Trend #1: Embrace Minimalism
Minimalism isn’t just a trendy word for nomadic, tiny house owners and housewives. No, the minimalist movement has taken a foothold in virtually every facet of the design world, including the home office.
There’s a good reason for it, too. Minimalism is all about eliminating clutter and getting rid of the things you don’t need. Doing so allows you to focus on what matters. Think of it this way, if you have to work in your remote office amongst stacks of paper, and busy decoration, you’re liable to get distracted.
Instead, focus on only keeping what you need in your home office. Minimalism also focuses on space-saving techniques. So, in the home office, that could mean built-in desks, sliding pocket doors, or hidden storage solutions.
Ultimately, minimalism allows you to free up your brainwaves so that you can focus on the work at hand and maximize your productivity.
Trend #2: Add in Natural Features
Natural elements are a huge trend in home design this year. Natural features are also making waves in offices and other commercial properties, too. So, it’s not a leap to include them in your home office’s design. Aside from the fact that natural elements are trendy, these features also promote a wide range of benefits.
Adding plants and natural sunlight is scientifically-proven to increase organization and improve job satisfaction. Moreover, exposure to plants and sunlight reduces depression and anxiety levels.
So, add a plant to your desk or the corner of your office. Succulents, cacti, and bonsai trees are a few charming low-maintenance options. If you have a window in your home office, keep it open during the workday.
Trend #3: Enclose Yourself and Reduce Distractions
If your home office is in the living room or is in a guest bedroom, getting focused and staying productive can be even more challenging. You not only have to battle your own attention level, but you have to worry about being interrupted. Since more people are unexpectedly working from home these days, there’s a new trend emerging.
Rather than accepting the living room as a viable working space, people are turning to solutions like screen wall panels or other separation panels. This allows them to create an enclosed space for working. If this is your situation, you should consider jumping on this trend so that you can close yourself off from the distractions around the house.
Trend #4: Go Blue
When it comes to colors for your home office, the only real rule is to choose a color that you love. However, if you really want to activate the productivity, there’s some science to color selection.
The color blue increases focus and promotes relaxation, all the while boosting productivity. You can paint your entire office blue, paint one wall of your office blue, or just decorate the office with blue décor.
The benefits of blue don’t stop there. There’s been a lot of studies done on the best lighting for increasing workflow. Natural sunlight ranks number one, but blue-enriched light bulbs are an excellent second choice. Research suggests that blue-enriched light bulbs increase happiness, improve alertness, and reduce overall eye strain.
(As a side note, blue-enriched light bulbs are not the same as the blue light that emanates from your computer and phone screens. That type of blue light can have the opposite effect. So, be sure to take plenty of screen breaks during your workdays).
Trend #5: Think About Comfort
While working remotely presents many hurdles, there are also a lot of benefits. One of those is that you can control your environment and maximize comfort.
We all have images of ornately decorated “studies,” with large bookshelves, and bullishly large desks permanently etched in our brains as the standard for home office design. However, this aesthetic isn’t practical anymore.
Nowadays, the trend for the home office can be surmised in one word: comfort. Your office should be catered to you. From the chair to the lighting to the color scheme, it’s about designing your office space to cater to your productivity needs.
This makes sense because if you’re uncomfortable, you won’t be able to focus on anything except how uncomfortable you are. When you eliminate that distraction, your productivity soars. This sort of benefit doesn’t exist in traditional office settings, which is why more people are taking advantage of the power to craft their home office designs around their unique needs.
Choose GIS For Both Green And Sustainable Building Options
Many of our clients are interested in building homes that are eco-friendly. There are two different yet similar schools of thought in approaching a construction project: Green building and Sustainable building.
Green building refers to the making building choices in design, materials, appliances, and lifestyle that focus on a more efficient use of resources, while minimizing any harmful impact on the environment when compared to other options.
Sustainable building refers to those choices we make that solve specific challenges without having adverse implications in the future. This includes the long-term effect of choosing specific building materials, recycling, and more.
We can make Green buildings choices and selections to create structures that effectively reduce the overall impact on the natural environment. The choices we make in materials and energy use can impact your health, and the health of animals, plants, and the local ecosystem. As we plan your home, multi-family, or commercial building, we can focus on efficiently using energy, water, and other resources while protecting everyone’s health and reducing waste, pollution and any negative impact on the local environment.
We can employ Green Building Strategies for your home or commercial building by focusing on ways to create efficient, energy-saving homes that are eco-friendly.
Green building practices are primarily focused on developing sustainable sites, increasing water and energy efficiency, reducing waste and emissions, using eco-friendly building materials, and improving indoor environmental quality more efficiently than conventional designs.
GIS Can Provide Energy Sources That Are Eco-Friendly Such As:
● Geothermal Energy
● Wind Energy
● Solar Energy (Though we must plan carefully when we use solar in Washington, since it rains so often here)
● Renewable Energy
● Others
GIS Can Provide Water Systems That Are Eco-Friendly Such As:
● Net-Zero Water
● Efficient Water Use Appliances and Household Items
● Rainwater Harvesting and Storage
● Stormwater Management
● Wastewater Treatment
Green Interiors Can Provide Expert Planning For Green Living, Like:
● Flooring and Finishes
● Daylighting/Lighting
● Space Use Efficiency
● Eco-Friendly Material Selection
● Indoor Landscaping
Call GIS at 206.203.3514 and let’s schedule a time to talk about how Green and Sustainable building choices can help you improve your building project, your life, and can have a positive impact on your immediate and future budget.