STUDY
The home office has never been as important as today, as the way we live and work continues to change.
Whether it's a standalone study or a section of an existing room, transforming an area into a workspace can be done simply and cost effectively with paint and some neat decorative accents.
Traditional and cosy
Traditional home offices generally conjure images of vast packed bookshelves and large wooden desks, all of which lead to a cosy and comforting office area. If you have the space and wish to create this environment yourself, deep paint colours can provide a great starting point, and add to the warmth of the room.
Adding a traditional feel to a smaller office space can be as simple as making use of natural wood surfaces on your desk, and adding some bookshelves. Rather than using simply white paint on walls, a bold shade or creative shade can help to set the space apart from the rest of your home decor, and this kind of creative home office design is great for creating inspiration and excitement.
Working with small spaces
Constraints of space can often be an issue for anyone wishing to create an ideal home working space, especially in cities where space is at a premium. Working with just half a bedroom or the corner of your living room can be challenging, but there are many ways to make your home office ideas work in these environments. Painting shelves and partitioning walls with different colours can add interest and separate it from the rest of the room.
In small rooms dedicated as an office space, the illusion of space can be achieved with a light colour palette on your home office walls. Keeping things simple can also help to make the room feel bigger, and sticking to one or two main shades stops the room from feeling complicated and cluttered.
Neutral and calming
Work can be stressful, and it sometimes pays to give your home office space a sense of calm with your paint colour scheme. Neutral and off-white paint shades can be great for this, providing less distraction and allowing for minimalistic interior design, with a functional approach. If you are looking to experiment more with bolder colours, many shades of green, blue and teal provide for calming office environments.
Light and airy
Bright and light home office spaces can be great for bringing a sense of positivity to your home and bringing a motivating atmosphere. Rooms with a lot of natural light are perfect for creating this, and the use of bright neutral shades for your wall paint with accents of bright white paint on any woodwork can help to enhance this for a beautifully bright environment.
If you are looking for a light work environment without it becoming overwhelming, try a light neutral shade, or pale paint with subtle undertones.