Other than being a fun place to hang out, the beach has both physical and mental benefits as well. Considering most people spend more time working than taking care of their health it seems only logical and fun to bring some beach elements into your home office! Here are a few ideas for you to select the right colours, make some easy decoration items while keeping your carbon footprint down!

 

Colour Combinations to Create Your Beach Theme

The first element in creating your theme is to select a colour palette which will remind you of the beach. If you’re starting from scratch you can paint the walls and select the right flooring. If you already have an office, then you can add embellishments such as a cushion or throw over your chair, change your office supplies and add splashes of colour. A few colour schemes you can choose from are:

• Gray, green, blue
• Light blue, dark blue, salmon, mandarin
• Blue, light blue, gray, orange

For more ideas, check out the tools available at Design-Seeds and COLOURlovers.

Easy DIY Decorations Created From Your Last Beach Trip

It’s extremely easy to take memorabilia you’ve collected from your last beach trip and convert them into designer looking decoration pieces for your office. If you don’t live near the beach or haven’t been to one recently, most of the required items can be found at a local craft or stationary store:

• Beach in a Bottle: Take a wide mouthed bottle or vase and fill it up with sand, a large conch or multiple small shells and maybe a piece of coral.
• Beach Snapshot: Frame your favourite ocean scene or better yet, frame two: one of the ocean and one of the beach.
• Beach Plaque: Paint the word ‘Beach’ in a whimsical style on an old piece of drift wood and hang with a thick piece of natural rope.

Keeping Your Beach Theme Eco-Friendly

Considering that you’re going to be using elements of nature to benefit you it’s only fair that you keep the environment in mind when setting up your beach inspired office. Here are a few tips to make sure that your new office is as eco-friendly as possible:

1. Use plants, lots of them. All the most awesome tropical beaches have tons of palm trees and the smaller ones are relatively affordable and can be grown indoors. If palm trees are too exotic for your taste or budget, ferns will have the same effect.
2. Stick with energy efficient lighting sources. They’ll save you money on your next electricity bill and lower your personal carbon footprint. According to Carbon Footprint, low energy light bulbs use 20% less energy than the average light bulb and last 15 times longer!
3. Use all-natural decorations. If you’re following the ideas that I’ve laid out for you, this one is already covered.

Now, put on some flip-flops, get creative and bring the beach into your own office space. Not only will you start work with a fresh mind and look forward to your desk every morning, you’ll also have one of the most unique office spaces ever. Make sure to let us know if you decide to implement an eco-friendly beach theme in your workspace!

Caroline Webb is the owner and chief strategist of JP Office Workstations and a passionate Sustainable Design advocate. She loves innovative ideas in office design and the psychology of human performance. You can contact Caroline at admin@jpofficeworkstations.com.au

For more home office ideas on Stagetecture, click here.