keep an eye out for storage accessories, like stationery baskets, pegboards and mini drawers to keep things in their place.

Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Leader at IKEA UK and Ireland says: “Hang up your motivational quotes, important memos and life goals on IKEA’s SKÅDIS pegboard. Complete with accessories to store stationery, cables and knick-knacks, it’s ideal for those in need of some self-organisation.”

Embrace seasonal trends

In a small room like an office, it’s much easier to embrace trends than it is in larger spaces like living rooms and kitchens. Rather than having to do a whole redecoration project, adding some seasonal accessories can really change the look of your home office. A new blind or curtain, a cushion for your office chair, a patterned pencil pot and a table lamp, in hues that make you happy, will instantly refresh your space.

Space saving

Don’t have enough space to dedicate a whole room to a home office? No problem! As long as you use space cleverly, a home office can work really well in another room, such as a living room or even a hallway. Make sure the space feels separate from the rest of the room, so you can get your work done in peace, but also blends in well with your existing decor.

Use furniture which doesn’t take up too much space, such as a stool or folding chair instead of a traditional office chair, to keep things streamlined.

Ruth Wassermann, Design Director at MADE.COM says: "When choosing a desk, consider the space you plan to use it in. For a smaller space, like a hallway, consider a compact desk which expands as and when you need it. A great example of this is the Leonie, where the desktop pulls out to give more writing space, and can be easily pushed away when you're finished."

Light and bright

It’s important to try and let as much natural light as possible into your home office space, particularly if you’ll be working with a computer screen all day. A beautiful, bright space will keep you motivated—and it’ll also stop you from peering at your screen in a dark and dingy environment!

If you’re not lucky enough to be able to place your desk near a window, make sure you have plenty of lighting in the room. As well as a good general light (we’d recommend purchasing a daylight bulb to give the effect of real sunlight), you’ll also need a task light to illuminate your desk.

Bring the outside in

As if we needed any more encouragement to buy another plant… Seriously though, plants are a fantastic addition to any home office. Plants help to bring the outside in, creating a tranquil environment to help you stay relaxed while you’re busy at work. Not only do they look good, but they can actually help improve the air quality in the room.

Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Leader at IKEA UK and Ireland says: “Your home office should be a place where you feel relaxed and calm. The beauty of IKEA’s SPATHIPHYLLUM plant is sure to bring a sense of serenity to your office, whilst its leaves absorb toxins in the air, aiding concentration. Bring summer indoors with IKEA’s SOCKER greenhouse, designed to create an environment for your seeds to sprout, and your plants to flourish. The transparent exterior makes it easy for you to watch them grow day by day.”

Ready to give your home office a makeover? Our shopping list will help you get started…