Not so long ago home, offices were rare and usually the sole preserve of the self-employed. Yet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are working from home out of necessity. As a consequence, there is an abundance of spare rooms across the world being turned into offices.
Walls everywhere are receiving a fresh lick of paint, desks are being slowly assembled, and carpets are being laid as our homes double up as our workplace. Turning any part of your home into an office is a big transformation. The home is where we relax, unwind with our nearest and dearest, and leave the cares and concerns of the wider world at the doorstep. It is not traditionally a place where we need to focus, concentrate, and be productive. But times have changed, and we are changing with them as more and more of us are working from home.
Here are a few tips to remember when picking the perfect carpet for your home office.
It’s Professional, Not Personal!
When you’re at work, you need to be focused on the task at hand and as productive as possible. As such, your home office needs to provide a calm, peaceful, ambient, and stress-free environment for you to work in. It also needs to register in your mind as a place of work and not a place to binge on Netflix.
So, a carpet in your home office should be aesthetically pleasing but not too eye-catching. Swirls, twirls, and patterns you could lose your mind in are definitely a no go! You need a carpet that doesn’t distract but provides just the right ambience for the mind to concentrate. The carpet installed in other areas of your home is not usually suitable for the home office, especially if you like your decor to have a funky flavour.
Keep It Neutral
Neutral colours, such as beige or ‘greige,’ are not only great for invoking a clean and creative atmosphere, but they can also help make the smallest of rooms look spacious and elegant. Which, let’s be honest, is a definite plus for all those Zoom meetings. A lot of people are concerned that neutral colour carpets will make their home office appear too spartan or sterile. This is easily compensated for by adding some bright curtains, cushions, or paintings. Get creative. But remember, it’s an office, not a theme park.
Comfort Is Key
Ideally, you want any office to be distraction-free and devoid of clutter. As we mentioned previously, a home office isn’t a chilling room. But that doesn’t mean to say it can’t be comfortable. And your comfort begins with the right carpet. A thick pile carpet is ideal for those stressful days where you need to go without shoes and sink your feet into something soft and soothing. A word of warning though: if you’re the sort who needs a roller chair to move around, you’re better off opting for a low pile carpet for ease of use. Another tip is to ensure you have placed mats strategically in places where concentrated wear could be an issue.
The Commercial Factor
If you’re expecting high volumes of traffic in your home office, you may want to consider a commercial carpet. As a rule of thumb, a short cut-pile carpet or low-profile level loop style is perfect for a busy office. Cut-pile commercial carpets are usually more expensive compared with the looped styles, but many people feel they offer a more residential and less industrial feel.
Roll Out the Carpet!
A home office is a place you’ll likely be spending a lot of time in. Therefore, it needs to feel like a separate domain to the rest of your home or you’ll soon go stir-crazy. Picking the right carpet is essential for peace and professionalism of mind, so happy browsing and let’s enjoy a magical carpet ride together.