Experiencing a lockdown has deeply affected everyone. More than a year has passed since many of us were thrown into the world of remote working: in a short space of time we created a home office from scratch without, in a lot of cases, really following a plan.
For many people, spending entire days at home has brought to light the criticalities of living in an environment that no longer reflects their new work requirements, and has been an opportunity to see their home from a different perspective.
Before the pandemic, the tendency was to have smaller and smaller homes: today these homes find themselves fulfilling a task far greater than their primordial function, since they cannot guarantee the varietỳ of services required by their tenants. A paradoxical situation that contrasts with the current pandemic need to convert houses into offices, meeting rooms, study areas, classrooms or mini-gyms, storage rooms, etc.
According to an eBay analysis, purchases of products for setting up a workstation at home increased by 49% in 2020, involving an age group ranging from 25 to 64. Mouses, printers, docking stations and accessories of various kinds saw a spike in sales, especially in the first few months of lockdown.
Business Class – executive chair
The importance of this space is now clear to everyone: a home office needs to be a functional and ergonomic area that allows you to work with all the comforts of the office (here are some useful guides).
However, not everyone has the possibility to convert an entire room into a home office or create a distinct and specific working area, so some of the office furniture characteristics seem to clash with the warm and welcoming aesthetics that usually characterise a home environment.
When there’s little space available, every element must be chosen carefully to create a micro-environment that encourages productivity without adversely affecting the design of the entire room at home.
The key is to select the most suitable furniture and to plan carefully before buying.
The more equipped and comfortable the home office area is, the more efficient it will be. In other words, you’ll work better. The minimum width of the desk must be at least 100 cm in order to be able to place a computer and some stationary on it. The absolute priority is the chair, which shouldn’t just be a normal kitchen one. The seating solution for those who spend many hours in front of the computer must be adjustable in height and swivel, must have lumbar support, castors, armrests and other equipment to avoid postural problems.
A resimercial approach is an excellent ally in this case, thanks to the increasingly wide range of products with hybrid design, which perfectly mix the functionality of office furniture with the aesthetic warmth of the home environment.
If there is no space available for a home office, the desk can be reinvented into a beautiful dining table, for example, or into a table that recalls a “home feeling” desk.
Fior di Loto – multipurpose chair
The main advice is in fact to search for harmony between the various areas of the house, in order to maintain its essence.
A thought must also be given to storage, especially if the home office is used by several people. Leaving documents scattered around the house not only creates the risk of them getting lost, but also increases clutter. It’s ideal to have a container in which to store all work-related material, preferably small and on wheels.
Last but not least, we must not forget all the furnishing accessories that can improve the aesthetics of the room, while also being functional. Lamps and blackboards and all other personal items that are usually banned from the office are a bonus point. Add a small plant to your desk, a photograph or any object that makes the environment a bit more personal and manages to maintain the home DNA, even when the office intrudes into it!
