How To Create A Calming Home Office In 7 Easy Steps

How To Create The Perfect Zen Home Office

As we move into 2022 it’s imperative that we create a calming home office as most of us will continue to work from home this year. Many of us are transitioning into a new way of life that requires many of us to work from home. What may have been the occasional option to work from home has become part of the daily grind. The number of individuals working from home has grown exponentially. Make sure that you take the time out to consider incorporating some of the top design trends into your office makeover. It is projected that by 2026 more than half of all Americans will work from a home office. According to an article by the Pew Research Center, many workers would like to continue to telework after the pandemic is over. It’s important to create a relaxing office space.

Now is the perfect time to hit the reset button and ensure that you are getting the most out of your home office. Let us make sure that your home office is not only productive and efficient but provides the calming and relaxing office space environment that is needed in today’s society. At the end of a hard workday, you should feel, productive, accomplished, and stress-free. Here are my calming office ideas that incorporate relaxing office decor and Feng Shui with tips on how to create an efficient and calming home office in 7 easy steps.

Calming Home Office In 7 Easy Steps

Start with a blank canvas
Draw out your floorplan
Re-Arrange Your Furniture
Improve your Air Quality
Add Aromatherapy
Tap Into Your Creativity
Smart Home Office
Take A Break
Bonus (Plants)

1. Start With A Blank Canvas

This is probably the hardest part of creating your office. Expert design aficionados recommend that you start with a blank slate. But before we get to this first step, I highly recommend that you order several samples of Samplize Pick & Peel Paint samples, place them on your wall and figure out what color resonates with the energy and zen you are looking to achieve. Choose colors that evoke peaceful office vibes. Once you have narrowed down your paint choices, then you can start with a blank slate.

Remove everything from your office if possible and paint your walls – see our article on The Best Paint Colors For Your Home Office. A refresh of colors may be what is needed to jumpstart the process.

I also recommend that you use this step to create a mood board for your new office. This will help you to stay on track with colors and selections of items for your office.

2. Draw out your floorplan

Let’s start with a plan. It will make more sense, in the long run, to know how your office is going to be configured prior to re-arranging items that don’t work with the overall flow of efficiency. Does your office engage with Feng-Shui if you are using Feng Shui? If you are like me, I have a large traditional, heavy desk that is a beast to move. We don’t want back injuries that could have been prevented. Did you know that home depot will come out and make a complete floor plan of your home for under $150? I recently had one completed. I absolutely love it. Envision what your new space will look like.

3. Re-Arrange Your Furniture

Take advantage of having a blank canvas and design your space the way you want it. You have complete control over your home office space. Ensuring that your desk has access to natural sunlight (even your make-shift office table) will improve your mood and productivity throughout the day. Do not underestimate the effect that the sun has on our moods. Make sure that you include calming office decor. You should walk into a relaxing office.

Purchase new calm office furniture. Yes, office furniture can be calming. There is a reason why you don’t see super bright office furniture in a spa. If you are on a budget, then consider a DIY makeover of your existing items. A little paint goes a long way.

4. Air Quality

One of the most overlooked aspects of your space is the air we breathe in and out for 8+ hours per day. Having access to open windows, air purifiers such as Molekule, and understanding how Biophilia plays an important role in your day-to-day life can reduce your chances of illness and simply increase your overall productivity on a day-to-day basis.

What is Biophilia and why is it important? Biophilia is more than just a philosophy—biophilic design has been found to support cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. NRDC incorporates biophilic design into all its offices to encourage the connection between humans and nature, as well as promote staff wellness and productivity
Per NRDC

5. Tap Into Your Creativity

Now it’s time to tap into your creativity and design your office in a manner that engages you. Feng Shui is all the rage and there is a reason that everyone wants to incorporate it. It simply works. Sometimes ancient wisdom is the best wisdom. Feng Shui uses various areas of Qi to influence the energy of the space you are in. Here are the key aspects of Feng Shui. Wood, Fire, Earth, Water, and Metal. Check out this article on Feng Shui Tips For Beginners

6. Smart Home Office

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a smart home office hub. Come out of the dark ages and do what the Jetsons showed us in every cartoon episode. What exactly is a smart home hub? It’s any suite of devices, systems, or appliances that can be connected to work in unison or work independently. Most systems either work from the main home hub or work in conjunction with your smartphone. It’s like having a digital assistant, virtual assistant, productivity manager, house organizer, and life manager all rolled into one. When you take full advantage of technology, your life will become easy.

7. Take A Break

Make it a priority as though your life depends on it, to take numerous breaks throughout the workday. Make sure that you get up and move around. Walk your neighborhood at lunchtime and get in a brisk 30 min walk if possible. Hulu-hooping is a great movement. I personally have an Oculus Quest, hence I try to get on it and engage in one of the virtual games that require activity. I also make it a point to take a 5 to 10 min break at the top of every hour and do some form of movement for 5 to 10 minutes. I may put on my headphones and dance to Rihanna or simply speed walk around in circles for 10 min. Whatever you do, just do it and don’t sit behind your desk all day. You can thank me later.

8. Bonus (Plants)

No office is complete without having a plant or two. It adds texture and a sense of oneness with mother nature in my opinion. Check out Plants.com, they even have a designated area for plants that work well in your office.

If you are anything like me then you might not have a proverbial green thumb. Hence a Money Plant works very well in my environment. It requires very little maintenance.

Transform your home office – See More! >>>>

Resources

Ashley Furniture is one of my go-to resources for office furniture. They typically have a good sale and I love the variety of styles they have available. My current office furniture is all compliments of Ashley Homestore. I was able to snag everything on clearance.

I currently have the Hamlyn Home Office series. See above to Shop the look vist Ashley Furnture to see options and more.

I absolutely love my chair: Realspace-Modern-Comfort-Keera-Bonded-Leather | Office Depot It is stylish and the lumbar support is incredible as it pulls out or you can slide it in.

Thumbtack Is my favorite resource when it comes to hiring additional help on my various home projects. You can find a qualified professional that will come in and paint your office for you if you are not up to the task.
Samplize – takes all the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color and color combinations. Use their easy peel-and-stick samples that are made with real paint.
Shop Jonathan Adler Sale. Save up to 65% Off Retail Price
Plants.com is my go-to source for finding the perfect plants for my home as well as sending gifts to friends, neighbors, and family members.