Top 5 Home Office Upgrades

Remote and flexible working has become a staple in many industries now, so it’s no wonder that many of my clients are requesting that their home office is included in their project scope. Having been an interior designer in the commercial sector for over 10 years, I take cues from my experience in order to design the perfect home office for my clients.

Having a well designed home office increases productivity, and helps you to focus on work. Working from home can be a challenge because of the various distractions – should I start the washer this morning? – so having a home office designed especially to increase productivity is super important.

Do you have a home office already? You may feel like your home office does its job just fine, but there are some key home office upgrades that are worth considering to give it a fresh look.

Let’s take a look at the Top 5 Home Office Upgrades that are worth making to increase your focus!

1 – Lighting

Having the right levels of lighting in your home office is absolutely crucial to your work output. Not only that, it can keep you focused on the task at hand, and helps to create a welcoming and inspirational space to be in.

First, it’s important to have a desk lamp for your home office. There are many options on the market, from ordinary table lamps, to arced desk lamps, and adjustable desk lamps.

A desk lamp is important for a home office because it focuses light down onto the desk. If you do a lot of writing or drawing as part of your job, then this is even more important to include in your set up!

Aside from this task light, you should have a good amount of general lighting in the ceiling. This could be one main light in the center, or multiple recessed can lights to provide a good amount of overall lighting in the space.

You can even add to this lighting set up with a floor lamp to enhance the ambient lighting in the office space. Ambient lighting that is low-level is perfect for a home office because they aren’t too bright that it causes glare on screens.

Black LED Desk Lamp

This stylish LED desk lamp is adjustable to provide light to any area of the desk you need.

Black and Brass Task Lamp

Another stylish option is this black and brass task light! Featuring a mid-century-esque silhouette, this task lamp will elevate your home office.

LED Charging Task Lamp

This desk lamp doubles up as a charger with its USB port! It also floods desk space with plenty of light.

Adjustable Shaded Lamp

A great option for a home office is a shaded table lamp that features adjustable arms – like this one! Modern and stylish that will look fantastic on your desk.

2 – Office Chair

The next best upgrade you can make in your home office is the chair!

For many of us that work from home, we can spend up to 8 hours or more sitting in the same chair, so it is important to have a supportive one. Ideally your desk chair should be as ergonomic as possible.

Many homeowners choose a stylish and good looking office chair over an ergonomic one and often regret it. Instead of choosing a standard “task chair”, a proper office chair should have adjustable height and arms available.

Executive Chair

This executive office chair features an ergonomic design with lumbar support and swivel mechanisms. Perfect for any home office space!

Gray Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair

If you prefer something more modern, choose a lighter color for your office chair like this mesh option! With its high back and headrest, this office chair will provide comfort all day long.

Faux Leather Office Chair

Alternatively, a faux leather office chair adds a stylish element to a home office. With back support, armrest and lumbar support, this office chair is a great option.

Ergonomic Office Chair

This light colored office chair also has ergonomic features! With lumbar support and adjustable height and armrests, this office chair is both stylish and practical.

3 – Background

There have been a few occasions where clients have forgotten about the background to their desk when they have engaged my design services. The background behind the desk area is so often forgotten about, yet such an important aspect of the room’s design when working from home is so popular.

Making sure the background of your desk area is visually pleasing will be super important if you regularly take Zoom or video calls as part of your job.

Upgrading your background doesn’t have to be as extreme as a new wall paint color or wallpaper print, it could be as easy as updating your Zoom background – you can read all about this in my previous article here.

Some simple room decor ideas for enhancing your background for video calls include: floating shelves with simple styling, wall decor or prints, bookcase. Check out my How to Make Your Room Look Good on Zoom article for more ideas!

4 – Desktop Organization

Next up is desktop organization.

There’s no surprise that a cluttered and unorganized space can contribute to poor mental health. Even just small acts of organizing, decluttering, and cleaning can do the world of good to not only your working environment, but your mind too.

Investing in some practical storage bins, stationery organizers, and desk pads can really help to create a clean and clear working space.

Aside from the physical desk space clear up, when was the last time you organized your digital files? I am guilty of this too! Especially when there are project deadlines, and lots on my plate. However, spending the time to organize your digital files can help you in the long run as things will be easier to find or reference in the future.

If you haven’t already, it’s a good time to think about what systems you could put in place in order to avoid unorganized files.

Natural Wood Desk Organizer

Use a desk organizer like this one to keep your notebooks, diaries, and other desk / home office accessories together!

Acrylic Carousel

An acrylic carousel helps to keep your pens and pencils organized in a stylish way on your desk. We love this one!

Tray and Cups Desk Organizer

This desk organizer set includes a marble tray with cups that can be re-arranged. Use this sleek organizer to keep your everyday stationery together.

Plastic Storage Cube Bins

Use plastic or clear acrylic storage bins – like this set of 6 – to keep your stationery organized! These can be used on your desk or within a drawer to keep supplies organized neatly.

5 – Cable Management

Last, a worthwhile home office upgrade is cable management.

With so many devices and charging cables, they can quickly become tangled and disorganized. Thus creating a minefield every time you need to charge a device!

Cable management doesn’t have to be as dull as it may sound. There are lots of creative ways you can keep your cables organized in a stylish and design-led way. The most basic ways to do this is with cable covers to hide any unsightly cords.

Alternatively, and a personal favorite of mine, are cable hook organizers that sit on the edge of the desk, neatly holding each charger or cable. This means the cables are at desk height, and fully accessible at a moment’s notice.