How to Create an Eco Friendly Home Office

What does one of the best-known architects in the world say?

According to Lord Norman Foster, “Young people will choose office buildings based on facilities and lifestyle but also on their sustainability credentials. Future generations will be much more demanding and much more questioning in terms of what a potential employer will be doing to tackle climate change. So I think we will see a shift where creating a good quality working environment which is more responsible in terms of sustainability becomes good for business as well as for the environment.

Create a state of flow

So why, when we look to recreate our home office, why are we recreating outdated design concepts based solely on the importance of desk heights and task chairs. Should we not look forward and use this time to create a space where we can reach the optimal ‘state of flow’ in a more natural and sustainable environment.

What are the advantages of an eco friendly home office design?

According to Oliver Heath of Oliver Heath Design, there are two sides to eco-friendly design. On the one hand is the carbon-centred side which is focused on reducing the negative impact on the natural world, while on the other side is the human-centred side which is concerned with creating a space that improves both mental and physical well-being.

While Sally Coulthard states in her beautifully illustrated book ‘Biophilia: You+ Nature+ Home, “Studies have shown that having a connection with nature can improve memory and concentration, significantly reduce stress levels while also calming the mind, boosting focus and creativity including problem solving and cognitive function“.

By all means ensure the desk and task chair you choose supports your body as best they can if this is the best set up for your daily tasks, but look beyond these elements once they have been chosen. Incorporate natural finishes and materials into the space, use soft curves and natural textures. Integrate natural daylight and airflow.

Let natures pallet of colours be your guide and finish off with greenery of some sort, no fake!. Look to our Definitive Guide to Sustainable Interior Design for tips on finishes and fixtures to consider, that brings both style and sustainability in line with budget and time frame.

So we decided to create the optimal home office on Dartmoor!

The photographs in this post are the result of a photoshoot we created along with Lucas our photographer from JLM productions in the stunning location of Dartmoor National Park, recreating the optimal ‘Home Office’ environment as a benchmark and inspirational goal for home office design.

We flipped the thinking on its head and designed from the outside looking in. Our aim was to create a scene using sustainable and second-hand furniture, so we approached a number of companies to collaborate with us and lend us some pieces we felt would work together in both a practical and visual way. Without their generosity, this shoot would not have been possible.

We need to extend a big THANK YOU to Crea-Re for the beautiful paper Mache pendant light, to LifeStyle Garden for their Dura Ocean chair made from marine plastic waste, to Konk Furniture and  Lomas Furniture for the very generous offer of your beautiful crafter desks and to Nkuku for the chair which sadly for a range of reasons from lockdown to timing we could not utilise. And finally, for the time, patience and skill of Earthcoat for the beautifully crafted Venetian Plaster backdrop.

We are not suggesting you carry your desks out to the fields and beaches to emulate this look, but instead to use it as a visual inspirational guide to help you to create your home office space with fresh eyes. We all have the chance to create a new office vision in our homes just as it is being reconfigured within the commercial sector, so let’s take this on board and drive the change.

If you are looking for help setting up your ideal home office environment please do not hesitate to contact Yellow Brick Road Design and together we can create the perfect office environment that is not only the envy of the Zoom call meeting but also helps you feel good and work better.

(Please don’t all park your desks on Dartmoor!!)

You can also read more about Lord Norman Fosters views in this great article What will the office look like in 10 years time?