Due to the nature of free and flexible work, freelancers have many opportunities to choose their workplace. For the most convenience and comfort, many of you will be interested in setting up an “ideal” workplace right at home and have difficulty because you do not know where to start. Therefore, let’s explore with Epione everything related to setting up your own “world” in this article.
Steps you need to prepare before setup
1. Choose the right space
When you think about choosing the right space, there are many factors that make you wonder as well as things you have never thought of. Therefore, I will list some factors for you to refer to when choosing your own space:
- Purpose: Do you plan to integrate work and entertainment needs? Do you “share” your work corner with anyone else, such as a lover, husband or wife, siblings? This will affect the choice of table size, number of chairs, as well as the area of the setup corner.
- Size: What size do you want? Will your workspace be in a large or small room? Will it be in a corner of the room or in a separate room?
- Location: Is the setup corner near a window? If you place your desk near a window, you may want to consider unwanted situations such as rain, insects, dust, heat, or backlighting that can cause glare while working. If you use a monitor arm, you should consider placing the computer too close to the wall, which can hinder installation.
- Lighting: There are two types of lighting that you need to consider, ambient lighting and accent lighting. For ambient lighting, natural light is the best, otherwise you can use artificial lighting from LEDs and should choose yellow light. Yellow light will make the working area warmer and reduce the amount of blue light from the computer screen. As for accent lighting, the adjustable ScreenBar may be the right choice for you.
- Convenience: Is your work area close to power outlets, easy access to wifi, and easy access to other areas of the home?
- Feng Shui: If you believe in Feng Shui, you definitely cannot ignore researching the direction of work according to Feng Shui.
2. Equip what is needed
Your designer’s needs will be different from your content writer’s, so you need to identify your personal needs. Then, make a list of the items you need, are certain to buy, or will buy later. Do they already exist or do they need to be purchased? Are they new or secondhand from friends and social media groups?
If you have a need for testing website interfaces, programming or design, you should pay attention to computer configuration, screen resolution and size, number of screens,... If you are someone who often sits for long periods of time, you may need ergonomic devices.
Essential Equipment at a Reasonable Budget for You
1. Tables and chairs
Suggestions for table and chair setup.
For tables and chairs, you should determine your needs, make a list or sketch out elements such as:
- What devices and accessories will be on your desk? (computer, monitor, lamp, keyboard, mouse, notepad, notebook, pen, candle, plant pot,...). From here, you will know your desired load.
- Do you prefer a larger desk or just enough for your needs? (The extra space can make your workspace look brighter and tidier.)
- How long will you use your tables and chairs? The material is also a factor worth considering in terms of sustainability. Natural wood will be more durable but will cost more and take longer to complete than engineered wood.
- Bright colors (white, pale yellow) or warm colors (brown, black) will be your taste?
- Do you often sit for hours at a time at work? Are you concerned about your health? If so, you may want to learn more about ergonomic desks and chairs.
2. Screen
Depending on your needs and budget, you will choose between a PC, a single laptop, a laptop connected to one or more separate monitors. For example, for most of us, office workers or students, two monitors are probably enough for daily work. But if you are a developer who needs to test website interfaces, then multi-monitor setup is something you will be interested in!
Example of multi-monitor setup.
3. Mouse, keyboard
Keyboards and mice are equally important. Using the wrong keyboard and mouse can cause pain in your wrists. So, you can also refer to keyboards and mice that support ergonomics! Currently on the market, there are models with extremely unique and eye-catching designs that are not inferior to conventional keyboards and mice. Some outstanding products include the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB keyboard, Keychron Q8 keyboard, Logitech Lift Vertical mouse, etc.
Ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
Accessory
Besides the necessary equipment, accessories are indispensable to make the working corner more "attractive". I will suggest some popular accessories for setup:
- Wire tray: Helps protect, support and make wires and cables look neater.
- Display shelf: Subtly optimize space and organize everything easily.
- Monitor lift: Flexible vertical and horizontal rotation, adjustable distance and stability help save space effectively, help you become "hitech" with long-term health benefits.
- Monitor hanging light: With light weight and the ability to distribute light evenly, unlike conventional desk lamps that only come from one side, monitor hanging lights also support space optimization, prevent blue light and flickering light, helping to completely protect the eyes.
- Other accessories: Photo frames, note boards, small plant pots, bookshelves, candles, models, speakers, mini trash cans,... anything that interests you and is compact deserves to be in this "knowledge garden".
Diverse study corner design ideas
To help you visualize popular design ideas, I'll give you some typical examples of different styles such as minimalist style, Nordic style,... right below.
1. Minimalism style
Minimalism prioritizes function and purpose, eliminating unnecessary decorative details. Neutral tones including white, black, gray, dark brown, and wood often represent this style.
Minimalist style setup corner.
2. Modern style
Modern style emphasizes aesthetics and functionality with the criteria of sustainability - convenience - beauty. This style is associated with sleek and modern designs, bold patterns, neutral color palettes with occasional bright accents.
Modern style setup corner.
3. Scandinavian style
This style is often confused with the minimalist style because both use bright, soft, high-contrast colors. The big difference in design philosophy is that Minimalism emphasizes the concept of "less is more" while Scandinavian focuses on creating warm spaces that are both convenient and aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the Nordic style often focuses on natural materials such as wood, hemp, rattan, woven baskets, etc. instead of leather, stainless steel and chrome like the minimalist style.
Nordic style setup corner.
4. Vintage style
The classic style gives you a familiar feeling with soft tones, bringing a rustic, comfortable and peaceful space. Therefore, this style is currently very popular with setup addicts.
Classic style setup corner.
5. Tropical style
The fresh green of tropical forests, the blue of the sky and the sea have created the characteristics of tropical style. This style uses a lot of green plants (usually large pots with wide and long leaves) for decoration and paintings reminiscent of golden sand beaches, blue seas, and tropical winds of the coast. All blend together to bring you relaxation, peace and above all, closeness to nature.
Tropical style setup corner.
Some tips and notes
1. Keep your workspace well lit
Whether you are a designer, content writer or developer, keeping your workspace well-lit is crucial when setting up. Depending on your working hours and personal preferences, you can easily choose between natural or artificial light sources. If you prefer natural light, you may need to pay more attention to the direction of the light to avoid too much sun, heat and glare while working. At this time, a thin curtain can be useful for you.
2. Keep essentials within reach
Imagine if you needed a pen, a notebook, or a glass of water right away, but they were out of reach and disrupted your concentration. So, put the things you need within reach so you can quickly get back into the flow. If not, you might want to consider buying a larger desk to accommodate them.
3. Make room to move
Working doesn’t always mean sitting in one place, you’ll need to stand up, stretch, and walk around from time to time. Therefore, it’s important to keep your workspace clear so you can move around comfortably.
4. Invest in ergonomic equipment
Back pain, neck pain, and wrist pain must have become a nightmare for developers or designers - people who have to sit for hours. The pain not only disrupts your ability to concentrate but also affects your health in the long term. Ergonomics was born to overcome the situation that you and many others are facing. Moreover, setting up everything ergonomically also makes you look "cooler".
5. Make use of existing items
Besides buying new, using existing items will help you save a lot of money. On the other hand, recycling old items is also a solution to protect the environment. You can create bookshelves or flower pots from old cardboard, glass jars can be recycled into pen holders and clothes hangers will be used to hang pictures,...
Epione has just given you some initial ideas for setting up your own “world”. I hope the preparation steps, ideas and tips I have just mentioned will help you make the difficult decision when decorating your dream workspace. When you have a good workplace, you will find that working is also a joy.
