How to Make a Home Office More Comfortable, Cozy, & Happy!
[vc_row equal_height=”yes”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Now that so many people are spending their time working from home, their workspaces have become that much more important. So, how do you make a home office more comfortable? After spending 8-10 hours a day there, that’s probably top of your mind!
When it comes to how to make a home office more comfortable, the most important factor is ergonomics. Setting up your office correctly and choosing the right equipment goes a long way towards ensuring you stay comfortable the entire work day.
Since being more comfortable generally equals being more productive, you’re likely to perform better at work as well! I know if I have to get up and readjust constantly, it gets me off track, and no one wants that.
If you’re here, you likely already have a home office space, and you’re just looking to make it a little more, well, cozy. That’s where I come in. We’re going to talk about how to make a home office more comfortable to ensure you’re happy working from home!
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What makes a home office comfortable?
What makes a home office comfortable, aside from the actual feeling and cozy environment, is largely ergonomics. In short, you’ll be spending sustained periods in this space, so you’ll want to avoid:
- Stretching to reach things – high or low
- Constant, repetitive motions
- Having to constantly get up and travel across the room to find something
While getting up and taking a stretch break throughout the day isn’t a bad idea, it’s having to do these motions repeatedly that causes issues. Not only are you breaking your concentration, but in some cases you could even be causing more serious issues, like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Of course, we want to avoid anything that’s going to cause us discomfort. The last thing I want to think about at work is hand surgery! So, let’s talk a bit about how to make spaces around your home office more comfortable – both from the ergonomic and the décor perspective.
Cozy home work space
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Home office ergonomics checklist
The home office ergonomics checklist is an easy way to test your setup to see if it’s appropriate for long term comfort.
So, let’s dive into some of these items a little more in depth to talk about how you can make your home office more comfortable and cozy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
How to make your home office desk space more comfortable
Here is how to make your office desk space more comfortable:
- Make sure your desk is an appropriate height, which is elbow level when seated. You don’t want to have to hunch or crane your neck up or down to work on it. Some of this can be offset with an adjustable chair, but only to a certain extent.
- Consider desk width and depth when setting up. Measure your arm and don’t place anything essential beyond that length. If your desk is too deep, you may strain to see, or stretch to reach a mouse or keyboard. If you place items too far to the side, you’ll have to repeatedly stretch to reach them.
- Ensure you have ample storage. Any supplies you’ll require throughout the day should be stored within the desk or nearby for easy access.
- Make it your own. Add your own personalized accents to your home office desk to make it a friendly,cozy, and relaxing space. This will help keep you less stressed throughout the day.
Comfortable home office desk setup
Using an adjustable height desk is a lifesaver if you have a shared office space and users of different heights. Alternatively, if you’d like the option to stand up at times but still have a standard desk, a standing desk converter is a great option as well.
I like to be able to stand up and “get the blood flowing again” throughout the day. The converter allows me to keep the same desk space and adjust it to suit my needs. If you want to get some real exercise in, there’s even an exercise bike desk![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
How do I decorate my office desk?
How you decorate your office desk makes a home office more comfortable purely by making the environment more enjoyable. Here are some ideas for how you decorate your desk:
- Add a potted house plant or hang one if you don’t have space on the desk itself
- Place framed photos of pets, friends, or family around
- Add a cool light
- Display collectibles or toys you enjoy
- Get a scented candle or similar. I prefer flameless scented candles so I never worry about spills
- Use a fun coffee mug and/or water bottle. If you’re a golf fan, I think this putter golf mug is the perfect pick
- Choose a utensil holder you enjoy. This Julius Caesar pencil holder and I are great friends
- Use peel and stick wallpaper or contact paper to cover boring surfaces
- Update peripherals such as a mouse, mouse pad, and keyboard. They come in lots of colors and styles – go wild!
- Choose something that relaxes you. A small zen garden, crystals, or a desk game are great examples.
By adding some (or all, I’m not judging) of these things, you’ll make your space feel more “yours”. The size of your desk will largely dictate how much you can fit on it, but even small spaces can be improved to make a home office more comfortable and cozy!
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Choosing the right chair to make your home office more comfortable
Choosing the right chair to make your home office more comfortable is just as important, if not moreso, than the desk. Here are some things to look for when picking an office chair that’s cozy for your workday:
- Lumbar support. Easily the most important factor, lumbar support keeps your back aligned where it should be during long periods of sitting. Slouching and bending leads to back pain, which no one wants
- Cushioned seat. As a human with a tailbone, I don’t want to sit in a hard plastic or wooden chair all day. Pick something padded, and bonus points for memory foam
- Arm rests. This one may not be as obvious, and you may feel like they get in your way. However, arm rests help keep your arms level and put less strain on your shoulders
- Adjustable height. If you’re the only one ever using this chair, maybe you could get by without. Having an adjustable height chair, though, means you can adjust so your feet touch the floor, and your desk is an appropriate height relative to your body. If you have a stationary desk, this can be a game changer for a comfortable work space!
