For professionals in largely digital industries, the work from home (WFH) revolution is here and now - no matter what luddite leader types, still tied to their bricks and mortar, may say.
Whether you work flexibly, splitting your time between the office and home, or work from home full time, creating a workspace that supports your productivity and comfort is key.
In our run down of essential home office setup ideas, we hope to help you identify the elements you need to create your ultimate workspace. Your very own WFH haven is a short read away.
Get Remote Ready With Our Home Office Setup Ideas
Finding the Right Desk
Many of us spend 36 hours a week sitting behind a desk. Therefore, it’s key to ensure you select a model that is not only comfortable, but able to facilitate your required equipment and preferred workflow.
Ensure your desk's height can support a comfortable seating position, for those long days hammering away at the keyboard, and that your legs/knees comfortably and naturally fit beneath it.
Consider the computer and electronic equipment needed for your day-to-role to identify if a curved, multi-tiered, standing, L-shaped, or standard desk is right for your needs, and if a model with a keyboard drawer, storage drawers or open shelving could help to support your workflow.
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Office Chair
It’s widely reported that the sedentary nature of office work isn’t great for our health, so a comfortable and supportive seat is an essential home office setup idea.
Whether you opt for a traditional wooden or leather chair, an armless low-backed chair, or more contemporary, highly adjustable models with back, neck, and armrests, make sure your chosen model can keep you comfortable as you work, and support your body as required.
Secondary Seating
However, to combat those particularly gruelling 8 hour days sitting in one place, itching to break the unnatural monotony, having a second seating option in your home office can be a great way to satisfy the urge for movement, while staying focused and productive. And there’s no greater choice for this secondary seat, than a beanbag chair.
Offering unparalleled comfort, moulding around your body and conforming to your sitting position, rather than forcing your body into an unnatural position that doesn’t support your spine’s natural curvature, they’re the ultimate choice for a secondary seat.
What's more, bean bag seating like ours is available in a huge range of colours, fabrics, sizes, and models, ranging from traditional armchair silhouettes, low-backed designs, high-backed chair models, and beyond. For those seeking home office setup ideas for larger spaces, opting for a beanbag sofa model as your secondary office seating can help you to incorporate a comfortable reclined position into your workflow, or when paired with a footstool, help you to take a load off while you work.
Functional Workspace Essentials
Monitors
For many remote professionals working from their homes with company laptops, a standalone monitor is a must to improve visibility, reduce straining, and facilitate a more comfortable, less hunched, seating position. For highly detailed data-led work, expansive document work, and more creative roles in graphic design, video, and audio, two monitors can be beneficial, and help to immerse you in your tasks.
Keyboards & Mice
Professionals who spend their days clacking away at a keyboard may find a high-quality external keyboard and mouse to be an essential home office setup idea, to help increase typing and clicking efficiency and accuracy, and minimise the aches and pains associated with the cramped nature of laptop keyboards and trackpads.
Microphones
Audio is a factor for anybody in a remote role requiring virtual communication, and for individuals in creative sectors, could be even more pertinent. Today, it’s very easy and affordable to set yourself up with a good sounding microphone perfect for your needs, whether you need an industry standard voiceover model, or a simple USB microphone like those typically used for gaming.
Quality Cabling
Technological mishaps between the hours of 9-5 are always more annoying and panic inducing than those that occur after work hours in our personal time.
With deadlines, customer/client/employer demands to meet, and tasks to juggle, opting for quality computer cabling, and even having a supply of spares, is one of the most important, fundamental points in our list of home office setup ideas.
Be sure to choose high-quality, dependable:
- Chargers for your laptop, wireless accessories, and the mobile phone you use for work.
- Power and connecting cables (powering your printer, computer or monitor, and connecting your laptop to your monitor for example).
- USB adaptor ports (to plug in your printer, keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, SD card etc).
- Surge protection power strips.
Additional Home Office Accessories
Laptop Extras
Laptop stands may seem like a superfluous purchase, but they actually offer a whole host of benefits, and for many, are an essential home office setup idea. Available in adjustable and nonadjustable models, laptop stands help to support your comfort by improving your posture, reducing physical discomfort and minimising eye strain. They can also help to declutter your workspace, and improve your laptop’s airflow and cooling.
Desk-Based Extras
Desk mats are increasingly popular, powerful, home office essentials that help to:
- Style your home office.
- Create a zoned workspace and defined spaces for your equipment.
- Protect your desk.
- Improve your comfort when writing, typing, and using a mouse.
- Reduce the sound of typing and items coming into contact with the desk.
- Improve mouse and keyboard functionality.
- Wirelessly charge your devices (model dependent).
Though, when it comes to the ultimate desk-based extras, there’s perhaps no object more important for textual learners, professionals in ideas-based roles, and those who don’t have the sharpest memories, than a notebook.
WFH Vibe Setters
As a remote worker, you have the freedom to work your way, and in this section of our list of essential home office setup ideas, we hope to help you do just that, by tailoring your workflow and workspace to your unique preferences.
Electronics
Whether you’re a fan of listening to audiobooks, podcasts, or music while you work, kitting out your workspace with a quality pair of headphones or speakers is key to boosting efficiency, productivity, and contentment.
Ornamental Elements
Styling your workspace to reflect your unique sense of aesthetic is crucial to creating a space you feel connected to, and in which you feel contented and focused.
Whether you prefer to work with bright light or more subtle mood lighting, ensuring your office is equipped with the optimum lighting for your unique preferences (via desk lamps, string lights, and primary ceiling fittings) is key to reducing eye strain and fatigue, and creating an ambience and atmosphere conducive to productivity.
Plants and artwork are more than merely important aesthetic tools, working to define the look and identity of your space, they have a powerful calming effect, helping to minimise stress and anxiety, and increase concentration and productivity.
Furnishings
Incorporating soft furnishings like cushions and throws into your home office can have a big aesthetic impact, injecting texture and colour into your room design. Actualise this important home office setup idea by browsing our range of bean bag cushions to pair with your office chair or secondary seating. Choose from a range of sizes, fabrics, and more than 10 stunning colours, to identify the perfect cushion for your workspace.
We hope you’re now suitably inspired and ready to piece together the perfect WFH setup. Be sure to keep us in mind when it comes to kitting out your home office with the ultimate in comfortable seating.
