Flexible study space ideas create the ideal dual purpose space for co-working homework and more!

A separate home study or a desk in an underused corner can aid productivity whether it be for a busy day job or your child’s homework.

Read our guide to creating a dual space that can be used for both studying at home and working from home.

How to choose the colour scheme for your study space

When it comes to home office decorating ideas, colour is a crucial component. It needs to fit with both your personality and your work.

1. Neutrals and earthy tones, including shades of taupe and cream, can help instil calmness to your home office or study space. The soothing calmness in turn should then enable you to focus on the tasks at hand. A neutral colour palette can also help amplify the sense of space in smaller rooms.
2. If your job requires creativity, adding a splash of colour could provide an inspirational setting to encourage the flow of ideas. Colours said to boost creativity include blue and yellow, with the latter also providing a mood and energy boost.
3. A vibrant colour scheme or accents of brighter shades of blue and green can encourage productivity. Shades of green also boost positivity and calmness that can flow throughout the home. Trend forecasters WGSN predict the optimistic tone of Apricot Crush will bring an energetic feel to next year’s interiors, encouraging wellness and positivity.

Home office design ideas

Finding the balance between creating a workspace where you can concentrate but still feels like home, rather than the formality of a traditional office, is important when you’re designing your home office.

1. Personalisation – create a space that works for you on a practical and personal level. Add favourite photos of family and friends, perhaps a framed piece of your children’s artwork or a much-loved painting, print or inspirational quote to help keep you motivated
2. Accessorise – as with the rest of your home, curating things you love to look at is important when designing your home office.
3. Plants – the health benefits of having living greenery in your home or office are well documented and that naturally extends to your home office space too. Plants are known to help reduce stress and increase productivity. Succulents are ideal for small spaces and easy to care for, while a peace lily would be better suited for a brighter room.
4. Scents – aromatherapy can help boost productivity and so you may want to select a different fragrance for your home office than other parts of your home. Peppermint is said aid concentration and focus, while rosemary can boost memory and sage can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Creating the perfect working from home set up

Style and functionality are equally important when choosing home office furniture. Some of our larger homes have a dedicated study, but a single bedroom could be an office during the day and a space to sleep at night. Whatever room you’re working from in your home, these are our must-haves:

1. Desk – there are lots of options to consider when looking for a desk for your home office including a height adjustable sit-stand desk, split level designs or you may wish to add a stand to elevate your screen and use a separate keyboard rather than just the one on your laptop.
2. Chair – lumbar support is important for maintaining good posture. Choosing a height adjustable chair is recommended, particularly if you’ll be hot desking with another member of your household.
3. Lighting – position your work space to make the most of the natural light. Add a lamp that can be angled with the option of adjusting the brightness too. 
4. Storage – a tidy desk is a tidy mind. Having somewhere to stow away paperwork means your reports won’t be doodled on by teenagers doing their homework. Whether you opt for shelves or drawers, the right storage will also provide space for stationery supplies. A desk caddy is handy for ensuring you always have a pen to hand, plus you may also want somewhere to keep headphones.

Tips for sharing a home office

If space is at a premium, or you need to share your home office with another member of your family, these tips will help ensure it’s a harmonious arrangement.

1. Agree working hours – flexible working may mean you don’t have to stick to 9-5. You could take a break at 4pm to allow a teen takeover of your workspace to do their homework and then log back into work after dinner with the family.
2. Do not disturb – make sure the rest of the family knows that while you’re not physically at work, mentally you are and so you shouldn’t be interrupted. This is as important if two of you are using the same room to work in simultaneously as it is for children coming in to chat when they come from school.
3. Have a clear desk policy – just like hot desking in an office environment, make sure you tidy your things away when you’ve finished work so that the next person using the space doesn’t have to move your belongings before starting their own work

Dual purpose space

If having an entire room to work from home isn’t practical in your home, think about how you can combine spaces to maximise the potential:

1. If all you need is somewhere to rest a laptop and access to a socket, then the dining table, kitchen island or peninsular unit could double up as a workspace. This is perhaps better suited for occasional working from home, rather than a permanent solution for full time working.
2. A fold down desk, also known as a secretary desk, is perfect for a small home office and can be folded away at the end of the working day. A quiet corner of a room or space on a galleried landing are well-suited to this work from home set up.
3. A spare room can double as a home office. To make the most of the space, use the dressing table as a desk. A day bed or sofa bed can make it look less like a bedroom for those important video calls, while providing somewhere for overnight guests to sleep.

Working from home tech

Technology is what’s enabled so many more people to work from home in recent years and a new Redrow home is designed for a better way to live, including your work/life balance.

1. Fibre to the property (FTTP) broadband as standard – we understand the importance of good connectivity, it’s why our latest Redrow homes benefit from ultrafast broadband. This should mean no more freezing on video calls and that you’re able to share files with colleagues and contacts easily and back up important information on to shared drives.
2. Switched on – subject to build stage, you’ll be able to choose where to have plug or USB sockets in your new Redrow home based on your needs. Think about how many things you need to power or charge in your office at any one time and how easy the sockets are to reach to plug in a computer or laptop, printer, light and charger for your phone. You can even add additional sockets via My Redrow.
3. Laptop – with a laptop you can embrace flexible working to the full. During the warmer months you could opt to work alfresco or perhaps mix things up and work from a local coffee shop for a change of scenery.
4. Headphones – Despite all good intentions, sometimes there’s just too much noise at home for whatever reason, but with a decent pair of noise cancelling headphones you can zone those sounds out and concentrate on work. Along with aiding concentration, headphones also help keep video calls private and mean that other people in your virtual meeting won’t hear household noises. 

Read more about our team's top tips for the dream home office.