2020-21: The season of the home office; of boxsets, loungewear, and Zoom meetings.
The pandemic introduced us to a new style of working overnight, forcing office workers all over the world to suddenly lloginand manage their workload remotely and from the comfort of their own homes
What this led to was a rise in technology and communication platforms, and an inevitable shift towards the aesthetic of the home office and what makes a workspace comfortable, productive, and inspiring to be in.

Without further ado, here are some of the major home office trends optimising the marketplace and driving huge demand on social media and beyond.

What makes a productive home office?

An effective home office requires a few primary things to help support a productive work life – not least a large enough clock to help you keep track of the working day and ensure a good work-life balance. These necessities include natural light, relaxing surroundings, a sturdy desk and comfortable desk chair, all the technology you need to do your job efficiently and effectively, and a few extra details to make the space feel welcoming and inspiring.

Using your home office space in the best way possible is key to keeping it tidy – with a tidy desk leading to a tidy mind and a more productive workday. This means planning your arrangement of the room carefully and integrating enough storage space to keep surfaces as clear and well organised as possible.

Some of the hottest and most popular home office trends

COLOUR

Colour – or the lack of it – is one of the main focuses of a home office, with many people leaning towards neutral and plain walls and then injecting colour through accessories and wall art. The walls of your home office should reflect a colour that allows the space to feel light and open and should inspire both creativity and a relaxing mindset. Some of the most popular choices include greys, pale blues, creams and white.

Don’t forget that a good home office will need an aesthetically pleasing backdrop for any Zoom calls or interviews you partake in, so leaving at least one side of the office as clear and clutter-free as possible, ideally with plenty of natural light, is key to making those video calls stress-free.

FUNCTIONAL ACCESSORIES

From shelves to a useful whiteboard for jotting down ideas, functional accessories should be chosen to compliment the space and bring it to life – while providing a useful alternative function for storage or keeping your thoughts and ideas safe.

Floating shelves are particularly “in” at the moment, as are alcove bookshelves and retro filing cabinets. Another option is sound proofing screens (if you find yourself sharing your office space with another home worker in the household) and extra computer monitors and speakers if your job depends on access to more than one screen.

INDOOR PLANTS

Did you know that having a plant in a room or office space for just one day can remove up to 87% of toxins in the air of that room? Office plants not only make a space feel brighter and more welcoming, but they also improve the air quality in the space and create a higher feeling of satisfaction and overall wellbeing – all important when it comes to keeping yourself productive and motivated in a home office.

To make life easy, invest in plants which are notoriously difficult to kill, which can live with irregular light patterns, and which don’t grow so large that they will overwhelm the space.

FUN EXTRAS

Think mini fridges, self-heating coasters, and all those other little things that you were never allowed in the company office. A home office presents an opportunity to bring all your wildest office dreams to life in the comfort of your own home – so go big and create a space that you look forward to spending time in. Your workload will thank you for it!