Setting up your home office- Please do it in a cozy way with these 7 tips

Can a home office be cozy? Or shouldn't it rather shine as a workplace with simple functionality? 

If it goes according to our opinion, please be comfortable instead of sterile! Because regardless of whether you work as an employee, freelancer or self-employed from home, the following always applies: the more comfortable you feel at work, the more productive, creative and successful you are.

That's why this article gives you 7 tips on how to set up your home office in such a way that, thanks to all the coziness, you really enjoy going to work - and thus produce your best results.

1. Give yourself space

If you have the luxury of setting up your own corner or an entire study as a home office with the right furniture, then don't hesitate any longer. Because yes: We have also worked whole mornings in bed with laptops, held video conferences for afternoons sitting cross-legged on the sofa and worked out strategies at the kitchen table until late at night. 

The thing is: If you don't have a defined space for your work, at some point your head will no longer manage to separate work and free time and officially call it a day. In other words: You can then no longer switch off properly. Apart from that, of course, crouching in bed or squatting on an unergonomic kitchen chair is not the right thing for your back. More on this in tip 6.

2. Create order

That might sound uncomfortable at first, but tidying up is also worthwhile in the home office. Because when there is constant chaos around you and the piles of paper constantly pushing themselves into your field of vision, it looks like an unfinished mountain that grows and grows. 

Creating order, on the other hand, brings you more clarity and focus, because in the best case scenario you also dispose of useless things directly. It is perfect if you invest 3 minutes at the end of your work day to get the boat across. When you go into your home office the next morning, you have plenty of space for new things and your ideas can flow undisturbed.

Useful tools for organizing the home office are pen holders, storage boxes, small shelves and (roll) containers with drawers.

3. Decide on a color concept

Yep, color brings life to your study and puts you in a good mood. But: If you decorate your home office in all the colors of the rainbow, it quickly becomes restless and overwhelming and no longer has much to do with cosiness. Therefore, it is better to choose one or two restrained basic colors and set highlights in a more dominant color. 

For example, if you decide on the basic colors gray and beige, get curtains, carpets, mouse pads, etc. in these nuances. If you have decided on a highlight color such as sun yellow, apple green or petrol, you decorate the room with a few elements in this tone. For example with a cushion for the armchair, a blanket over the back of the chair, a lamp, matching pictures or a flower pot. 

In this way you create inspiring accents in your office and at the same time create cozy harmony.

4. Choose textile materials

We just mentioned pillows, blankets and carpets. And maybe you were wondering because you would rather locate such things in your living room or bedroom. But that's exactly the point: We mentally pack textile decorative elements into such rooms because we associate them with comfort. Therefore, you should definitely use this cozy feeling for your cozy home office.

In addition to woven or knitted fabrics, felt also has this warming, cozy effect. With a desk pad made of felt you bring a lot of comfort to your workplace and thus protect your hands and forearms from the cold worktop.

[Photo / widget from the desk pad]

By the way: Your laptop, tablet and smartphone are also happy to be a little cozy. Take a look at what we have come up with for your technical gadgets.

5. Integrate something natural

Perhaps you have already noticed: At Vollgutleben, we attach great importance to beautiful materials. We especially love natural materials such as wood, as they radiate natural warmth and thus cosiness. A few other good arguments for wood in your home office: You can really combine any color with it and benefit from the calming effect and the warm atmosphere that wood creates. 

Other natural decorative materials for your cozy home office are cork (e.g. as a pin board and cup coaster), seaweed (woven into baskets, in which you can stow your belongings in the spirit of tip 2) and - surprise - houseplants.

6. Set yourself up ergonomically

The piece of furniture you sit on for 8 or more hours a day shouldn't necessarily be an apple crate from a flea market. As stylish as it may look - after a few hours (or days at the latest) your back will contact you and ask when you can finally organize a good office chair. And we also find: uncomfortable, unhealthy sitting destroys any hint of cosiness.

A really good office chair means a financial investment because the parts are not cheap. But your healthy back has a very direct effect on your performance at work, so you shouldn't save at this point. If you work in the home office as an employee, ask your employer whether he will sponsor the corresponding piece of furniture for you. If you work freelance or self-employed, you can tax deductible furniture for your study.

7. Treat yourself to what is good for you

As I said at the beginning: the happier you feel in your home office, the more successful and focused you will be. So be sure to ask yourself: What else do you need to feel completely comfortable at work? 

For example, are you inspired by fresh flowers on your desk? Do you love concentration-enhancing or calming fragrances from an aroma lamp or diffuser? Do you like to look into the distance in between and therefore need a workplace by the window? Do you work best with music or do you want a playlist with noise-canceling tones like the noise of waves or raindrops?

Whatever it is that helps you to feel comfortable at work in your home and to work in a focused and relaxed manner: Treat yourself to it! 

And now: Have fun setting up your cozy dream home office! We hope that we have inspired you with our tips and that we were able to show you: Even work can be comfortable.