Converting a Bedroom Into a Home Office

The best home offices are attractive, comfortable and decorated to your tastes. Converting a bedroom into a home office requires a little hard work and some ingenuity. If you’re a homeowner who wishes to convert a bedroom into a home office, these tips will help you get started with your project.

Choose the Right Room

The best bedroom for your home office is one that is somewhat isolated from the other activity in the house. Pick a bedroom that is down the hall and far away from the noise of the living room, play room, kitchen and other loud areas of the home. If possible, choose a bedroom that has its own separate entrance and exit into the home. This may be possible if your property has an unused in-law suite or a room with glass doors that looks onto the patio or back yard.

Move Out Bedroom Furniture

If the room you’ve chosen is an actual bedroom that has been used for guests or someone who has recently moved out of the house, you may feel tempted to leave the bedroom furniture in place. However, extra furniture in the room can be a distraction. Having a bed nearby can even increase temptation to lay down during the day, which can impact productivity. To avoid problems, move out all old furniture, and furnish the room with office furniture only.

Repaint

It’s important to distinguish the home office from the rest of the house. If the bedroom that will be converted into the home office is the same color as other rooms of the home, repainting the bedroom in a different color can help reinforce the idea that the office is a separate space from the other rooms.

Picking the right color is important. Bright colors like yellow and orange can be energizing but also anxiety-producing. Soothing colors like blue or gray can be helpful for people who need a peaceful, calming environment where they can work.

Protect the Floor

Rolling office chairs can be damaging to hardwood as well as carpet. Staying in one spot all day can grind dirt into carpeting, while casters rolling on hardwood can cause scratches over time. The best way to prevent problems is to protect the floor with a mat designed to be used with an office chair. Protecting the floors from damage makes it easier to turn the room back into a bedroom if its ever necessary. It’s also good to keep in mind how different flooring options impact your resale value in the future.

Pick the Right Furniture

The right furniture can make your home office feel comfortable while also enabling you to be productive while you’re there. To pick the right furniture, consider:

• Ergonomics. Proper ergonomics helps ensure that you can work for hours at a time in your home office without causing damage to your joints, back, muscles and other parts of your body. Seek office furniture that is adjustable and comfortable. If you’re not sure whether or not your office furniture works for your needs, talk to an ergonomics specialist to get recommendations.
• Aesthetics. Your furniture should be beautiful as well as comfortable and functional. To make your home office attractive, choose furniture based on a visual theme. If you like modern styles, for example, choose furniture that is minimalist in appearance and made from synthetic materials. If you like traditional styles, seek furniture made of natural materials like wood and leather. Ideally, everything you choose should match.

Do Research Before Getting Started

The best way to tackle your home improvement project is to do your homework before making changes to the room. Looking at pictures online, shopping for the right furniture pieces and developing the picture in your head can help you make your home office into a room where you can be productive and where you can enjoy spending your time.