10 Designer-Approved Home Offices to Inspire Your Own

Anjie Cho August 28, 2019

featured on Martha Stewart by Caroline Biggs

Whether we like it or not, most of us have to work from home at some point. That's why creating a home office space you actually want to spend time in is so important. "Designing a home office can be challenging because the purpose of the space is for working rather than 'living,'" says Anjie Cho, interior architect and author of Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home.

The first step in creating a home office where you'll actually get work done, is finding the space to put one. "I've found that a lot of people can't find the physical space for a proper home office, so they have to carve out what they can in another room," Cho says. "If this is the case, I suggest using a fabric drape, roller shade, or freestanding screen or shelf to visually separate your workspace from the rest of the room."

When it comes to furnishing your home office, Cho says to start with the essentials. "A desk or work table is the most important furniture item in a home office," she explains, "so take care to properly measure the office area to make sure you have enough room for the one you want."

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Finding the Right Place for a Home Office

Anjie Cho August 21, 2019

featured in New York Times by Ronda Kaysen

When working from home, where you work is often an afterthought. But it shouldn’t be.

Earlier this year, I faced a conundrum that many of us who work from home know well: Where in the house can I actually work?

Unless you’re blessed with a home large enough for a dedicated office, or are a truly nomadic worker and able to set up shop on a sofa with nothing more than a cup of tea and your laptop, you’re inevitably going to have to carve out space in a room that isn’t naturally intended for work.

Any spot you choose has the potential to diminish what you had before. Set up camp in your bedroom, and you’re left staring down your desk when you’re trying to get to sleep, all those unanswered emails calling to you as you lie awake at 4 a.m. Move to the kitchen or dining room, and snack time becomes an endless loop. (Why work when you could sample that fresh salsa from the farmers market?) Steal a corner of the living room, and suddenly your prime social area feels like some weird break room outside an office cubicle.

These were my options when I relinquished my airy bedroom office to my son when he outgrew the room he had long shared with his sister. I knew this day would come, and yet, when it did, I still didn’t have a good answer for where to go.

So I went to the place where all objects with no obvious home inevitably end up: the basement.

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Dive deeper into feng shui to transform your life!

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com

5 Ways to Make Over Your Desk So It Inspires Creativity

Anjie Cho July 31, 2019

featured on MindBodyGreen by Emma Loewe

Your outer landscape has a direct impact on your inner one, whether you realize it or not. When it comes to decorating your home or office, there's real power in designing a space that speaks to your goals and intentions.

Plant-based athlete, author, and mbg Collective member Rich Rollsaid it best in a recent Instagram post about his at-home office scene: a converted shipping container filled with books, notepads, a skateboard, and other trinkets he finds inspiring. "The more fertile the space, the more fertile the mind," its caption reads. "Put intention into your personal space. Create the environment to create."

While research has found that some things are beneficial for nearly every work environment (adding a plant to your desk can increase productivity by 15%; sitting near a window while you work can improve sleep and boost energy levels), it's largely personal. So for inspiration, we asked some of the creative, design-oriented people in our world about how they invite productivity and inspiration into their workspaces. Here are some of their favorite strategies you can emulate in your office or home:

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