A home office should not intrude into the family life but instead should fit seamlessly into the décor.
This is the view of California-based decorator Jeffrey Alan Marks, who believes in what he as dubbed “the accidental home office”.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Marks explained that the area should be a “pretty space” rather than somewhere that obviously jumps out as a working area.
However, it is also important to keep the office away from areas of the home that are not conducive to productivity. Loud family spaces where children play, for example, would ideally not be located adjacent to the office space. But neither would peaceful sleeping areas, which should be separate where possible to allow the worker to switch off.
When it comes to decorating the home office, Mr Marks believes that the space needs to be “soothing and calming, not overwhelming”. This is especially important for people in creative jobs who often use their home working area as a space away from a busy office where there is time and space to think clearly.
What works for each individual will obviously differ but making sure you put some effort into your home office and keep it free from distractions is likely to help most homeworkers. 
