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Expert advice on creating a work space at home
Interior designer Roy Otwell of Switch (www.switchmodern.com) offers these tips for creating a home office:
- Practice cord control. Nothing can ruin a sense of elegance like unruly cords and chargers. Grommets in surfaces and ample electrical outlets placed just under a desk surface work wonders to this end.
- Go wireless. Make it so that you can grab your laptop and send that e-mail or print that spreadsheet from any room.
- Make it beautiful. In this complicated, fast-paced, overworked world, one should not sit, hang out or work in an environment that does not nurture their soul. As with any room in your home, don't put anything you don't love in the space.
- Think outside the box. Take a personal inventory of your needs. Many of us are more comfortable working from the kitchen or near that great window with a view. The home office does not necessarily have to be a separate room. Enjoy the freedom that technology and a changing work model afford.
Interior designer Erika Ward (www.blulabelbungalow.com) shared these tips for a functional and beautiful home office:
- Repurpose existing furniture. For example, use an old dresser for storage and add new hardware for an updated look.
- Banish clutter. An unorganized space can impact your creativity and also rob you of your productivity. One solution that helps me from becoming overwhelmed is to assign projects I am working on to storage boxes. Ikea has stylish, affordable boxes that come in numerous colors to coordinate with your decor.
- Personalize the space. Place photos of your loved ones in colorful frames to evoke positive feelings and combat stress. For instant artwork, consider framing your favorite quote, scripture, or whatever gives you inspiration.
- Inject some whimsy. Golden paper clips or colorful thumbtacks make tedious paperwork a little less mundane.
