In 2020 we saw our home office go from the casual corner we used occasionally to pay some bills to an essential part of our home. No longer about quick tasks and just looking pretty, the home office needs to be a functional and pleasant place to spend many hours a day. It needs good lighting, a comfortable chair, office storage, and yes…an attractive Zoom background.
We’ve pulled together five ways to zoom your home office into 2021:
1. Plenty of Plants.
The plant trend, which has been growing (pun intended!) for some years now, continues in 2021. Not only do plants add life and clean the air but having greenery around has also shown to improve your mood. Try using a funky pot or planter, or try your hand at another growing trend, macrame, and make yourself a fun hanging planter.
2. Task lighting and task seating.
There are two things you will have long after you quit your day job…. your eyesight and your posture. Lighting plays a big part in productivity, so be sure to have plenty of natural light coming in and use lamps, and other lighting to add ambiance and specific task lighting to the room. Think about your posture too and ensure your chair is comfortable for all day work. Make sure you have a proper desk chair to sit comfortably and ergonomically. If you have the room, consider adding another chair to your office set up like a wing chair or comfortable lounge chair (with appropriate lighting) to do reading or other non computer tasks away from your desk.
3. Use colours to drive your mood.
What do you need to focus throughout the day? A bold colour to energize you or a calm colour to help you create in peace? Whether it is a warm and comforting colour you seek or a bright POP of something rich and decadent, the colour trends for 2021 have your office covered. Since most home offices are smaller space, this is the perfect place to try out new bold colour combinations and try out the maximalist trend we’ve been seeing for a while.
4. Professional but personal Zoom backgrounds.
Not going anywhere for 2021 is our love of art and we only see this trend growing as we seek out ways to support local artists and makers. Home offices in 2021 are getting big bold updates to their Zoom backgrounds. We’re seeing large scale abstract paintings and massive murals making a grand entrance to ‘virtually’ all meetings in 2021. As we each look for ways to express ourselves and add some personality to our relentless stream of video conferences, the importance of the professional yet personal Zoom background will only continue to grow.
5. Clean and clutter free.
A happy mind is an organized mind, and a happy office space is too. Thanks to holiday binge watching of The Home Edit, we’re seeing colour coded office organization taking top priority for 2021 (now that we’ve already done the kitchen). Ensuring your desk has file drawers, making a place for your printer, and having all your chargers in spot are just some of the things you can do to make sure your workspace is clean and ready to tackle 2021 head on.
What home office trend will you be tackling in 2021?