Creating Your Very Own Green Home Office
When it comes to creating your own home office, there are a couple of important things you want to keep in mind. First and foremost, your home office must be conducive to productivity and getting your work done. The whole point of having a home office is having a space where you can work in peace, without some of the distractions you might find in a corporate setting.
Your office also needs to be a comfortable place, which of course, plays a part in your being more productive. Having comfortable office furniture is key to having a comfortable home office. Finally, take advantage of having your own space by being environmentally conscious. While having a recycling bin underneath the company printer is great, you can do a lot more for the environment from home. Here are some tips on designing the perfect, green home office.
Choosing Your Office Space
One of the perks of working from home is being able to choose your space. Choose a room with a couple of windows, good natural light and air flow. You don't want your office space to be too stuffy and claustrophobic. Once you've chosen the space, it's time to eliminate any distracting elements from the room. What distracts you might not distract someone else. This is your office space, so you want it to facilitate your own productivity. You can do this by removing things that distract you. Possible distractions include TVs, radios, busy wall paper, brightly colored wall paint, etc.
Decorating Your Office Space
Now that you've removed all of the distracting elements from your space; it's time for a room makeover. You want your office to be calming and relaxing but not so much so that you fall asleep. Choosing the right paint color is half the battle. It's a good idea to choose a color that's bright (but not overly so). A bright and cheerful yellow, green or blue is a good idea for a home office. Make sure you are using low or zero-VOC paints. These are eco-friendly and low or no odor, so ideal for an office space.
Furnishing Your Office Space
Chances are that the most expensive part of your home office design will be the furnishings. Depending on how many hours you plan on working from home, your office furniture needs to be as comfortable as possible. Invest in an ergonomically designed office chair. Herman Miller makes a great line of eco-friendly, ergonomically-designed chairs that both support your back, and promote good posture. The ever popular Aeron Chair comes with a ton of features and customizable fabric options and it's made from mostly recycled parts so it’s both comfortable and green! It's best that you choose your desk at the same time you choose your desk chair, as you want the chair to fit under the desk. Choose a desk that's made from a high quality natural hardwood. Eco-friendly furniture companies source their lumber from sustainably harvested forests, so forests aren't needlessly being cleared. Find some eco-friendly shelving and filing cabinets and complete the look of your office.
Once you have the basics of your home office all set up then you can focus on living a greener lifestyle. You can use recycled printer paper, recycle your spent ink cartridges, and use compact fluorescent bulbs in all of your office lighting. The important thing to keep in mind is just because you're trying to be more eco-conscious doesn't mean you have to skimp on comfort and style. By filling your office with stylish, comfortable and green products you'll never want to go back to the old 9 to 5.
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