As fall approaches, Ontario students are returning to school and spending more of their spare time doing homework.
Having a dedicated home study area lets kids and teenagers feel more comfortable and helps keep them focussed on their studies, allowing them to be more productive.
Whether your kids are in elementary school, secondary school, or enrolled in college or university, here’s how to create the perfect study space at home for them.
A home study space can help maximize learning efficiency
A learning environment that’s aesthetically dull, clutter-filled, uncomfortable, and too noisy won’t allow kids to get the most out of their study time.
Psychologists have found that one’s environment can have a significant effect on the quality of their study time. Specifically, information retention and work productivity increases when kids study in a space that’s comfortable, familiar, and has as few distractions as possible.
A dedicated home study space can be customized to create just such an area for your kids. Organized Interiors specializes in creating beautiful home office spaces. The same elements we implement in the design of an adult home office space can also be applied to the design of a study space for kids.
When planning the design of your work area, here are seven essential features and ideas to consider.
1. Location, location, location
The location of your study space is extremely important. Even the most well-designed and highly functional study area will have many of its benefits diminished if the location isn’t right.
Like a home office, an area devoted to studying is a perfect fit for a spare room. You’ll have more room to add all the design features you want and also create more privacy.
Converting a spare room into a home study space also affords you the opportunity to create a separate, dedicated space purely devoted to learning.
Naturally, not everybody has the luxury of having a spare room at their disposal to set up a work space for their kids. We can work within the dimensions of your home to create a study area within a bedroom, in a basement, or just about anywhere you have a reasonable amount of space to spare.
Wherever you decide to set up a home study space, give a lot of consideration to potential distractions like foot traffic and noise levels. A study area set up beside a noisy laundry room, for example, doesn’t make for the most learning-friendly environment. Remember, a quiet study space will be a more productive study space.
2. Consider who will be using your home study space
How many kids will be using your study space? Obviously, the more kids you have that will be using the study space the more room you’ll need to have it designed properly.
Perhaps you’ll need a shared study space for your home if you have two or more kids. That’s not a problem. Multiple desks and workstations can be set up to fulfill your home study space design requirements.
Each of your kids can have their own designated area in the study space, to create as comfortable a learning environment for them as possible.
You may also wish to create a multi-purpose home office/study space within a room, which we can accommodate. This can be a smart choice if space is an issue in your home. A shared work-oriented space between parents and the kids can satisfy everybody’s needs.
3. Have your desk custom-designed to fit your kids’ specific needs
The foundation of any work space is the desk. You’ll want your desk surface to be big enough that it can accommodate all of your kids’ textbooks, notebooks, school supplies, and a laptop if necessary.
You also need to be careful that your desk isn’t too big. If you have a bigger desk surface than you really need, there’s more of a chance it’ll start accumulating clutter. We can guide you on the ideal desk size that will work best within your home study space.
Organized Interiors designs, manufactures, and installs all of our furniture, so we have a lot of flexibility when it comes to customization.
Add as many desk drawers as you desire (and to the width and depth you need) to hold your kids’ school supplies, stationery, and printer paper. Does your child use a desktop computer as opposed to a laptop? Add an under-desk keyboard drawer to save space!
A well-designed desk will require less effort for you to keep your study area organized and clutter-free. You’ll be able to keep more frequently used supplies close at hand while storing less frequently used supplies out of sight, but easily accessible.
An absence of clutter in any work space will facilitate a more productive workflow by allowing you to concentrate much easier.
4. Maximize storage space with smart custom storage solutions
You can increase the functionality of a home study space or office by adding extra storage systems. A custom bookcase provides plenty of room for storing your kids’ books.
Upper storage cabinetry can also be added to provide extra storage room in your study space. Using your room’s vertical storage space (which can also include adding library shelves) will enable you to stay organized more easily. Vertical storage is also smart to use when your study space is set up in a smaller room.
Your home study space’s custom cabinetry can also include lower drawers, cupboard doors, file cubbies, and file drawers. Add extra touches like a tack board for posting reminders, calendars, and course schedules.
A study space doesn’t have to be dull, style-free environment. You can choose from a wide variety of finishes and features to add some character to the room.
Upper storage cabinetry can include frosted glass or mesh doors. LED lighting with convenient touch switches and puck lighting can also be incorporated into your home study space design.
5. Don’t forget the importance of a good desk chair
As mentioned, a learning environment that’s comfortable is important and comfort in a home study space starts with a good desk chair.
You’ll want to invest in an ergonomic chair that makes it easy to maintain a healthy posture. Your kids will appreciate having a chair that provides excellent lower back support, especially for those longer studying sessions.
Having a proper desk chair set up at the proper height can also alleviate problems that can affect other parts of the body, like the neck, wrists, and hands.
6. Make sure the lighting and room colours are right
Just as a good chair can minimize back discomfort, so too can good lighting minimize the problem of eye strain in a study space.
You don’t want to keep your home study space too dark, otherwise it might make the occupants more prone to nodding off. If possible, make use of as much natural light as you can. Choose ambient lighting that’s complemented with smartly located task lighting and a small desk lamp.
Wall and ceiling colours in the room can also affect the moods and concentration levels of kids. Lighter greens, yellows, and blues are considered good colour choices to stimulate productivity.
The wall and ceiling colours you choose for your home study space can complement the chosen finishes for your custom cabinetry, thereby enhancing the room’s look.
7. Personalize your home study space
While your home study area is meant to be a dedicated learning space, it can’t hurt to inject a few personal touches to it.
Add plants, hang some inspirational quotes, or add photos of family and friends to create a warmer, more inviting space. Just be sure to keep the personal touches to a modest amount so your kids aren’t overly distracted.
A home study space can be a great asset that enables your kids to flourish with their studies. Schedule a free design consultation with us to get your study space project in motion.