Work smarter in your ergonomic home office

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Having a home office can be a real luxury for busy professionals that want to be able to tread the line between career and family but there is no point creating one if you don't make it comfortable and usable. The last thing you want is to put together your space too quickly and leave yourself with back pain or hard to navigate spaces. What you really need is an ergonomic home office.

Comfortable chairs and easy to reach keyboards are just a small part of what goes into making an ergonomic study but, luckily for you, we have put together our top tips for a comfortable and usable room.

Take a look and see if you could be working smarter and more comfortably, soon!

Set your desk to the right height

This is a crucial step that almost everybody neglects or doesn't know about. If you want to create an ergonomic home office you need to think about exactly how high your desk needs to be as this will prevent trapezius muscle pain in the long term and help your posture. 

You should be able to sit at your desk, in the chair you are definitely going to use, and simply reach your arms forward to work. No hunching of the shoulders should occur. If you are struggling to get the perfect height desk, you can at least raise your monitor to your eye line as this will help.

Invest in a comfy chair

Well this isn't rocket science, is it? If you want to be comfortable while you are working, you need to make sure that you have invested in a suitable chair. The problem is, what makes for the ideal chair for one person would be a nightmare for another so this will be a case of trial and error and personal taste.

We love this office, from Frank & Faber, and while we think that retro chair is simply charming, it might not be the key to an ergonomic home office for everyone. In fact, you might need something fully adjustable that looks as though you could fly a spaceship from it so try a few out.

Place your keyboard and mouse properly

Your keyboard and mouse should be easy and natural to use in an ergonomic home office so if you are having to stretch for either or don't have enough space to use them properly, it's time to rethink your set up. While looking at your keyboard, perhaps you could think about some relevant accessories as well.

Wrist supports make for excellent additions to your desk as they are usually gel-filled and offer a comfortable resting plinth for your hands as you type. This can help to offset repetitive strain injury, which is the bugbear of many an office worker.

Consider more eccentric desk styles

There are so many types of desk available that it seems silly to limit yourself to the few that you might be familiar with. Why not take the time to look around and find some of the more unusual and innovative variations that are freely available? 

Standing desks, which can be raised or lowered, are fantastic and really contribute to the creation of a truly ergonomic home office. If you are a little more style driven, look out for funky glass alternatives or maybe true vintage pieces.

Take regular breaks and think about posture

While you might think that putting your head down and ploughing on with work non-stop is the most productive way to be, you'd actually be very wrong. You need to take regular breaks away from your desk to allow your mind some respite, as well as your back and posture.

We suggest getting up to make a cup of tea or to take a little walk in the garden every couple of hours. If you need to be close to the phone, why not add a comfy chair that you can zone out on for a few moments? That's the way to make a user-friendly, ergonomic home office. A fish tank is optional but we think it's fabulous! 

Add some natural elements

In order to really get to grips with an ergonomic home office design you need to think about things that will keep you healthy and comfortable and with that in mind, we don't think anything is better than having some leafy friends in close proximity. 

Not only do plants purify the air you breathe, they also give you a tangible connection to the outside world so that even when you are stuck inside with a deadline looming you can enjoy a little reminder that it won't be forever. It doesn't hurt that they look beautiful either!

For more home office inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: Small Home Office Spaces. You don't have to have a huge space in order to have a gorgeous one!

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