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Looking to work remotely for long? Consider a proper home office

Workspace that works: A home office is ideally painted in light colors including white and given some personalization, such as indoor plants and photos, as illustrated in this Garden Trading SS19 Green Home Office photo

Muthi Achadiat Kautsar (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, April 1, 2020

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Looking to work remotely for long? Consider a proper home office

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orkspace that works: A home office is ideally painted in light colors including white and given some personalization, such as indoor plants and photos, as illustrated in this Garden Trading SS19 Green Home Office photo. (Courtesy of gardentrading.co.uk)

As the number of Coronavirus cases exceeded 785,000 on Tuesday according to worldometers.info, citizens of the world are likely to prolong their self-quarantine at home, making even longer the time until they can see their workplaces and colleagues in person again.

While some have suggested extended self-quarantine may cause mental health issues, urbanites may find that it is also a good time to take care of their homes. Many among them may master the art of working from home to such degree that, when the situation returns to normal, they benefit from the experience gained.

Speaking of minding the house, those appreciating the beauty of working from home may also want to invest in a proper home office.

Actiu, a Spanish manufacturer of furniture for workspaces and public areas, wrote on its website that it was important for every member of a work team to designate a specific area of their home for their home office, and one that shares certain characteristics with traditional offices. These characteristics include that the space is comfortable and somewhat secluded to encourage concentration and creativity. The home office also needs to be easy to keep tidy.

However, if the house or apartment of a team member offers limited space for a dedicated home office, the ideal part of the house would generally be the dining table or kitchen island aka “kitchen desk”, according to Mandragyaishta Aditya, Indonesia’s design manager of Itoki, a Japanese company specializing in office design and supply.

Aditya told The Jakarta Post that a “kitchen desk” could be ideal when considered from the basic necessities of a table, chairs and sufficient lighting for a home office.

“The bedroom is not recommended, because the ambience makes you lazy or too relaxed. Working on the sofa in the living room [should be avoided too, as it] is not good for your posture if you work for a long time,” said Aditya.

She went on to say that the space for the home office must be separated from the functions of other rooms in the house, as you would want to be away from the daily flow and distractions of your household.

Apart from being equipped with a table and a comfortable work chair, a home office ideally has a counter for printer. Even better if the counter also functions as a drawer or filing cabinet.

Aditya said you might be required to choose your work chair carefully, depending on your type of work.

“If your job doesn’t require you to face the screen intensely, the good thing is we can use a dining chair that is more aesthetically pleasing than an office chair,” she said, adding that the backrest would ideally be tilted at an angle of 100-110 degrees.

Our sitting position also has an effect on our posture, according to Aditya, saying that the hips have to be fully supported by the backrest, and the feet must be flat on the floor.

Options aplenty: An array of home office set up and choices of furniture at an Ikea store may spark the creativity of those creating workspaces at home. (JP/Muthi Kautsar)
Options aplenty: An array of home office set up and choices of furniture at an Ikea store may spark the creativity of those creating workspaces at home. (JP/Muthi Kautsar)

However, if you are the type that spend long hours in front of a screen, you should invest in a proper office chair.

“There are now many options of office chairs in the market that offer good lumbar support,” said Aditya, adding that a good option would be one with a backrest that supports our upper and lower back according to the natural curve of our bodies.

“It would be better to choose one with an adjustable headrest,” she continued.

Table talk

The ideal height of a table for working is 73 to 75 cm. If you have a dedicated space for home office, you may want to consider choosing a table that has slots for cables to pass through, as well as an “up-down desk” or “sit-stand desk” with adjustable height that allows its user to stand when working.

Studies have shown that working while standing can be a good way to avoid prolonged sitting during work, which is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. However, it is best to be able to alternate between sitting and standing and maintaining an active work style.

Furthermore, when you have the luxury of space and are expecting guests to visit your home office once the pandemic is over, you may also like to provide a meeting table and chairs for 2 to 4 people, according to Aditya.

“And if there is any extra space, it’s good to add an armchair or reclining sofa for when you take a break,” she said.

Colors and personalization

White, light grey and most pastel colors would make an ideal hue for your home office, especially if space is limited. The use of dark colors should be minimized, because colors that are too intense could make you emotionally saturated more quickly.

“But if you have a room with sufficient natural lighting or some large windows, it would be nice to have a wall in bold color,” said Aditya.

She further advised that, if you can’t immediately repaint the intense-colored wall, you might add indoor plants and light-colored wall decor to balance things out.

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