Covid arrived so unexpectedly. One minute we were footloose and fancy free, travelling the world, living our best lives. Then… we blinked. All of a sudden we are staring at four walls and in lockdown. With the whole family. A garage full of toilet paper, homemade masks and litres of sanitiser; trying really hard to stay sane and learning how to bake banana bread. 

Covid has changed our friendships, privacy, trade and just how we, as Capetonians (and the rest of the world) live. We have been thrown into a new normal and we are all trying really hard to figure out just what this new path to normality will look like. 

Besides the banana bread, more and more people are working from home. Remote work has risen significantly since the start of 2020. Deciding to work from home is liberating, exciting and a little scary of course. Some positives include; you save on fuel costs, you save on buying that unhealthy lunchtime chip-roll and other expenses. But, getting your home office set up correctly is of utmost importance. Working from just anywhere in the house means there will be endless interruptions and distractions. And to have a successful home office, you need little of that. 

Our Home Maintenance Expert Jools shares his top tips on creating the perfect home office that you actually would love to work in.  

1. Convert your roof into an office

Roofs can be such unutilised spaces in our homes that we forget about. Having the opportunity to convert it into an airy, light, wonderful space that gives you a home office away from the hustle and bustle of home activity, is wonderful and not to mention, resourceful.

2. Storage space and shelves

Having enough storage space and shelves, helps in keeping your office neat and tidy. Installing floating shelves on the wall for all your documents, will enable you to stay 100% organised with everything in its place.

Photo by Melissa Van Gogh on Unsplash

3. Great light

Having great light in your office is imperitive. Having a window with natural light filtering in is a great plus. But if you are burning the midnight oil, making sure you have great standing lamps or overhead light that doesn’t cause eye-strain, is ideal. Installing great light-fittings, will add some creativity to your work space. 

4. UPS and Internet

Make sure that you have a good service provider. Most areas in Cape Town now has fibre. There are some great remote dongle options to explore. It is cost effective and convenient. You can work from anywhere. An extra obstacle to consider is load-shedding. Having a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) for your router and/or computer will allow you to stay on-line when Eskom hits that load-shedding button.

5. Tidy up those cables

There is nothing as frustrating as tripping over computer, printer or internet cables. They add to the clutter and make a work-space uninviting. Try go wireless where possible and tie your cables together with a sleeve organiser, cable boxes or a cable clip organiser. 

6. Add some colour

Paint your home office a colour that is inspirational but calming. We suggest keeping natural colour like hues of white or accentuate one wall with a colour to create some interesting contrasts. With natural light from your windows, you will give your home office a feeling of space and calm, with a touch of creativity.

7. Add art, pictures and photos

Get a professional picture hanging company to hang up some of your favourite art, inspirational pictures or photos. It will create a space that you will love and feel creativity sparked.

8. Add some plants

Adding greenery to your office space will lift your mood and create a calmer space to work in. Some plants are great companions in an office and some extra oxygen definitely won’t hurt.

If you would like us to help you to setup your home office for you, give Jools a call!

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