Home office renovations have become more popular than ever before thanks to the internet changing the way we work. More and more people are now able to work from home, part or full-time, and creating a dedicated office area in the home is the best way to ensure that you work productively in your living space.

Separating your office space from your living space has many advantages. As well as keeping your home free from work-related clutter, storing all of your papers and files in a dedicated home office area will help keep them safe and tidy too. With a home office set up, you’ll be able to focus better on your work, increasing productivity, and being able to retire to your living space with your work clutter safely out of view will help you to relax better after your working day is done. A dedicated home office space is also essential to presenting a professional appearance to clients and colleagues.

So how do you go about creating a professional-looking office space within your home? This will depend on how much space you have to work with. You may be lucky enough to have a spare room that you can dedicate to your work, like a spare bedroom, shed or even a garage.

If you have a larger space to work with, then to help you get the balance of office furniture right it helps to draw out a room plan. This way you can draw a line down the centre of your plan, ensuring that you split the furniture evenly on both sides of the divide. Having all of your furniture and storage in one cramped area of the room will make the room look smaller, and it will begin to look cluttered far more quickly.

Whatever space you have, try to use it creatively. A cupboard may not look very big, but with some creative storage ideas you’ll be surprised just how much you can fit in to your new home office. Shelving is the easiest way to create extra storage without taking up valuable floor space, as are desks that feature under-desk storage for PC’s and computer equipment. You can buy a fantastic office desk fairly cheaply if you look online at ryman.co.uk.

If you’re creating a home office area within your living space, such as in your kitchen or living room, then try to section off your work area with your existing furniture or with a decorative screen. This will help to block out distractions, allowing you to concentrate on your work more effectively. It will also help to keep your work and leisure spaces separate – out of sight out of mind – and you’ll be able to relax better without your laptop or files in eyeshot.