When has a beautifully inspiring home office been more important than in an Alert Level 4, Covid-19 Lockdown?! A beautiful office space can make the world of difference to your mental wellbeing and overall experience of working from home. Since starting Pinpals in 2016, we have been thrilled to see some amazing home office spaces created by some of our customers. Thanks to all those who have sent us photos! We love it. Here we share our tips for creating the perfect home office.
The must haves for organising your home office space:
The Right Desk
Functionality needs to be at the forefront of your mind when considering which desk to buy. For what purpose are you using your desk? How much space do you need? What activities are happening at your desk? What do you need to access easily on your desk / what can be stored away?
Two of my favourite desk options at the moment are:
The Assembly Desk from Citta. This desk has a beautiful clean aesthetic with a simple plywood tabletop and contrasting clack steel legs. We love this desk so much that we bought it for our home office and it complements our living space perfectly.
The Cupertino Desk from Bo Concept - this is an old favourite of ours with great little hidden away components. We love the minimalistic look. This desk is available in a range of finishes to suit the look you want to achieve.
The Right Chair
The Chair is arguably the most important element of a good home office - you've got to sit in it so make sure it is comfortable! Being comfortable however does not mean that it needs to be ugly!
We love this Vitra Tip Ton chair from Citta. Its name refers to possibilities for dual sitting postures where the body can be tilted forward which increases muscle activity in the abdominal and back areas, which boosts the supply of oxygen to all parts of the body. We recently bought this chair for our home office and love it!
Storage, storage, storage
We have all seen the inspiringly minimal desk spaces with not a stray paper in sight. Admittedly, for me, a well organised and clear desk space can be difficult to maintain! It seems that whenever I ask my children to put their stuff away, they think "away" is plonked smack bang on the top of my desk. It is not!
To give ourselves a fighting chance of a clear desk we need to ensure we have adequate storage. There are endless options - filing cabinets, cupboards, drawers and probably my favourite, built in shelving and cupboard space..
Lighting
Good office lighting can make the world of difference to the ambiance of your space. We are big fans of smart lighting which allows you to control all elements of lighting (hue, colour and brightness) from an app on your phone or by using a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa. This gives you ultimate control of your lighting and allows you to create the perfect "light recipe" for your daily tasks.
We love the Angelpoise desk lamps from Citta in which we have put an LED Smart Bulb.
Scent
Smell is like my super power! I have an extremely strong sense of smell and as such, I am exceptionally sensitive to things like perfumes and washing powders. For me, these smells can be too overpowering. I do however love a good subtle scent and am always on the look out for something perfect to dot around the home in strategic places.
I was recently in one of my favourite local stores, Tea Pea Home in Khandallah Wellington and couldn't go past this moreish scented candle by Rifle Paper Co to add to my home office. It is truly heavenly, so much so that my daughter squirrelled away the box.
Creature comforts
In the cooler months in Wellington, I quite like to have something warm and snuggly on my office chair. One of my favourite options is this sheepskin chair pad from Teapea Home:
Organisation Tools
Remember that old saying, a place for everything and everything in its place! Having the right tools for an office can make organisation very straight forward.
Pinboards are a great office tool to help you organise your paper work and display some of your treasured belongings - think family photos or special memorabilia.
Pinpals has a pinboard to suit your every need, regularly stocking a range of shapes and colours. Amanda can also create a custom order to help you perfect your space.
We also love these Wooden Peg Boards from George and Willy. The shelves and legs can be adjusted to suit your office needs and the styling options are endless!
Peg Board by George and Willy. Styling by Tate Design, Wellington. Pinpals 60cm Grey Circle Pinboard
A letter tray is another great way of keeping all your paperwork in order. The best one we have found is an Ikea model that can be purchased online from Urban Sales.
Planners
I am a huge fan of a big planner especially when you're managing children's lives in addition to your own busy diary. I love being able to see at a glance the week ahead.
To me, these A2 monthly planners from Father Rabbit are the best. They have nice big daily boxes and plenty of space for notes at the bottom.
Add some plants
Plants add life to your space as well as colour! Be sure to consider the environment and requirement for light when making your choice. Your local plant shop should be able to give you some great advice to help you choose the right plant for your space.
The Pepper Face Plant from Yvette Edwards, Wellington.
An office friend
Yip, no home office is complete without a furry friend! This is Rosie, my darling little cavoodle!
#homeoffice #pinpals #pinboard #noticeboard #memoboard #photoboard #desk #deskchair #madeinnewzealand #citta #boconcept #officechair #monthlyplanner #fatherrabbit #organisation #organisationtools #plants #pushpins #officedesk #interiordesign #homeinteriors #officedog #angelpoise #ikea #teapeahome #planner #officeorganisation #organisation