18 Apr Working from home? Creating a beautiful eco-friendly workspace

If, like many others, you’re currently working from home due to the coronavirus lockdown, you’re probably ‘making do’. You’ve probably had days sat scrunched on the sofa, balancing the laptop as best as you can. Perhaps you’ve sat in your home office for longer than ever, and realised it’s not quite the beautiful eco-friendly home office you’d like? Maybe your back has started niggling and you’ve pinched your child’s exercise book for some paper?

It looks like we’re all going to be working from home for quite some time yet. There’s no need to ‘make do’ any longer. With a little thought, creativity and inspiration, you can create a remarkable eco workspace that makes you desperate to hop to it in the morning. As a space you could be spending a lot of time in, it’s worth investing a little time and effort to create a beautiful sustainable home office!

So, how do you create a planet-friendly workspace?

Creating an eco-workspace: get the basics right

Even if you’ve worked from home before, you’ve probably never really thought about your home work environment in the same way as your office space. 

However, it’s worth putting some thought into creating a comfortable workspace that also ticks the boxes for your values too.

The best place to start is with considering the space you’ve got available. You need to make best use of what you’ve got, even if it’s just a cubby area under the stairs. Say goodbye to curling up on the sofa with the laptop, and instead put a desk and chair together that are designed for extended periods. Your back and comfort levels will thank you. 

For the extra feel good factor, perhaps choose eco home office furniture which is made using sustainably sourced materials. It’s hard to get comfort right when ordering online, but read product descriptions carefully, and try to find reviews, especially for the bigger purchases.

Natural light is really important to our wellbeing, particularly at work. So if possible, position your desk and chair in a spot flooded with natural light. You’ll feel more invigorated and energised for work.

Lastly, bring the outdoors in. Plants are proven to help reduce workplace stress, so why not surround your workspace with some greenery? If you’re tight for space, then make use of these beautiful crochet plant hangers. Made with 100% recycled cotton, and available in a range of colours, they definitely fit the green bill!

Get the details spot on

Once you’ve created an eco-conscious home office with an ergonomically suitable desk and chair, as well as plenty of natural light and plants, it’s time to think about the details.

One of the biggest problems for homeworkers is that they are suddenly not moving so much anymore. You’re no longer feeding your step counter walking around the office and nipping out at lunchtime. Yet movement is vital for your wellbeing and your productivity. Having created a beautiful space, you also need to encourage yourself to move around in it!

A great solution is to have another sitting area where you can move to. Perhaps this could be where you break-out to brainstorm an issue, or to hand-write some notes? We love this wine crate ottoman, using a restored French wine crate. Pair it with this stylish geometric cushion cover, made from linen, and you’ll find yourself jumping up and down, back and forth to your desk all day. You can be sure that you’ll also be the envy of your colleagues when they spot it in the background of your video calls!

It’s also worthwhile to go out for your daily exercise, a walk, run or cycle, in the middle of your working day. This way you’ll break up some of the monotony of working from home.

Feeling good with eco-friendly stationery

Lastly, your home office won’t be complete until you have kitted it out with some divine sustainable stationery. Who says you can’t have the good stuff for fear of someone in the office pinching it?! You can now!

Treat yourself to these stunning Kreis desk tidies. Made in London using sustainably-sourced wood, they are absolutely perfect for a plastic-free home office. You’ll always be able to find your pen, the stapler and those pesky USB sticks that tend to go walk-about.

Then it’s time to think about your paper products. We have a whole section of our site devoted to eco-friendly stationery for you to choose from. But for those of you kitting out your home office for the lockdown, we really recommend a few items in particular.

Lockdown is making it really hard to focus on wellbeing and growth. With the monthly goals notepad and the Vital this week planner, you’ll be back to thriving and focusing on your dreams and objectives, both around work and home life. Using vegetable inks, they certainly match the objective of creating an environmentally-friendly workspace!

Looking for an inspirational quote to put on your chart to start with that’s suitable for inspiring you in lockdown? What about “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I’ve ended up where I needed to be.” – Douglas Adams

You’ll probably find that working from home leads to you making more lists than ever. The perfect piece of sustainable stationery for the job is the today notepad. Again, printed using eco-friendly vegetable inks, the striking pink design will make sure that it always draws your attention.

Inject your personality into your workspace

Unlike at the office, you no longer have to conform. This is your opportunity to create a home office that reflects you and your personal values and style. Use items that you’ve already got – there’s nothing greener than that. Then choose your additional items for style and ethics. 

You’ll feel incredible in your new home office or work area, and probably want to spend far more than your working hours there! And then, when all this is over, you’ll still have an area of the home that is inspiring, and helps you achieve your own personal goals.