How Home Design Can Help You to be more Productive at Home

With more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, families and individuals continue to spend time at home working or distance learning. As a result, the lines between working or studying and living have become blurred. Our spaces for rest, relaxation and play overlap as we use these for meetings, presentations, and classes. In fact, a 2017 UN study fond that WFH can contribute to greater levels of stress.

That said, home design that is both functional and visually pleasing can play a vital role in boosting creativity. How to be productive at home? We show you how with our easy tips!

Carve out a dedicated space.

No matter how large—or small—your home is, you can find a nook to use for work or study. Look to your living or dining room, a spare room, as well as common areas to identify a space where you can place a work desk. Feel free to get creative! Here are other spots to consider:

• An unused space under the staircase

• Empty storage room

• Unused maid’s quarters if you do not have household help

• Behind a divider, especially if you live in an open-plan studio. You can also use multi-purpose furniture.

Choose furniture that marry form and function.

Choose furniture and decorative pieces that work organically with the style and color palette of your home. For example, if your home has more of a shabby chic aesthetic, a distressed wood desk would fit right in. A modern tropical home calls for a work or study space characterized by organic elements and textures such as rattan and wood done in a warm color palette. If mid-century modern more accurately describes your home, look for furniture pieces that feature the same clean-lined, minimalist, and geometric aesthetic. Lastly, make sure to get a chair that is comfortable. Even if you opt for one of those ergonomic chairs, it is now possible to find one that does not skimp on style like these.

Keep work items organized.

Nothing makes for a home office eyesore than a chaotic work desk in the middle of your pristine living room interiors! By keeping your desk not just organized but aesthetically pleasing, you will be more motivated and productive while working at home. As for those books and files, get creative with storage solutions by investing in sturdy pieces. As with the tip#1, choose items that complement your home interiors. Here are a few ideas:

• An industrial style shelf. Works best in modern and minimalist interiors.

• A colorful filing cabinet. You can easily find these in a range of bright colors like yellow, pink, green, and blue.

• Ladder bookshelves. These trendy wooden shelves have been a fixture of most furniture stores, making them an easy choice to source.

Need more inspiration? Check out these images from Pinterest.

Above all, strive for balance.

Setting the stage for a space where you can be productive while working from home is the first step.  Ultimately, creating better habits and more importantly, finding time to rest and relax is key to boosting creativity performing better at work and school. In fact, the pandemic has challenged us to rethink what we understand about work-life balance. 

By combining inspired home design with healthy work and study habits, you can be not only productive while working at home but happier too!

Need professional help with sprucing up your work space? Inquire with us at inquiries@jasanchetainteriors.com

Adapting to the New Normal

This covid-19 crisis has changed the way we live and work. Suddenly, all but essential businesses are shut down and everyone else is encouraged to stay at home. In this light, how do we adapt our homes and our businesses to reduce the incidence of covid-19?

Ideally, for both homes and business, we should reduce instances where our hands touch surfaces. What does that entail? Barring economical issues, having a smart space will help in this endeavour.

For Homes:

1. Automatic door openers/ door locks - perhaps can be voice activated for Alexa

2. Install automatic faucets with sensors

3. Put sensor lights or voice activated lights

4. Placing automatic sanitisers at the entry.

5. Invest in an air purifier, whether it is an electric purifier or better yet, take care of indoor plants. More family members will stay at home. For most, maintaining good health is critical. Poor indoor air quality coupled with poor ventilation are health hazards. For businesses, investing in both an air purifier and perhaps some plants will help in sustaining good indoor air quality.

Unfortunately, with technology comes price. So what do we do? You can start retrofitting your space slowly.

Determine the space that you spend the most time in. Start with this area. Of course, if you just don’t have the budget for it, sanitise daily with a bleach-water solution (depending on the surface treated) or a disinfectant spray like Lysol.

For Restaurants:

1. Cashless transactions using bank transfer, Paypal, Gcash, Paymaya or any other online payment facility to help your customers

2. Take Out/ Pick-Up Counter - Have a separate counter where the customer does not need to go in your store (preferably, if possible) to lessen contact.

3. Sanitizing area - Dedicate an area at the entry for sanitising. Have a sanitising mat and hand sanitizers or alcohol at the entry.

4. Organise your delivery system. It is vital now, more than ever, to have a good delivery system for taking orders and delivering them to your customers. Establish safety guidelines for your staff (from the kitchen all the way to delivery) to ensure food sanitation is adhered to.

5. Kitchens - Make sure your chefs follow strict sanitation procedures. Chefs are trained for food safety. If your crew is not aware of this, check out this link from FDA .

6. Dining areas - Until the crisis is over or until further notice, dining in person is not allowed. This pandemic may last for quite some time, so be prepared to amp up your delivery and take out options to ensure business growth.

Plants That Are Safe For Your Pets

I’ve written about toxic plants for your pets, but what plants can now be safely used in your home? Here are a few common plants to both beautify your home and improve indoor air quality.

Plants Toxic To Your Pets

I’ve had several clients who are pet owners. One of the things that concern me is to make sure that indoor plants (or outdoor) used in their homes are safe. After all, pets are our family too. This is a short infographic naming some common plants that are harmful to them. This is by no means a comprehensive list however it includes plenty of plants you might not think are poisonous.