Blog Post

How to Create a Peaceful and Serene Home Office Space

Marielle Robie • Dec 28, 2020

Whether you’re working at the office or in your own home office, stress can follow you. According to The American Institute of Stress, in the United States, “job stress” can cost companies more than $300 billion a year, in part due to decreased productivity. How do you make your home office a serene space so you can get more done at work?

Follow these tips for a more peaceful home office space:

Choose a room in your home with a window if you can
Focus on the ergonomics of your setup
Incorporate calming colors
Add a real plant or two
Ensure that your space is a quiet one

Keep reading to learn more about why these facets of your home office matter so much. Once you incorporate the above additions into your workspace, you’ll find that you’ll feel more relaxed and ready to tackle the tasks of the day.

Always Add Natural Light If Possible

If you’re still in the early stages of planning a home office, know that the room you select matters. Whenever possible, you want at least one window or skylight in your home office. This will allow you to be exposed to natural sunlight throughout the day.

Fastcompany.com highlights a variety of reasons why natural light is much more preferable compared to stuffy fluorescents. They further explained that workers tend to be on alert more when in a naturally sunny space than in a cubicle or office lit with fluorescents.

Not only that, but natural light allows you to receive some vitamin D, which is a vitamin our bodies can get from sun exposure. You should still take a short walk outside during your lunch or another break period to reap the full benefits of the sun, but vitamin D has proven mood-boosting effects that you don’t get with fluorescents.

Select an Ergonomically-Friendly Setup

It’s hard to feel at peace when your back and neck are killing you. To that end, you want to go out of your way to create an ergonomic home office setup. Start with your chair. If you’re using an old one with exposed springs, it’s worthwhile to invest in a new office chair.

It should have lumbar and neck support, be that through the structure of the chair itself or with included support pillows. Your chair should also be adjustable, including the armrests, so you can set it at a height and angle that feels natural for you.

Don’t stop at your office chair, though! You also want to double-check the height of your desktop computer. If it’s too high, you’re going to strain your neck trying to keep up with your daily responsibilities. A screen that’s set too low can lead to pain as well.

Also, on the note of working more comfortably, make sure you take breaks throughout the day. Get up, stretch, go for a short walk if you can, and give your eyes (and brain!) a few minutes away from the screen. You’ll be glad you did.

Add Some Calming Colors

Do you have a favorite color? You might not have gravitated towards that hue solely because it’s attractive, but also because of how the color makes you feel. It’s true! Colors can indeed influence your mood. The Huffington Post adds that data collected by Minnesota State University revealed that shades of red can actually increase stress rather than reduce it.

So what are the best colors to incorporate if you want to feel serene in your home office all day long? Violet in the purple family is one such color, as it’s supposed to encourage inner peace, balance, wisdom, and strength. White is a pristine hue that should block stress, and pink–a much lighter red–is good for controlling your energies as well.

You also can’t go wrong with green or blue. Green is beloved for its comforting qualities, and being around the color might even reduce your anxiety. As for blue, it too is known for busting stress by reducing blood pressure and heart rate, says TimesofIndia.com.

As for how you integrate these colors into your home office, that’s your choice! You might get a throw rug in a calming color, add some desk accessories, hang up a painting or two, or even install some new curtains. Unlike working at an office, you can decorate your workspace exactly how you like it at home, so take advantage of this perk.

Include Some Live Greenery

Besides the colors you’ve incorporated per the section above, you also want some greenery in your home office. No, not the color green per se, but plants. Indoor plants are appealing, sure, but much more so than that, plants are beneficial. Many indoor plant species can purify the air, reducing chemicals, pollutants, and even carcinogens such as formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, trichloroethylene, and benzene.

Some indoor plant species are known for their calming effects, especially lavender, while others will keep producing oxygen throughout the night. This makes it easier for you to breathe even if you work quite late hours in your home office.

What if you’re extremely busy and you don’t have the time to tend to indoor plants? Maybe you’re just forgetful? Not to worry. Lots of houseplants can go days, even weeks without water, and plenty can grow in shaded or otherwise dim conditions.

Keep Your Space Quiet

The last consideration for your most peaceful home office setup yet is silence. After all, one of the biggest downsides to working from home is the propensity for noise. Your kids could come into your office all day, the dog might bark at you to take him out, and other household sounds could put you off your tasks, making them take so much longer to complete.

It’s ideal if your home office has a door, as that will block out most of the above noise sources.

Perhaps you find that even with a door, your home office is still too noisy. At that point, it doesn’t hurt to look into soundproofing options. Even installing some soundproofing foam in the parts of the office that are loudest (such as around the door) can make a big impact. You can also try noise-canceling headphones if your job doesn’t require you to be constantly on the phone.

Conclusion

A serene, peaceful home office setup is one that’s quiet, comfortable, and appealing. With the information in this article, you’re now ready to improve your office so it’s a productive space you’ll love to spend time in!