How to Turn a Garden Room into a Home Office

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is finally in sight, but for some of us, working from home is the new normal. With that in mind, you might be thinking about creating a permanent workspace in your home.

Now that spring is on the way, why not consider working in a garden room home office? Working in your garden has a number of mental health benefits, it will boost your productivity and it will help you separate your work and home life more successfully. If this sounds like something you’re keen to explore – just keep reading.

I don’t have a garden room, what should I look for?
If you don’t already have a garden room to work with, then you have the luxury of choosing one that fits your needs exactly. You should start by shopping around, have a look at the different types of garden rooms on the market to get an idea of the styles and models you like. Here are a few things you should consider when browsing:

• How big does the garden room need to be?
• Will your garden room be attached to your home or stand-alone?
• What material do you want the walls to be made of, glass or aluminum?
• Do you want blinds to shade you from the sun?
• Will you need a garden room heater so you can use the space all year round?

There are a lot of different things to take into consideration, but luckily, companies like SunSpaces allow you create bespoke garden rooms. Having full control over the design of your garden room will help you create your dream home office.

Standard garden rooms can lack desirable features like fitted blinds and heaters that can turn a temporary garden office into a more permanent feature of your home. That’s why it’s nice to have flexibility when you’re choosing the right garden room for you.

If you’re not sure which garden room would work best as a home office, speak to an experience home/garden designer. They will be able to offer you plenty of advice so you can get your home office project underway.

I already have a garden room, how do I turn it into an office?
Lots of people have garden rooms but don’t necessarily make the most of them. In fact, a lot of homeowners look at their garden rooms as extra storage space rather than a room with a purpose. Don’t worry, it’s easy to remedy this and create a functional workspace, just follow these steps.

Clear out your garden room
First things first, you’ll need to remove all the clutter from your garden room so it’s completely empty. Starting with a blank canvas will allow you to create a clean, fuss-free office space. Having too many unnecessary ‘things’ around you can make it very difficult to focus on the task at hand. So, take your time and find new homes for the things inside your garden room.

Creating your garden office
When it comes to turning your garden room into an office, the way that you lay it out can have a huge impact on your productivity. As such, we’d recommend following these pointers to make sure that your workspace is both comfortable and functional.

1. Make sure your deck is not facing directly into the garden, you might get distracted by the wildlife and the sun is more likely to get in your eyes.

2. Choose furniture that allows you to walk around the garden room comfortably without squeezing around or climbing over things.

3. Allow space for cabinets/drawers so you can store all the things you need. For example, folders, paperwork, pens, paper etc.

4. Make sure you have privacy in your garden room for Zoom calls and meetings. You don’t want to be disturbed during working hours.

So there you have it, our tips to help you turn a garden room into a home office. Whether you already have a garden room or not, you will find there are lots of benefits of working outdoors. This is something we’d recommend you consider if you’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future.