Using Custom Size Frames To Decorate Your Home Office

Using custom size frames to decorate your home office

One of the only good things to have come out of the coronavirus pandemic of the last few months, has been the rise in flexible working – with many more of us now working from home on a permanent basis. When you’re trying to stay productive, you need to think about decoration, as this can be a great way to ensure you stay on top of your game. Home decor is one of our areas of expertise here at Frames, as our custom size frames are ideal for a wide number of uses. 

In this article, we have tried to pull together some of our favourite tips to help you make the most of your home office, using some of our ready-made picture frames to not only make the space more comfortable but also help you to focus on your work as well. 

Your home office is a space that really needs thinking about, as it is not just a space to keep all of your equipment, rather somewhere that should work for you in terms of decoration, lighting and general feel as well.

#1 Find the best space for your needs

Don’t just plonk yourself down with your laptop at the kitchen table, walk around your house and try and find a space that will work the best for your home office. Things to consider include:

• How often you will need to make calls
• Whether you need any storage space for work related papers
• Is your firm family and pet friendly, or do you need to keep them out of your home office?

It is really important that you find a space to work from, as moving around your home multiple times during the day to find somewhere quiet is not a productive thing to do. You also need to think about air flow as well, as it is really hard to work in a dark and stuffy room. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the ideal working temperature for adults is somewhere between 18 and 20 Celsius, or slightly higher than this if you have respiratory concerns or allergies. 

#2 Natural light is important

As well as making sure you have access to fresh air, you also need to make sure there is some natural light coming in as well – as research has shown that this helps to make you more productive too. Scientists have proven that workplaces with good daylight can increase the productivity of their workers by anywhere between 30 to 40%, and even more so if the space has real plants added to it as well. 

So, both of these first two tips mean you should choose a space to work in your home, that not only has plenty of natural light but which also gives you access to a fresh air supply as well. 

#3 Don’t forget about ambient light

So, we now know that natural light is really important, but that is not the only light you should be thinking about. We know with kids at home it can be hard to work during the day, and sometimes the best time to concentrate is at night when the kids are in bed – but this makes it really difficult to be able to access natural light! This is where ambient light becomes really important. 

To make sure you have access to all of the light you need, and so you are not straining your eyes, you should place a table lamp on your desk, or a floor lamp next to your desk if you have the room. There are lots of stylish yet practical lamps out there, so you should be able to find something that suits your style quite easily.

#4 Blue light is important too

This is where we need to get technical. Blue light is the light emitted from your computer, laptop or tablet screen which is similar to natural sunlight. However, unlike the sun, the brightness of the blue light stays the same all day and night, which can fool your body into thinking it is still daytime when it is in fact evening – leaving you struggling with sleep disorders, eye strain and stress headaches. 

The best way to avoid this is to install an app on your device that automatically changes the colour of your screen throughout the day, or try a pair of blue light glasses that are readily available. 

#5 Make space for brainstorming

Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you are not sitting at your desk – especially if you work in a creative field. So, wherever your home office is within your home, make sure you have provision to allow you to do a little brainstorming – just hanging a pinboard up above your desk can be a great start.  You could also hang some inspirational quotes in our made to measure frames, to really help the creative juices to flow.

#6 Use your décor to add some personality

If you do manage to claim some space in your home as your home office, then why not make it your own by adding décor that reflects your personality? Surrounding yourself with pieces you love, will not only inspire you to spend more time there, but can also improve your productivity as well. 

A recent study showed, in fact, that 83% of workers who were surveyed stated that ‘artwork’ was an important part of their work environment. 

Keep the colour wheel in mind when you are choosing wall colours and accent colours as well – colours such as red, orange and yellow can make you feel energetic, while greys and blacks can make you feel lethargic and dull.

#7 Keep it clean

We’ve already covered a lot of things that are important to consider when setting up your home office, but another really important thing to think about is cleanliness. This can be hard to keep up with, especially if you are used to working in an office where someone else looks after it for you!

Make sure, then, you put aside some time each week – maybe on a Friday afternoon – to tidy up your space and give it a wipe down. It may also be a good idea at the moment to wipe down your desk and equipment with an anti-bacterial wipe or two as well.

 The next few tips are related to helping you maintain your focus and energy levels once your home office is up and running. It can be really easy to get distracted when you are working from home, especially if you are not used to it, but there are a few things you can do to help make working from home a breeze.

#8 Keep your living and working areas separate

When we first started working from home, we spent a lot of time working from our beds in our PJs. We hold our hands up! However, we quickly realised that our productivity was at an all-time low. This is probably because our brain associates our bedroom and bed with sleeping, and so went into lazy mode! 

This is why it is super important to have a space for working that is separate from your living space – and not close to where you sleep either. This will also help you to switch off from working at night, and relax and recharge your brain ready for the next day. 

#9 Have separate work and home devices

Most homes these days have at least one tablet or laptop device – more if you have children! If you can borrow a computer from work, you should do though, as it will allow you to streamline the apps on there – removing any distracting ones, that you perhaps may have on your home pc. This can work in the same way that separating your working and living areas does.

#10 Keep to your working hours (as closely as you can)

Lots of people love working from home as they think it means they can work whenever they like – as long as they get the work done that they need to. However, research has shown that if you want to be the most productive you can be, then you need to keep as closely to normal office hours as you can. 

Working for the same period of time on a daily basis not only helps give structure to your day by keeping you in a routine, but it also helps to train your brain to click into work mode at a certain time. It also works best for your work, life balance as well by letting you switch off when working hours are completed and spend some time with your family or persuading your favourite hobby.  

Hopefully in this post we have shown you some ways you can set up a comfortable and constructive home office, by choosing the right space with the right lighting and the right décor to inspire you. If you are looking for some made to measure picture frames cheap to help make your home office space your own, then please browse our site to find lots of wonderful frames at value for money prices.