Is your working space in serious need of a revamp? You’re not alone. Far too many people spend 8 or more hours a day in a room which is utterly unfit for purpose. It’s one thing to be stuck in an uninspiring office as an employee, but if you work from home, there’s really no excuse not to change things up. Redecorating your office space can allow you to spend time more efficiently as you no longer have to battle an uncooperative storage system or fight your way in and out through piles of papers and errant chairs. So if you want to make a difference to your workspace and boost your productivity, keep on reading.

Is Your Desk Up to Scratch?

Your desk is a big deal. It’s the focal point of the room from a design perspective, and has an important bearing on the way that you work. If you’re a traditional type, you probably dream of a grand mahogany model with deep drawers and an intimidating presence. More minimalist amateur designers will doubtless prefer a glass or plastic offering. Whatever you do, don’t opt for a cheap ‘wood finish’ desk unless your budget means that you absolutely have to. It’s more important, though, to focus on size and functionality. Obviously, you want as much working space as possible without completely crowding the room and preventing yourself from being able to move around. Do you use drawers, or do you really just leave everything on the desk’s surface? Be honest with yourself. It’s better to get a slimmer and more compact model without drawers if you don’t actually use them.

Storage

Storage is the second most important matter to consider when redesigning your home office. If you work from home, you’ll probably have all sorts of paperwork lying around. It’s also the case that people tend to use their offices to store all of their books, whether they are related to their work or not. Traditional bookshelves can be unwieldy and take up altogether too much space in the room, so explore different options. Modular bookshelves for paperbacks have been growing increasingly popular amongst modern designers, but if you decide to go this route, try to pick up a model which is strong enough to hold hardbacks and other heavier items too. The advantage of these unconventional varieties of bookshelf is that they can fit into cramped spaces, and even go around corners.

The Chair

Of course, you’ll need a good chair! Seating is important not only because it must be functional and comfortable enough to sit in for extended periods on a daily basis, but because it is somewhere where you have a lot of freedom to experiment from a design perspective. A solid chair can last for decades, so an old-fashioned look can be rounded out with a truly old-fashioned piece. On the other end of the scale, there are some very interesting and exciting designs available to those who are looking for them.

Thomas Jones is a blogger with a wide range of interests, from interior design to gadgets and tech.