Those are four important aspects to make your home office chair more comfortable. However, there are certainly more options for even more quality of life!
Ergonomic home office desk home
Consider a swivel base, headrest and/or leg rest, cup holders, heated massage, or even an air conditioned chair if you want to really upgrade your comfort level. Though, if I had a heated massage chair, I’d probably never leave work.
Supplementing your regular chair with something like a balance ball style chair is a great option too. While it doesn’t meet the typical parameters for home office comfort, it serves its own important function. The chair builds core strength, which helps improve posture and musculature in your regular chair. Goodbye aches and pains![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
How should you sit when working from home?
Here is how you should sit when working from home, for both ergonomics and comfort:
- Place your feet flat on the floor, about a shoulder width apart, perpendicular to your body
- Sit up straight, and adjust the lumbar to support your back
- Relax your shoulders, and keep your arms at a 90 degree angle
- Face straight forward; you should not need to crane your neck up or down to see your monitor, which should be eye-level
- Elbows on the table. Unlike the dinner table, you’ll want your elbows to rest on the desk. Keep your keyboard at arms’ length, and make sure to not prop or lift your hands to reach the keys
If any of this isn’t comfortable or natural, adjust the height of your chair, desk, keyboard, or monitor to the appropriate level. A monitor riser is a great tool if you don’t have an adjustable desk and need a little boost. For wrist support, a wrist rest may provide the additional ergonomic support you need.
Do you have to sit perfectly all day every day? No. Look, I’ll be the first one to admit that sometimes I sit down and cross my legs and put my laptop in my lap.
Really, as long as you’re feeling comfortable and productive, that’s what’s most important. Don’t readjust 20 times a day because you’re hurting. If you are, though, try to adhere to how you should sit when working from home, and you may find that things feel a lot better![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Lighting ideas for how to make your home office more comfortable
Lighting is another way to make your home office more comfortable and cozy. By providing enough light to adequately see your work, it reduces eye strain, stress, and tension.
Of course, a large part of this has to do with the location of your home office within your home, and the amount of natural light it receives through windows.
Home office with natural light
If you’re not getting enough natural light, though, here are some considerations on how to make your home office more comfortable via lighting:
- Use full-spectrum natural light replicating bulbs to reduce seasonal fatigue
- Supplement a large overhead light with a smaller desk lamp which may be adjusted to focus on a specific area
- Choose dimmable lamps, so they may be adjusted easily throughout the day to supplement natural light
- If your work requires a lot of video, consider adding a halo light above your computer monitor for lighting quality
Remember to set the lights up within reach for easy adjustment that doesn’t require stretching, straining, or breaking concentration. For an even easier alternative, grab a lamp with a remote!
Lamps are another great way to add a personalized touch to your home office. This not only adds lighting comfort, but aesthetic comfort as well when you get to enjoy something you love.
My overhead light is plenty bright, so I choose to enjoy a Tetris lamp which I can stack as a stress reliever![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
How do I relax in my home office?
You relax in your home office by creating a space dedicated to activities that don’t involve work at all. Think of a little spot to “get away” if you are feeling particularly stressed or overwhelmed. This is another great way to make your home office more comfortable.
To make a cozy space to relax in your home office, consider adding:
- A bean bag chair to kick back for a few minutes and decompress
- Yoga mat for stretching
- Meditation seat for a quick session
- Darkened space for a power nap. Go high tech with a nap pod chair!
- Small table for a jigsaw puzzle or similar activity
- White noise sound machine to drown out ambient noise
- A desk game, playable right at your desk
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Ideally, you want to step away from work for 15-20 minutes to focus, clear your mind, and return with a renewed sense of energy.
How much space you have in your office may limit your options, but you’re still sure to find a way to relax in your home office.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Conclusion
There are lots of different ways to make your home office more comfortable and cozy. Improve the ergonomics of your setup for your body’s happiness. Add some décor and personal touches to improve your mental health as well.
I hope you’ve found some of these ideas helpful for setting up or improving your work from home office space. As someone who spends a lot of hours a day in it myself, I’m grateful for anything that makes my home office a little more comfortable to spend time in.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As noted on our Affiliate Disclaimer page, links to products inside this blog could lead to sales commissions (at no additional cost to you) which allow this site to continue operations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
