Bobby Berk Shares The Secret To A Perfectly Organized Home Office

Interior designer, TV host, and author Bobby Berk is no stranger to the world of home office design, and frankly, by this point, neither are we. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees have transitioned into a work-from-home or hybrid work situation, thus finding themselves with the seemingly impossible task of establishing a productive home office. For an expert like Berk, however, the secret to a perfectly organized home office involves a number of specific features that prioritize organization, comfort, and style.

We all dream of curating a home office that we'll want to work in, something Berk thought about while writing his book "Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind." In the book, Berk writes, "Function and form are building blocks of good home design." He emphasizes the importance of functionality around the house to create efficiency, and he puts particular emphasis on his tactics for curating the ideal home office. Indeed, by focusing on functionality as the key to your dream office, you'll soon become a pro at working from home. 

First and foremost, it's time to get organized. That means finding space for notebooks, papers, and files to be stored (without losing track of where they are). According to Berk, a built-in shelf or small cabinet can help you store away papers and folders that are taking up desk space. Ultimately, your desk should be cleared for your current work. As he advised in an interview with Real Simple, "Make it extremely easy to get focused and get down to work by having an organized workspace, all the items you need at arm's length and any distracting items stored out of sight."

Another way to stay organized is by creating a separation between your home and work life. Since working from home has its own stressors, the last thing you want is to blur the lines between your personal and professional life. Instead, use physical separators between you and your office, even if that's just a room divider or a door. Regardless of your habits, maintaining a clean workspace is the best way to stay organized and on top of assignments. Once your home office feels like a place to get work done, you're ready to spice it up with additional features.

The color of our office can do wonders for our productivity. Warm tones, which include neutrals, peaches, and coral shades, are great for boosting focus and productivity. As Bobby Berk says, "When it comes to color, you can add warm tones to energize and invigorate that will also make you feel cozy." It's also worth adding features that bring about positive feelings, such as artwork, framed pictures, and a few cozy chairs. This aligns with the views of not just Berk, but also interior designer Nicole Gibbons, who says, "A soft pink or even a punchier hue can provide an inspiring atmosphere for a home office setting." 

Comfort isn't just a luxury: it's a big part of functionality and efficiency, since that comfort is the very staple of a productive office space. With that in mind, when it comes to comfort, having a cozy yet reliable desk chair is one way to do it. Ugijei's Modern Vanity Chair, for example, is the perfect balance between comfortable and stylish, with a cushioned seat and backrest that's covered by a velvet fabric. You may also opt for a bigger desk to make room for any notebooks, files, or other accessories to ensure there's enough room for it all. 

Here's the important takeaway: if you're working from home, creating a home office where you can work effectively, and feel comfortable in, is entirely worth it.