A popular use for a newly converted loft is a home office. With more and more people working from home nowadays, it’s important to have a dedicated working space. Getting your home office right will make you more productive, so it’s important to consider home office loft conversion ideas carefully.
Of course, after many years of experience when it comes to decorating loft conversion home offices, we also know the mistakes that are all too often made. The following advice should help you avoid those mistakes so that the result is something you can be truly proud of.
1. Choose a Chair for Comfort, not Style
When redecorating any new room within your home, it’s always tempting to go for style over comfort, but this is a huge mistake when decorating a home office. If you work from home every day, you’ll be spending a large amount of your time sitting in your chair. Yes it may be pretty, but no one can concentrate with backache! Do yourself a big favour and choose a chair for comfort, not style.
2. Think Carefully About Lighting
We advise thinking carefully about lighting in any loft conversion project, but it’s especially important if your new loft room is to be a home office. Speak to your loft conversion company about creating as much natural light through skylights and dormer windows as possible, and then consider your overhead lighting carefully too.
For example, you’ll need to think about where your computer monitor will be in relation to the light sources, as you don’t want to be battling screen glare during all or part of the day.
3. Incorporate Storage
It seems like an obvious move to incorporate storage when designing a loft conversion bedroom, but don’t dismiss storage solutions for a home office. Many an admin-based role has its paperwork mountains and files which will all need a home. Creating bespoke storage solutions so that your paperwork isn’t cluttering up your working space is therefore a good idea.
4. Make Sure you have Enough Power Outlets
A home office will likely need more power outlets, telephone sockets, USB connections and aerial points than other rooms within the home. Think carefully about where you’ll have your electrical appliances, and then work with your electrician to ensure that you have enough outlets in place. It’s always more aesthetically pleasing – not to mention safer - to have sockets installed in the walls than extension leads all over the floor!
5. Make it Personal
This is your home office, not a tiny cubical in a massive open plan corporate space. And the difference in terms of making this your home office is decorating it in a personal way. For example, add prints and photos which will brighten your day or include house plants. Why not think about incorporating a break-out area within the room? This should be a comfy space for you to take a break, or work in a slightly more relaxed fashion.If you’re keen to ensure you’re not making a mistake with your loft conversion home office, speak to Bespoke Lofts. We’ll help you create the perfect space to ensure you’re at your productive best.