During the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 we pivoted our focus to supporting clients who had needed to suddenly leave their offices and usual workspace and to adapt to working from home. Hybrid working structures have seen many of our clients permanently adopt new ways of working and WHF is still for many the preferred option. So we pulled together some top tips with productivity and wellness in mind, to help everyone think about how best to set up the perfect home office or home working area.

Working from home set up in the bedroom, side table, desk and laptop

Start Right

Location Location

Home office with lots of plants located next to some windows which provide good light — This WFH set up is next to a window in a kitchen space

Home offices or work spaces within the home come in many different shapes and sizes. You may be in a designated room, a quiet corner of your home or pulling up a chair at your kitchen table. The key to selecting the right place for WFH, is to think about where and when you do your work. Do you work well in a buzzy central space or are you better tucked away? Do you enjoy company or find it a distraction?

Boundaries

A key issue for those working from home is creating a division between work and home life. Good storage can be really helpful and encourages you to switch off. If you are short on space then just have a big box that it all gets swept into at the end of the day. Tidying away and creating a division helps your brain signal a switch and replaces the commute - only it is much quicker!

Home Working Ergonomics

A bonus of home working is that for some, we can pick and choose and move around the home at different times but we always recommend you have one fully ergonomic set up. That means finding a space that fits a table or desk that is is 60cm deep and 100cm wide minimum for optimum comfort - of course less will do but don’t scrimp on the leg room underneath, we all need to move in our chairs throughout the day.

For the larger part, feet should be flat on the floor with knees at a right angle and with elbows at the same level as the desk or table and with eyes at screen level. A standing desk, or area you can stand to work, is a great way to encourage good posture and keep active.

Guidance drawing of desk measurements — Between 1-1.2m wide and a height of 70-75cm is ideal for your home desk

Desk and Chair

Select a desk that is wide enough for your computer and anything else necessary to do your work. We say 100cms is good for a home space but get your tape measure out and check what you need around you. If you are using two screens, 1.4m will suit you better. Choose a desk that is not too high, 70-75cm high is an acceptable range. Invest in a good quality chair that is comfortable and adjustable if possible.

Ergonomic Health

Having spent years working on a standard chair at a kitchen table our Founder Emma’s back and neck suffered terribly - the cost in Osteopathy and Physiotherapists is far greater than the cost of a decent chair! You have been warned! There are so many great options around that will not look out of place at home. If you really have no space or other options, at least stack your lumber with a cushion to support you.

Eye Level Working

If working from a monitor then your eyes should be at the correct position but if from a laptop then we urge you to buy a lap top stand, key board and separate mouse. This is probably the greatest act of WFH self care you can do! If you are slouched like a croissant you are going to run into back troubles pretty quickly.

Lighting in the Home Workspace

Getting the light right in your home workspace is just about as important as making sure you’ve got the right desk and chair set up. Not enough lighting means you could be straining your eyes - too much and for too long can trigger headaches and cause insomnia. Your workspace needs to be lit well with a mix of lighting types and ideally, change throughout the day to support your natural circadian rhythm. We’ve put together some design ideas and explanations on types of lighting that you can follow to make your home office lighting effective and to support your productivity and wellbeing.

Taking light breaks

If you don’t have natural lighting in your workspace then it’s even more important for you to take regular breaks to go outside (we should all be following that advice…). If you have a room with a window, try to make sure it’s adjacent to your desk. That way, natural light will light up your workspace not conflict with your screen or cause glare.

Overhead lighting

The purpose of overhead lighting should be to generally light the room without creating glare and casting lots of shadows. Fashion wise, it’s like a base layer staple. It shouldn’t be your only light source though and you should try to avoid working directly beneath it. It’s a great idea to try to diffuse this light with a beautiful, design-led lampshade (in case you needed an excuse for some online shopping!)

Desk with task lamp showing how to light a space effectively — A lovely Anglepoise task lamp perfectly illuminates the desk

Task lighting

Desk lamps are designed to provide focused light, so that you can see the details of what you’re doing without straining your eyes. Look for desk lamps with a flexible arm so it’s easy to adjust their height and angle to suit the work and task at hand. Remember though, task lighting alone can quickly give you eye strain so combine with other lighting.

Colour temperature

If possible, change the lighting ‘temperature’ during the day. Without getting too technical, bluer light keeps you alert, redder light helps your brain to wind down. It’s why fluorescent light has been shown to be quite difficult to work under all day every day. At the beginning of the day, light should be brighter and cooler going to warmer as the day goes on which will match with your circadian rhythm.

WFH Design

Get the tech right

Nothing makes a home office look or feel more cluttered than wires running everywhere. Take control of your technology with these simple tips:

Invest in both a wireless keyboard, mouse and printer if you use one
Add a grommet in your desktop to lead any wires from your desk down below (or use cable clips to gather any leads together at the edge of your desk)
Attach any visible wires to the underside of your desk or down along a desk leg
Gather loose wires along the floor together with a simple cord tamer

In built wall shelving and storage for home working — This String storage system is perfect for this nook creating a great balance of storage and accessory display

Storage and wall space

Having the right size, type and organisation of storage is really key to productivity. Make sure to include enough shelving, cabinets or cupboards for your storage needs. How do you work? What comes in and needs space? Where will it stay while being worked on, and where does it go when complete? Keep your current work within arm’s reach. If you move location regularly then invest in a handy box or carrier that you can take with you throughout the day - this is also really key if you are using a space for multiple purposes such as working and dining.

Magic touches

Your home working space should reflect you. Ideally you would have a little space nearby for personal objets, books or items that inspire. We are huge fans of stationery - there are some beautiful and functional pieces that can spark joy for you throughout the day. Adding a notice board full of your favourite things or pictures of inspiring places is another great ‘tool’ to have in your space.

Close up of desk with lots of plants and slat wall create natural textures in home office set up — The plants and slat wall add natural, biophilic touches to this home working space

Biophilic Design

Biophilic design / Biophilia, uses elements of nature to provide respite and joy to people in man-made spaces. This is about replicating the feelings that natural spaces give us. It is really useful to consider in spaces where we work or indeed recover. Greenery has long been proven to energise and detoxify spaces and it also supports mental wellbeing as connection to nature is both calming and inspiring. Plants add life, texture and colour to spaces too.

Plant Life

If keeping plants alive gives you ‘the fear’, then faux ones can work really well and make lovely additions to shelves or your desk. Adding nature inspired art, wallpaper, colours, textures (a wooden desk over a shiny plastic white one for example) has been proven to have enormous benefits so try to weave this in somewhere. This is especially important in homes in urban areas. If your WFH space has views over rolling fields then you’ve got this covered…..and can we come and work from your home please?!

Check out our WFH ergonomic set up blog If you need more information on getting your physical set up for home working just right.

Tips for Creating the Perfect Home Working Environment