The popularity of flexible work, remote work, and the emergence of so many new companies, many more Americans are working from home and small office spaces these days. Ask any interior designer and they will tell you that the way you arrange your work space has a significant impact on your level of productivity. 

So how do you go about setting up this ultra productive fortress? 

The right amount of outside light into the space, the wall décor, desk and everything else about this space are where your ideas will come to life. The first piece that you want to start with is the work surface as it will set the tone for the entire space. Do you want to go contemporary?  Classic? Edgy?  Let’s go through the different elements that make a home or small office space enticing these days…

At Iron Age Office, we offer pieces that work well for whatever tone you would like to set.  The Fortis and Carruca lines can seat between 1-8 people depending on the configuration. 

Create Focus Areas

As you envision the design for your office, make sure to take into consideration all of the activities you’ll complete in the space. More than likely, you’ll need to incorporate a deskto use while tackling paperwork. But to complete a wide variety of tasks, separate focus areas can be useful.

In addition to your main workspace, think about incorporating an additional seating area for holding discussions or meeting with clients. Alternatively, if there are multiple family members, or you are comfortable with having teammates that work out of your home with you, who also need to share your work space in your home keep things organized by giving each person an individual place to work from.    

Incorporate Plenty of Storage

Keeping an office organized can be a struggle for many. Especially, if you’re someone who has a tendency to become buried under an unruly desk, so it’s crucial to incorporate plenty of storage solutionsinto your space.

If you have the space available, cabinets or built-ins are ideal for storing larger items. Open shelving is an easy way to mix functional items and decor elements as well.  One such solution could be the Iron Age Office Edwin Credenza.

Accent With Personal Items

As much as it’s important to be able to focus within your office, it’s also important to create a space in which you’ll be happy spending time. Don’t forget to incorporate a few decor elements and pieces of wall art that highlight your personal tastes. 

One of the easiest ways to do this (while still creating a cohesive design) is to allow your personal items to dictate your accent colors. Do your best to match the bold hues in those personal items and incorporate them sparingly throughout the room. Whether you draw your inspiration from motivational posters or the pictures of your family from past events and vacations, everyone needs a reminder of why they’re putting in those long hours building their business. 

Multi-Level Lighting

What’s one of the best things about an office at home? No overhead fluorescent lights! Put your desk near the window for natural light, then supplement with a desk lamp, pendant lighting and task lamps that add illumination right where you need it. Make sure that it’s all arranged to avoid putting annoying glare on your monitor. What’s the right amount of light you may ask? Enough that you’re not tempted to fall asleep on your desk if you skipped that morning cup of coffee and not so much that you feel like you’re walking into a dark room if you leave your office. 

Bring In The Outdoors

Research showsthat the presence of natural light in professional spaces has an overwhelmingly positive impact on productivity and morale. It only makes sense that these concepts would easily translate to the home office environment as well, so find a way to incorporate the outdoors.

Whenever possible, make windows an integral part of your design. Think about aligning your desk below the windowsill and choosing non-intrusive blinds. Additionally, don’t hesitate to include other natural elements into your design. Fresh greenery will add color to the space and boost your mood.   

Collaborative & Comfortable Furniture

Collaborative workspace furniture is one of many modern office design trends that is quickly catching on. Collaboration is an integral part of any company, and having furniture that encourages and facilitates it makes sense.  Iron Age Office’s own anti-cubicle Carruca desks would make a great addition to a collaboration friendly work space. 

There are many collaborative furniture items to choose from, including freestanding media units where employees can meet quickly and project their work onto a screen, acoustic pods where uninterrupted meetings can be held, and large meeting desks that are equipped with power outlets, task lighting, adjustable height options, and data sockets. 

Forcing employees to sit on uncomfortable chairs and desks eight hours a day just isn’t the recipe for success. If you want to create a space that fosters creativity and increases overall employee satisfaction, you need to make it more comfortable, even homey. 

You should incorporate comfortable seating areas where employees can lounge on a sofa and get work done on their laptops. You can even create recreational areas where employees can take a break and play ping pong, video games, or even take a quick power nap.  

While some bring work home, others prefer bringing a piece of home to work. Instead of having a stiff, formal design, modern home and small office spaces have a homey atmosphere that contributes to the comfort of employees. Not only do we feel more relaxed at work, but we actually don’t mind staying a few hours longer because their office is their second home. 

Whether you run a home-based business, bring work home regularly, telecommute a few days a week or simply need a place to put your laptop to pay household bills, we can help you create a home office space that suits your style and works for you while you’re working. Browse our office furniture to find the best fit for your modern work space.