Home Office trends on their way out

While some office spaces are becoming even more practical, others are moving away from the ‘all work no play’ and doubling as safe havens where individuals actually enjoy spending time. From the simple to the outrageous, here are the home office trends that are on their way out this year.

Visual Overload

One of the biggest changes in home office design is the need for more space and less distractions. This means people are opting to get rid of their office decor such fake plants, clocks, and little knickknacks. These have actually proven to be very distracting and reduce the productivity of employees working from home. Sure, the cutesy knickknacks look nice for a little while, but after a while they’re either in the way, collecting dust, or taking away space when you actually need it. And for this reason, people are moving away from open shelving and opting for cabinets or sideboards which are much more functional, clean, and contain everything in one place without being too overwhelming or taking over your space.

Basic Backgrounds

Having a backdrop for your desk and workspace isn’t just for the Instagram videos. In fact, as working from home continues to be the norm, people are looking for backdrops that are either less distracting or more visually appealing, depending on the person’s personality or goals. People are looking to create more compelling backgrounds with art and interior design as opposed to creating a wall of certificates, awards, and diplomas. While there’s certainly a place for these documents, we’re seeing a trend towards designing them into art walls to add a splash of color and personality to the space. As we move forward and more people enter a hybrid work schedule, fewer video calls will mean that more of the decor and personality of the office will surround the user rather than being displayed for an audience as background.

Oversized Desks

While large, ornate desks used to be a mark of power or authority, people have moved away from that—perhaps more for convenience or for the sake of functionality. Whatever the reason, the big and bulky has been swapped for something more simplified or transitional. While these oversized desks look stunning in the right setting, they simply don’t work for many modern home architecture or design trends. Homeowners are instead turning to desks that make the most sense for their home, personal style, and work needs. As a result, companies are seeing trends shift to floating shelves, shelves that run the length of a room, innovative storage solutions, or stand-up desks. Also standing desks are much in rage. These offer not just convenience but mobility. While you can’t move around the room, per se, you can stretch, sit, stand, and convert your office desk based on your needs—perks that are not obtainable with the traditional desk.

Bulky Cabinets

Along the same vein as the desks, bulky cabinets are also on the way out this year. Not only do they look cumbersome, but they don’t really serve a purpose in our modern-day world. These ginormous, unaesthetic file cabinets are no longer necessary because nowadays, we have all our files on the web. Besides, these eat a lot of space and make home offices less homey.

Corner Closet Desks

During a time where work and home were intimately intertwined, functionality was of utmost importance. As such, desks and offices were squeezed into any space they would fit. However, as work from home is here to stay, these offices are shifting to follow suit. Corner offices don’t make sense anymore, and neither do the ‘cloffice’ trends.

The cloffice is the closet that is converted into a small office—the inside is refitted into a desk and shelves and stays closed outside of the workday. It was a great stop-gap for people who found themselves working from home with limited space available to them, but so many of those people are upgraded their homes to accommodate dedicated home office space that we will see less of these moving forward.