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The transformation of the ‘home office’ from luxury to necessity has taken less than a year. As the entire world grapples with the prospect of being homebound for as long as the pandemic lasts, the nitty-gritties of integrating a streamlined study area with your living space have come into the spotlight.
Here at Office Corporate, we have always been committed to your workplace needs, and we remain committed to helping you set up the perfect home office, no matter where you’re based in Australia. Read on for some simple but effective tips on crafting the right ambiance for work amid all the distractions of home.
We would all love to work out of a sprawling study room, but contemporary homes rarely offer that kind of square footage. If you are strapped for space and need to incorporate your workstation within a small apartment, take some time to identify the right location.
A space that gets natural light is ideal for setting up a home office. It could be a sunlit corner of your living room, or a reading area by your bedroom window. You can even get creative and look for unused space under the stairs or on landings! Ensure that there is enough room to accommodate a desk, a chair and some storage. Brands like Style Ergonomics and YS Design will make your job easier through their range of sleek and compact office furniture that can easily fit into tight corners.
As a direct consequence of the Covid-19 physical distancing measures, people have been forced to work, ideate, collaborate and conference remotely from the same home-based workstation. In other words, your home office needs to be able to support a wider range of activities than your 9-to-5 workplace did. It also needs to ensure that prolonged sitting doesn’t compromise your musculoskeletal or cardiovascular system.
It’s important to invest in an ergonomic chair for your study setup. SafeWork Australia has prepared detailed guidelines with respect to this, but in short, the ideal chair would provide you with good lumbar support, plenty of adjustability, and the ability to sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor and a few inches gap between your knees and the edge of your seat.
Brands like Buro Seating provide excellent options for home office chairs. Once you have your chair sorted, look for a desk that reaches your elbow height when you’re seated. You could also go for a sit-stand workstation as a remedy for prolonged sitting. Fellowes offers everything ranging from sophisticated remote controlled systems to simple desk risers that you can attach to your setup and adjust manually.
If your line of work involves a lot of printing and faxing, you may need to look at ways to reduce operating costs while working from home. Invest in high-quality multifunction printers that are efficient in terms of both energy and ink usage. Stick to original ink or toner cartridges to avoid damaging your printer’s components and putting up with low-quality prints. Choose models that are designed for the volume of printing you need. Office Corporate has one of the best collections of office printers in Australia. Our experts have handpicked printers from HP, Canon, Epson and Brother, and would be happy to recommend the best fit for your home office needs.
Keep things organised.
When you have to live and work out of the same space, it doesn’t take long for things to feel chaotic. An organised home office where everything is in its designated place goes a long way in boosting productivity and keeping frustration at bay. Evaluate your storage needs to decide whether a desk with built-in storage will suffice, or whether you should go for a dedicated file cabinet or shelving. If you don’t have the luxury of space, brands like Rapidline offer a variety of compact and intelligent home office organisation solutions.
Speaking of organisation, getting rid of those unsightly cables will go a long way in keeping you focused and upbeat. There are many approaches to cable management, ranging from desks with inbuilt cable runners, to simple DIY tricks like a Velcro loop to bring stray wires together!
It’s always easier to work in pleasant surroundings. Let your home office reflect your personal sense of style. This could be through wallpaper or artwork that you like, accents on your desk, or a plant by your window. Some people require uncluttered, minimal setups in which they can focus on the task at hand. Others may find eclectic, layered décor more inspiring. Figure out what would help you function best, and incorporate it in your décor through furniture, lighting fixtures, finishes and accents.
Setting up a home office or study space? Find everything you need at Office Corporate! With trusted furniture brands like Rapidline, Buro Seating and General Office Products, and prices that you won’t find anywhere in Australia, we make your home office setup a breeze.
