As many offices are extending remote work longer and longer, it’s little surprise that the majority of our new online/social distancing design projects are home offices. If you are going to be working from home, especially for an extended period of time, you have to set yourself up for success. Rule #1: Your bed is not your office.

When you’re working from home for long stretches of time, it’s easy to let the boundaries between home and work blur so having a well-defined workspace is essential. Whether you have an actual office space in your home or are claiming a desk in corner of your bedroom, you can still create a designated work area for yourself.

Here are a few more of our favorite ideas for establishing your designated home office:

Use bold color to differentiate your workspace from your living space.

2. If you’re short on space, find a corner, nook, or closet for your desk. Even putting a small desk or table behind your couch can be an elegant solution.

Photo Credit: Anissa Zajac, House Seven Design + Build

Photo Credit: Chris Warnes for Homes to Love

3. Shelving is a functional and effective way to divide and define your space.

We are currently working on online interior design home office projects in Pacific Heights and Laurel Heights in San Francisco, CA, have just started the pre-planning stages of tech startup office in Petaluma, CA. A little closer to home, we are having a custom desk made for my bedroom in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico so that I can stop working at the dining room table.

The struggle is real, but we are here to help. I have worked from home since 2008, and our team works remotely in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Portland, San Diego, Texas, and Alabama. All from home with the exception of the physical workrooms where we fabricate custom upholstered furniture and window treatments.

We know from experience what works when designing a home office solution. If you are new to the change, we are more than happy to offer suggestions for morning routines, workflow, and weekly time management to set you up for success and hopefully a little less stress. While we can’t help you with your childcare, we can set you up with a beautiful home office door hardware to lock them out of your space. That goes for husbands and partners too.

We are thinking of you, WFH moms, and dads. We know you are doing your best to work miracles in the current situation. Know that people are taking notice, want to help in the ways we can, and applauding you at the same time.

Stay safe. Stay sane. We are all in this together.