Working from home has gotten too pastiche and boring now. It’s the same old faces, the same old routine, and the same humdrum activity that seems to have become the norm now. What people need right now is a solution that does not force them to go to the office but still allows them the utility to work from or near their home. This is where a solution like an outdoor home office comes in: a solution that uses the humble outdoor backyard shed to bring you to an oasis of productivity, a corner where only you and your computer are allowed. In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at how you can go about creating the perfect outdoorsy home office with a modern shed.

The modern shed is very versatile in the sense that it can give you whatever the user might want in terms of utility. Using it as a storage shed? Yes, any modern shed will do, but its always better to have one that is purpose-built. Home office sheds are available with many retailers and manufacturers, but its always better to infuse a little personality in your office shed. After all, it’s the place where you will be spending quite a lot of time by yourself, so, best make it worthy. 

Lets take a look at the basics that you need to know when crafting an outdoor home office with a modern shed. 

Creating the Perfect Outdoor Home Office

First things first: the elements will make all the difference. Let’s start with a few and work our way to the final touches. 

Setting up the Workstation

When you have your shed and your idea for an outdoor home office, the first thing to start with is the center of the office, which will be the workstation. Since this is where you will be spending all of the time while in your office, you will need to start from there, utility should be the keyword here, and avoiding excesses should be your goal. Start by introducing a table that is spacious enough not just for your laptop but can also comfortably organize your accessories, documents and other items. Since the table will be the centerpiece, try to think of the workstation as the central point from which all other aspects of the outdoor home office originate. This will help you build around the table. 

Electrical Connections

While a simple storage shed has the bare minimum in electrical connections, just one for a bulb, your outdoor home office definitely needs more than just one. You can always start by estimating the devices you will have with you during a day in the office shed: your laptop, your phone, maybe your wireless headphones, and maybe a tablet PC. Consider charging them all in the shed and you will get an idea of how many outlets you will need. While many people decide to just wing it and use an extension cord, you will run into problems when scaling up later. So, its advisable to keep scaling up in mind when doing so and opting to go for extra electrical connections, just for a rainy day. 

Plan Out The Interior

By interior, we not only mean the layout of the outdoor home office but the décor as well. The layout will obviously help you navigate around the shed better and will keep things organized within the office. The décor is a pro tip: many remote professionals sit through online meetings while an unwieldy bookshelf or something rather personal sits behind them, unbeknownst to them. The purpose of having a modern shed double as your outdoor home office is to create an environment that mimics that of a professional space, and you can always go for the safe décor that looks professional: stripes of paint, maybe a motivational poster or a plant pot in the background for those Zoom or Google Meet sessions. Or introduce a little playfulness and follow a theme for the interior: we’d recommend switching out Star Wars for a generic sci-fi theme. 

Make Room For Your ‘Me-Time’

While in the outdoor home office, you will obviously not be spending all your time working. All of us need a quick breather, a quick refresher or something to take the mind off work. Well, instead of going back into the house, why not integrate a small nook or corner for your me-time? Many people go for a chessboard in the corner of their shed that keeps them occupied. On the other hand, you could have your own little gaming station in the corner of the home office, maybe with a Nintendo Switch or a console just waiting to be picked up. Whatever your form of recreation, be sure to include it within the outdoor home office. 

Snack Cabinet/ Mini-Fridge

You’d think that’s the first thing that many people would have in their workshacks, but unfortunately, for remote professionals, sometimes, work plays too big of a role. So, in the same vein as carving out a little room for me-time, you should also consider a mini-fridge or a snack cabinet that has something refreshing for you. Non-alcoholic drinks (because even if you’re working from home, you’re still working), crackers, crisps, and other high-energy snacks that can give you the boost needed to get through the day are all necessary. The goal of the outdoor home office is to provide you with an office-like environment within a small, enclosed space in your backyard so you may not have to go back into the house for trivial things. And having a snack cabinet always helps when you take that Netflix break during work. 

Don’t Stuff Your Outdoor Home Office!

One of the last but best tips that you can have for your shed office is this: don’t stuff it! The conventional office boasted large spaces that left plenty of room to walk or take a leisurely stroll when not working. The problem with a shed office is the compulsion many people have to absolutely stuff theirs with stuff; things that they won’t probably need or use during their work session. This not only robs you of precious space but will also impact the ambience of the shed office negatively, causing you to lose interest in the shed office. Therefore, find a balance and make sure that despite all that you might need with you in the shed, you still have plenty of space to walk around. 

Urban Reno Design: Excellence in Commercial Contracting!

Urban Reno Design is a team of expert contractors and bonafide project managers here to show you how its done! With considerable experience under our belts and access to state-of-the-art technology, if you want your dreams and vision to turn into reality in the best possible way, be it through a new construction from scratch or a renovation, we are your ticket to a job exceedingly well done. We take pride in delivering the best results regardless of your budget or other constraints; at Urban Reno Design, we bring ideas and dreams to life.