It's Time to Upgrade Your WFH Setup👩‍💻👨‍💻

I hope you’re having a fantastic week! Today, let’s talk about something many of us have come to appreciate more than ever: home office design.

I know a lot of companies are making people go back to the office at the moment, but hopefully, you’re still able to do a few days from home, regardless of whether you used to or currently WFH you know how important it is to have a space that’s both productive and inspiring.

So, whether you’re setting up a brand new office or want to refresh your current one, here are some design tips!

1. The ONE Mistake That’s Ruining Your Focus

Before you jump into rearranging your furniture, remember that location is everything.

You don’t want to end up working from a couch, a dark corner, or any spot where distractions are too hard to avoid.

The goal is to create a space that feels like a dedicated home office, but let’s be honest–most of us aren’t lucky enough to have an empty room lying around just for that purpose.

Pro Tip: If you don’t have a separate room to work with, find a quiet corner in your living room or bedroom to carve out a dedicated workspace.

Take this example: I love how they’ve seamlessly integrated the home office into this living room by keeping with the navy blue theme.

The space is already bold, with shibori-style tie-dye patterned walls and a matching patterned sofa, so the choice of a solid navy desk with an orange tabletop, echoing both the dominant blue and the sofa’s orange trim, creates a cohesive yet striking look that doesn’t make you think - “oh look they’ve tried to shove an office space in the corner over there.”

And don’t worry if your WFH setup doesn’t look crazy designer like the one above! Something tucked into the corner just before a doorway makes great use of otherwise wasted space. But make sure this isn’t a high-traffic zone; otherwise, you might get distracted.

Credit: Innerstdtspecialisten (left)-Bjurfors (right)

And don't forget to get some comfy chairs! While the two spaces above look really nice, I don’t think I’d be able to sit for hours in them.

Here’s one we did for our client’s small apartment - a desk tucked into the corner of the living room.

Another one with an IKEA desk for two tucked into the corner of an open-plan living/dining room.

And here’s my office where all the content gets made.

Carve out a dedicated workspace where possible, but consider the furnishings and decor as part of the room it is at, that way it creates a cohesive look and doesn’t look like it is an afterthought.

2. Consider A “Hidden In Plain Sight” Desk

If you’re short on space, a floating desk or wall-mounted shelf can be a space-saving solution! And if you take the chair away, you wouldn’t even know it was a WFH zone!

Check out this one. If you take the chair away from this wall-mounted bookshelf desk, you wouldn’t even know that it was a workstation!

And these wall-mounted floating desks are super sleek and minimal! Would be great for any small apartment!

3. Get the Lighting Right

Bad lighting = eye strain, headaches, and sluggish energy.

If there isn’t much light throughout your space, try to locate your desk right in front of a window. All the natural light streaming in will keep you super alert!

Credit: Miguel Flores Vianna(left)-Ashley Montgomery Design (right)

And for nighttime or when it’s a bit gloomy, have a task lamp with warm lighting to reduce eye strain!

4. Keep It Organised

Messy desk = distractions and productivity down the drain.

Pro Tip: If your desk tends to get messy, try the “one-minute rule”—if something takes less than a minute to put away, do it right away!

Floating shelves above a desk are a great way to keep all your books and other materials organized and within reach. Drawers are incredibly useful to store papers and stationeries.

Credit: Milo Brown (left)-Grégory Copitet (right)

5. Create Boundaries

Working from home can blur the lines between work and personal life which is why it’s important to set clear boundaries:

Have a “start” and “stop” routine to mentally shift between work and home life.
If possible, have separate work and relaxation areas.

Pro Tip: A stylish room divider can help section off your workspace if you’re in a shared or multi-use area.

Or you can even look to converting an alcove or niche into an office space like this one! I love how they made it pop by color-drenching it in a dusty blue and all the red details create a complementary contrast color scheme which really sets it off.

Which of these tips are you excited to try? Let me know–I’d love to hear about your home office setup!