Let’s go to work

With a bit of planning and thought you can make sure your home office is both beautiful and functional.

EXPERT ADVICE

Katarzyna Konachowicz from Pixers discusses how to arrange a space for work at home, to be functional and aesthetic:

More and more people are working remotely, performing duties in co-working spaces, in cafés, on the road and in their own apartments. It may also be the case that a home or apartment becomes the company’s business premises, not only at the initial stage of activity. Hobbyists also need a neat space for work. Sewing on a machine, painting, modeling in clay or constructing models are just some of the passions that we can pursue at home, and a well-organised desk and pleasant surroundings will become an additional motivation for both paid work and creative passtime.

CLEANING: time to declutter
Think about what you need for work. Choose items and then select the ones you use very often and those that are used less often. Thanks to this division, you will be able to limit the amount of things that lie on your desk, taking away space and introducing chaos. You can store the most essential items on the desktop or in hidden cabinets. Others can be located in cabinets and boxes near the desk, but certainly in the same room. As a result, you will gain more space and organise better.

ORGANISATION: boxes, baskets, binders
Provide storage containers: boxes, binders, folders or baskets, preferably ecological, made of paper, rattan or wicker. You can store documents and small items in them, such as: paints, threads, tools that previously lay on top, and thus got lost and miraculously found every now and then. Sort items according to their purpose and pack them into appropriate, signed containers. As a result, you will always find what you need, even if the items are not within your eyesight. What’s more, this storage system will keep you organised for a long time. Storage containers can be kept under a desk, on furniture, and if you have the opportunity, in a special cabinet next to the desk.

AESTHETICS: creativity and motivation
Not everyone can afford to have their study or office in a separate room. If there is no place in your apartment, do not worry. A corner, mini version, or fold-out desk – the choice is so huge that you will surely find one that fits in your bedroom or living room. When working at home, the same one in which you live, eat, sleep and rest in, it is worth separating your workspace, even symbolically. The fact that you work in the bedroom or living room does not have to lower your motivation or disturb a perfectly arranged living space. Your office or studio can blend in or stand out in such a way that the division into the work and living space is clear. Wallpaper or a wall mural at the desk level will make the fragment of the room stand out and constitute a separate part, at least visually.

Read more in the September issue…