In today’s world, remote working is more popular than ever before. This is thanks to more and more people opting for freelance work as well as the dramatic improvement in technology, which makes it possible to work for any company anywhere on the globe. With this increase, the need to create a practical home office is greater than ever before.
A popular interior design trend used to create a highly-functional home office is minimalism. In the most basic terms, minimalist style embraces a “less is more” mentality, removing anything that’s not completely necessary in favour of keeping the bare essentials. For your office, this will likely be perfect, removing the distractions and leaving only what you need.
We’ve put together seven ideas on how to design your own minimalist office.
Choose the Right Colour Palette
In terms of a minimalist colour palette, it’s recommended you use at most three different colours, two if you have small office space. For the base colour, white is the most popular choice or a light, neutral colour. For the secondary colour, choose whatever you like but try to keep your base colour at least 60-70% of your space. You should use these colours for everything in the office including the walls, accessories, wall decor and the furniture.
For the floor, it may not be possible to match but, try to keep it light by using white wood flooring or tiles with a large feature rug for warmth.
Remove the Clutter
The key principle of minimalism is to remove all clutter and excess. This is essential in a home office, as they’re often small rooms that attract endless sheets of paper, half-filled notebooks and more. Try not to store anything out in the open and completely remove anything you don’t need.
Why not try creating a paperless office? This will instantly help you reduce physical files you’ll have to store.
But don’t stop at visible clutter, in your home office, keep whatever storage you do use organised. This should include electronic storage, especially your computer’s desktop.
Pick the Right Furniture
For your minimalist style, keep your furniture to the bare essentials. A desk, chair and storage unit should be about the limit of things you need in your office.
For your desk, choose a clear and simple design without any excess. Opt for a white, black or glass desk. If you only have limited space, a wall-mounted unit will give the impression that your space is larger whilst having a great appearance.
Try to match your chair to your desk or create a contrast for an eye-catching look. Choose something comfortable and ergonomic as you’ll likely be spending a lot of time in it.
For your storage options, a plain draw unit close to your desk provides plenty of storage for those daily essentials that you may need. Alternately, an unobtrusive, wall-mounted cupboard with enclosed shelves may be better if you do have files to store.
If you’d like to combine your desk and storage options in a package that can be sealed off at the end of the day, a bureau could be better for your office.
Let in the Light
In a minimalist home office, natural light is your friend. Go for little to no dressing on your windows, keeping any curtains, voils or blinds as light as possible. You shouldn’t block out any natural sunlight at all.
For artificial lighting, have one feature light on the desk or a pair of sconce lights on either side of the desk. Wall-mounted lighting is an obvious choice if you’re low on space.
Add Your Accessories
When it comes to accessorising your home office, you need to maintain the “less is more” ideology. Adding in a variety of textures will help add warmth to your office.
A thick-weave throw on the back of your chair can give your office a great look. It’s also functional, being warm in the winter months.
You could also accessorise with a feature house plant. Plants are great as they have a refreshing appearance and help improve the air quality of your home, removing toxins and pollutants.
If you’re a minimalist at heart but love the 1960s Mad Men style, why not add in some glass texture with a feature crystal decanter. Keep it simple for a cool and crisp look that suits your minimalist style.
Whatever accessories you choose, limit your choices to a few things with an actual purpose. One accessory per surface should be the maximum you go for.
Make it Personal
To really finish off your home office, you need to add your own personal stamp on your room. The best way to do this is with wall decor.
Art, photographs, wall hangings or just about anything else can be used. Choose one large feature piece or a couple of smaller designs. Try to stay in your colour scheme or choose black and white if you want to go neutral.
Go for something you love that will help inspire you in your work. Whether this is a family photograph, a painting by an artist that means something to you or a quote that invigorates you.
Like with all other aspects of a minimalist office, don’t go overboard. Keep it basic.
Hide those Cables
Finally, this may seem like a minor point but you don’t want to ruin all of your hard work and effort by leaving any untidy cables on show. Hide them as much as possible, opt for wireless options or use a cable management system if you need to.
Final Thoughts
Minimalism is one of the most popular styles for a home office. It takes away the many distractions of other workspaces, leaving you with a focused and clear atmosphere which promotes productivity.
As we discussed, try to instil the minimalist mindset across all aspects of your home office. Stay organised electronically and physically in your storage options.
To keep your office a minimalist haven, always keep decluttering at the forefront of your mind. Keep on top of this to ensure the junk doesn’t creep in.
Author Bio– David Atkinson is a content creator at Shop Aardvark, based in the North East of the UK. He writes on the subject of interior design, style and much more.