Dedicating a space in your home for an office is now a part of almost all residential plans. Thanks to technology, working trends are flexible these days and people are allowed to work from home. There has also been a tremendous increase in the number of people who are self-employed and who work from their home office.
Though the already available spaces like the nook, or basement, or a portion of the bedroom are still being transformed into home offices, most of the new house owners have a separate room as their office space. Instead of a dull and congested, makeshift space, people are looking for a well-lighted, airy and organized space that’s also inspiring. Based on your personal taste, you can be more creative with your home office design. In most cases, the design of your home office is determined by your profession or the kind of work you are engaged in. When the available space is less you’ll have to be more innovative with the plan.
Let’s take a look at some of the latest trends in setting up a home office.
A separate space outside your home
Though a space within your home like a portion of your living room or an unused guest bedroom is still being transformed into a work space, the latest trend is to dedicate a space outside your home for a home office. It could be a few steps away from your house in the backyard or by the side of your house depending on the availability of space. Putting up modular home office units and pre-built structures in the available space is in trend now. For people who are working on a budget or who prefer something that’s not too fancy, an old garage or even an unused barn can be transformed into their home office. With the steady increase in the number of people working from home, an office that’s exclusive yet partly detached from your home is one of the major trends now.
 Ergonomics
An individual’s health, welfare, and safety are really important. Ergonomics is the process of designing work spaces in a way that suits them best. Long hours of desk job have had a negative impact on the health of most people. Giving importance to ergonomics has resulted in creating more productive, safe and comfortable work spaces. The latest trend in setting up a home office is the use of ergonomic chairs, ergonomic mouses that fits in one’s hand, foot rests and keyboard pads that are soft.
 Gray is the new trend
When it comes to color, gray seems to be the favorite. Though this trend began a number of years ago, it still continues to be the preference of a majority of the home office owners. Unlike the dull white or beige, the color gray gives a more sophisticated look to the home office. You have the option to choose from different shades of gray and the color also suits home offices that are smaller in size.
Eco- friendly designs
With the growing awareness in the preservation of the environment, more and more people are opting for eco-friendly designs while setting up their home offices.
Wallpaper
 Adding wallpaper to your home office would create a beautiful contrast and pattern and this is the latest trend in setting up a home office. Opting for a wallpaper design that’s bold or one that has a classy pattern would change the entire look of the workspace which normally is more serious in nature. Besides adding color, texture, and pattern to the office space, the wallpaper print could also extend the theme of the room. Using wallpaper is also one of the easiest methods to create a wall that’s compelling.
Lighting: Use of task lights
A room that’s appropriately lighted has a way of reducing stress so it’s essential that your office space has good lighting. Working in a room that has dull or low lighting could have negative effects on the person and could also lead to depression. Windows could light up the room during daytime and nothing can beat the natural light. But if you are working in a place that does not have daylight or is cloudy, or if you have to work during the night a combination of task lighting and general lighting would be the best solution. Task lights with dimmer switches help to control the intensity of light and the use of these lights in the office space is currently in trend.
You should enjoy working in your home office space. No matter what the trend is your home office design should reflect who you are.  Click here if you are looking for inspiration.
