How to Make your Home Office More Professional

As working from home becomes an accepted practice for many office workers, home offices are becoming much more common. But they’re often created as something of an afterthought — a desk and some cabinets stuck in a spare room or a corner of the house. As a result, there’s rarely much thought going into how they look and the outcome is generally a bit of a mess with mismatched furniture and a disorganised appearance.

The general opinion seems to be that, since a home office is usually a private space that’s not seen by customers or many other people, it doesn’t matter how it looks. That’s usually a mistake because, if the home office looks untidy and unprofessional, it’s likely to be reflected in the way you work. One that’s properly organised and looks professional, on the other hand, is likely to help create professional habits and increase your overall effectiveness and productivity. It doesn’t have to be luxurious but it should encourage and inspire you to work well.

Introducing Professional Features

Making a home office appear professional means it needs to be clean and tidy but also contains those little features that add the final touches. Being clean and tidy are the first essentials, however, and this means:

• Having an home office desk that’s neat and uncluttered. It is your working area and so the more space you have to organise what you’re currently doing, the better you’ll be able to do it.
• Making the desk your control centre so that everything you need is close at hand around it. That means having your computer and peripherals on an adjacent side table while equipment and documents are on nearby shelves or in filing cabinets. The aim is to cut down unnecessary movements that waste time.
• Being organised so that everything you need is close to hand and, crucially, you know where it is.
• Creating good habits so that, once your office is sorted out and looking professional, it stays that way. Don’t let bad habits creep back in.

Once you’ve created the basics, add some finishing touches:

• A comfortable and ergonomic office chair that will not only look great but provides the right seating position and support to prevent backache and encourage good working practices.
• Lighting that sets the right mood but also reduces eye strain and tiredness. Natural lighting is best but the right combination of task-based and background lighting can be almost as good.
• Personalisation with family photographs, favourite pictures, ornaments and plants to add that individual touch. Don’t let these take up valuable work space, however, but hang them on walls or put them on shelves that are out of the way.

Getting everything you need

At Hurdleys Office Furniture, we can provide everything you need to make your home office as professional as it can be with our office furnitures — apart from the personal touches that only you can access. We supply a wide range of home office furniture that includes matching desks and office chairs to suit all budgets and needs.

We can meet all your filing and storage requirements with filing cabinets, desk organisers, shelving and cupboard space. We can supply file inserts, labels and everything else you need to get organised and keep everything neat and tidy.

All it takes to create and maintain a professional home office is a little time and effort combined with the furniture, equipment and supplies we have available. And it is well worth the effort because a professional-looking office will not only look great but will make you more productive and can even make working a more pleasant experience.