Dining spaces have long been transitional areas in our homes, a place we go to drop mail, work on homework with kids, eat dinner, pay bills or work on crafts. During Covid 19, our dining spaces may need to take on new roles, serving as a home office for individuals who now work exclusively from home.
To effectively transition your dining space from a dinner table and chairs to a productive home office space, you’ll need to make a few small changes to your area to help you move seamlessly from your 9-5 life to your family dinner time.
To start, your dining room table will now become your desk, and your chairs are your seating. If you find that your dining chairs are not ergonomically designed or bother your neck and back, it may be worth investing in one new chair that you can sit comfortably in, as well as a neck or lumbar support pillow.
Good lighting is crucial when working on a computer all day. If your dining space is on the dim side, invest in a good floor lamp, or try simply switching out your bulbs for a higher wattage. If you’ve always wanted to upgrade your lamps, now is the time. You can shop sales online, or hit up a thrift store for something that suits your space.
During your work day, don’t be afraid to sprawl out and set up your space comfortably. If you need a full sized monitor to work comfortably, bring it to the table and put it to work. You’ll need storage and organizational design to help you work efficiently, all week long. Invest in rolling file cabinets or a small bookshelf with bins and racks for easy filing on the go. At the end of the day, you’ll want to be able to organize your paperwork and clock out, and a solid storage system will help you do this with ease. Tabletop organizers can be awesome for use during the day, especially if they can quickly be placed on shelves and stored away when the clock strikes 5 pm.
Now that you have the important details sorted, the fun part is choosing decor items that inspire you as you work. If you need to switch out artwork, bring in a floor plant or two or just remove clunky furnishings that are crowding your space, now is the time. A new aesthetic will help pave the way for a productive work week and a more comfortable and relaxed dining experience, as time goes on.