8 Must-Haves for Your Luxury Home Office

A home office should be more than just a place to get work done. It should spark inspiration and help you channel success. It should also be a place where you can focus on your tasks without distraction or temptation. Whether your luxury home office design style is classic, modern or somewhere in between, here are eight things all luxury home offices should have.

Luxury home office ideas

1. Great lighting

A thoughtful lighting scheme can make all the difference in how you feel in your office space, how much you’re able to get done and how you look on your video calls! Say goodbye to the terrible fluorescent lighting of the office and experiment with a combination of ambient and task lighting until you find the right blend for your needs. Natural light is also great for home offices. Just be sure to position your desk so you get all the benefits of sunlight coming through the windows without the harsh glare on your computer screen or too much back light for video calls.

2. Quality furnishings

A home office presents the perfect opportunity to ditch standard-issue office furniture and invest in quality pieces that are both beautiful and functional. Why spend your day in a clunky rolling office chair when you could instead take your calls from a stylish, supportive leather armchair? Surround yourself with upscale furnishings like a statement desk, a distinctive lamp and built-in bookcases. Stylish office furniture is available in a wide range of design styles, whether you like a more traditional look, contemporary design touches, a sleek modern desk or something entirely unique. Since the space is just for you, it’s the perfect place to show off your unique design aesthetic.

3. A distraction-free setup

One key to home office success is making sure your space is purpose-built for productivity. Space allowing, resist the temptation to make your home office do double-duty as a guest room, a media room or a storage closet. Having a big-screen TV calling your name while you’re trying to work is sure to zap your motivation — same goes for a bed in the background that’s just tempting you to take a mid-afternoon nap.Another easy but effective way to defeat household distractions? A door. It sounds simple, but having a separate, closed-off area for work helps others in your household know when you’re busy and shouldn’t be distracted. A door also helps you mentally “close up shop” at the end of the day — simply turn off the light, shut the door, retreat to your living space and leave work behind until tomorrow.

Office space in Miami with green accent wall

4. Luxury touches

You spend a lot of time in your home office, so it should be aesthetically pleasing. Thoughtfully selected accessories like framed photos, artwork and tasteful memorabilia can give your office space a warm, personal feel that’s unique to you. A few super-luxe touches can’t hurt, either. Think coordinated desk accessories made of marble or hardwood, textured wallpaper or a plush area rug in a neutral tone. Houseplants also add a relaxing vibe to your space, bringing a little bit of nature indoors.

5. Serious storage

When you are hopping between calls or spending the day heads-down on an important project, it’s easy for your workspace to get messy. From notepads and pens to charging cords to printers, there are a lot of must-haves in a home office, and everything needs a place. Further complicating the issue is the fact that, if your home office isn’t a repurposed bedroom, you may not have a full closet or dedicated storage space at your disposal.Invest a bit of time and money into some organizational solutions. Think floating shelves, a filing cabinet, desktop organizers or a series of baskets — whatever you need to have a clear desk…and a clear mind.

6. All the tech

For a home office to be truly functional, you need all the technology solutions you rely on in a traditional office setting. For most people, this means a computer monitor that gives you more working space than your compact laptop screen, reliable data storage, a printer and scanner and a strong router (along with super-fast WiFi, of course). You may want to up the ante by adding some creature comforts, like a coffee maker, a mini-refrigerator for snacks and an air purifier or humidifier.

7. A stylish background

For many work-from-home professionals, Zoom calls have replaced in-person meetings. And if you’re the “camera on” type — or if you are required to be — it’s nice to have a professional-looking backdrop. Think through where you can place your desk to give you the best setting, then decorate with a carefully curated bookshelf, artwork, houseplants or some combination.

8. A great conversation piece

Whether you meet clients in your home office or your office is your private sanctuary, every home office benefits from an inspiring focal point. This could be a stunning art piece, a stately fireplace, a gorgeous accent wall, a piece of antique furniture, or a floor-to-ceiling window. Whatever you choose, it should inspire you and spark conversation.

A word on workcations

While there’s no substitute for a work-free vacation, many professionals are taking advantage of the ability to work from anywhere by planning workcations (or working vacations). What’s a workcation? It’s the opportunity to enjoy a change of scenery without using up your precious vacation time. The best scenario for a workcation is having a job where you can work remotely and a destination with reliable internet and a distraction-free home office. Another option is a hybrid workcation/vacation. In this scenario, you might take a two-week trip to really immerse yourself in a destination with one week spent unplugged from work followed by one week of workcation before you head home. This arrangement gives you ample time to explore, without sacrificing all of your vacation time. Best of all, you still have evenings and weekends to take full advantage of the lake, city, beach or mountain.

Work from anywhere in your Pacaso

While you can surely work from a hotel room or vacation rental, doing your job from your dream second home is a best-case scenario. You’ll have all the creature comforts from home (a fully furnished, professionally designed and decorated home) but in a crave-worthy vacation destination. We’ve even curated a collection of home listings that have amazing home office spaces. Homes with guest houses work well, too. As the co-owner of a Pacaso second home, you’ll have ample opportunity to enjoy your retreat throughout the year. Our app makes scheduling fast, easy and equitable, and when availability allows, you can book a stay with as few as two days’ notice. Check out our listings, and start picturing yourself finishing your workday just steps from the beach, mountain, desert or other favorite locales.

WFH in style: 8 must-haves for your luxury home office