COVID-19 has led to a huge social experiment around working from home. When restrictions are finally lifted, those who are part of this virtual work place will realize that modern technology made remote functioning incredibly easy, while others might still long for the order and community of the office environment.

Those choosing to continue working from home, however, will need to take a long, hard look at their home office designs. Peeks into the homes of talk show hosts and celebrities showed a sense of authenticity – and sometimes a shocking lack of thought in planning their work environment. Some huddle in spare rooms, take over the kitchen counter space, or even go outside to get away from it all. Scant thought is given to what others on the video call see in the background, and the space is not conducive to concentration and productivity.

To make working from home more efficient, here are 5 tips on how to create the ideal home office space:

• Create a separate dedicated space: Having a separate space dedicated to work helps distinguish between work time and private time. Carve out an area free from distractions, and dedicate it to business.

• Be comfortable: Ergonomic considerations become crucial when spending eight hours every day in the home office. Toss the leftover kitchen chair and the coffee table, and get a proper office chair and work surface.

• Get organized: Make it a functional office environment. Have matching furniture, shelves to organize the work station, and drawers to hold files, so they aren’t strewn about the area.

• Look professional: Gone is the heavy-duty, cumbersome, all-wood desk furniture of yesterday. Décor trends now lean toward the beauty and flexibility of engineered wood decorative panels. Thermally fused laminate, or TFL panels are growing in popularity because they are perfect for creating a seamless appearance throughout the work space. This is one of the reasons why they’re the go-to material used by leading office furniture makers in North America, along with their superior quality, cutting edge technology and versatility.

• Make your mark: Personalize the area by choosing from a variety of TFL colors and awe-inspiring finishes like the latest options from Uniboard, the North American leader in engineered wood products and the creator of the synchronized (EIR) texture technology. Uniboard’s collection offers a palette of 130 colors in 14 finishes of top-of-the line laminate panel boards for office design.  Customize your space by selecting from modern urban trends to rustic and reclaimed styles, or go ultra-modern with inspired designs and trendy solids. Take advantage of the latest trends in materials and design to create your versatile and unique home office environment.