With the number of freelancers and homeworkers sharply on the rise, many of us are swapping the office for home sweet home, transforming spare bedrooms and vacant corners into makeshift offices. For an efficient workstation, it's important to create a space that has style, storage and comfort, where you'll be able to knuckle down during the working week. Whip your home office into shape with these inspiring ideas for a productive setup.

If you're not afraid of bold colours, look to new trends to inspire your office scheme. With Classic Blue announced as Pantone's 2020 Colour of the Year, it's the perfect excuse to experiment with a vibrant hue. Vivid inky walls will invigorate your workstation and add a touch of drama. Offset the rich tone with a teak desk and finish the look with contrasting jewel-toned seating.

Even if you only have a small space to work with, a triangle-shaped desk will help utilise an empty corner perfectly. Add tabletop shelving to extend your workspace upwards and opt for multitasking units packed with cupboards and drawers to maximise storage. For an open, airy feel, pair a bright, neutral scheme with plenty of pops of greenery.

Get the perfect balance between light and glare in your home office with the help of a practical window dressing. Tiered shutters will allow you to filter natural light in your work zone perfectly, so you won't be left sitting in a dingy space when you need to deflect glare from your computer screen. 

Evoke fresh sea air in your home office with a whimsical coastal scheme. Whitewashed walls, a natural wood worktop and nautical accessories will whisk you away to a beautiful seaside setting every time you sit down to work. 

Just because you don't have a spare room to hand doesn't mean you can't have a home office. This clever convertible desk is part of a bespoke living room storage system. When not in use, it looks like any other cupboard door. However, when pulled open it reveals a fully-equipped workstation nestled inside the alcove – genius!

Soften the look of an austere home office with plenty of playful patterned fabric. An array of blue upholstery creates a charming touch against these brilliant white furnishings. Fabric noticeboards add a homely vibe, while a pretty bird-print screen offers a helpful way to zone a multipurpose living space.

If space is at a premium, look to a vacant wall to anchor your workstation – it could be in an existing living space or part of a wide corridor or landing. For a streamlined setup, go for a sleek desk and narrow storage shelves. Invest in colourful storage boxes to tuck stationery and paperwork out of sight.

Get the work-life balance right with a relaxed, informal setup. A rustic, slim desk is less imposing in a living space, while a soft upholstered armchair offers the perfect spot to snuggle up in with a good book once the working day is done.

Get creative and reposition your desk to make it the focal point of your room. Positioned at a jaunty angle, this second-hand Ercol-style desk is the star of the show in this monochrome scheme, while the graphic rug helps to anchor the workstation. 

Give a kitchen larder a new lease of life by turning it into a home office that can be tucked away at the end of the working day. Fit a waist-height shelf to use as a desk and utilise overhead cupboards to tuck paperwork out of sight. You could even add strong hooks to the wall to store a folding chair. 

For an unobtrusive workspace solution, opt for a subtle desk design that slots seamlessly into your existing scheme. Perfect for the corner of an open-plan living room, this combined desk and storage unit can easily pass for rustic shelving outside of work hours. Win-win!

Make a living space multifunctional with a convertible desk that pivots from a sideboard to an office desk in one smooth move. Paperwork and stationery can be kept to hand in adjacent storage drawers so you'll have everything you need to start the working day.

Family photographs on office desks can add a personal touch to your home office, but they can also clutter up valuable surfaces. Instead, create a gorgeous gallery wall to free up space and impart plenty of character. Paired with matching black frames and typographic art, this design is the perfect fusion of style and sentiment.

When space is at a premium, a ladder desk is a practical, on-trend solution. Fitting neatly into a corner, they work well in open-plan living spaces, plus their streamlined designs are unobtrusive and don't restrict the flow of light in a room.

If you don't want to splash out for new office furniture, why not work with what you've got in your home already? A stylish console table can be transformed into a homeworking base with a desk lamp and a few stationery pots. Invest in some small storage boxes to keep paperwork organised and you'll be surprised by how efficient this improvised setup is!

Don't be afraid to add a playful touch to your home office. Experiment with paint decorating ideas to create a vibrant scheme that reflects your personality – an office doesn't need to be sterile and austere. In this moody scheme, black and red create a dramatic workspace that's completely unique.

If you don’t have room for a separate office in your home but are blessed with a large garden, take your workspace outside. Transform an old shed with a lick of paint or buy a stylish garden room and set up your space from scratch. An office that's separate from your home can instill a healthy work-life balance, plus the garden is a peaceful place to put your thinking cap on.

If you can’t work facing a window, transform the wall into a view worth staring at. A few rolls of decorative wallpaper or an interesting 3D wall mural will pep up a lacklustre space and help zone your working area from the rest of the room.

Most offices have a desk lamp, but additional lighting to brighten your home is also important to prevent a workspace from feeling dark and dingy. A pendant shade, wall-mounted light or floor lamp will add the extra illumination you need, plus it will help you avoid straining your eyes during darker days and late nights. 

If you have enough space, create a relaxation corner complete with a cosy two-seater sofa or armchair where you can kick back and relax when you have a spare moment. Add throws, cushions, lamps and a stack of magazines to complete the look. 

Plenty of foliage and greenery can create a relaxing, tranquil environment to help reduce stress while you work. Bring the outside in with an array of low-maintenance hardy houseplants, from small desk succulents to hanging foliage in macrame planters and larger plants at floor level.

If you don't have a separate room for your office, designate an area with a bold block paint effect. Here, black and red frame this floating workstation, which is part of a larger open-plan space. If you opt for dark hues, be careful to pick a contrasting shade like this vibrant orange to lift the dramatic backdrop.

Instead of hiding your paperwork away, keep it on display with an antique-style wall-mounted wire rack that will add a touch of industrial chic to any room. Pair with an old fashioned metal filing unit to complete the nostalgic look.

A great way to turn an old house into a new home, an attic or loft conversion can create the perfect private home office for you to work in peace. Make use of space in the eaves with fitted shelving to fit the slope of the roof and install skylights to bring in plenty of natural light.

The scent of fresh flowers can work wonders when it comes to enhancing your work environment. You could opt for strong-scented blooms to stimulate the senses such as freesias and peonies, or more subtle foliage such as forget-me-nots or foxgloves to add a pop of colour.

To stop stationery cluttering up your worktop, bring in some plastic boxes to organise your bits and bobs. Stackable transparent containers work especially well as you can see exactly what you're looking for at a glance, rather than wasting time sifting through boxes – a pretty nifty storage hack!

Sleek and slim, this mini desk is a great way to add a workspace without making a room feel like an office. Keep it elegant with a mirrored table lamp and a vase for your stationery, blurring the lines between work and play.

While email is the new normal, there are still a surprising number of pieces of paper coming through the door. Keep your desk tidy with a dual-purpose calendar and letter holder to store invitations and any business correspondence. It's also an environmentally friendly buy as the calendar can be customised for any year.

Reduce the risk of long-term back, neck or wrist injury and encourage good posture with a laptop stand. This laptop holder keeps cables tucked neatly out of the way and allows air to circulate around your machine, which prevents it from overheating. 

Stationery is a fun way to decorate your home office and an easy way to give your desk a quick update. These tropical-print supplies are colourful, uplifting and totally on trend. Mocktail break anyone? 

Pigeonhole storage has been a common feature of office environments for centuries. Give your own workstation a touch of industrial nostalgia with a set of cubbyholes. Even if you don't use them for office supplies and mail, they make an attractive and interesting way of displaying ornaments. Paired with a trestle desk and an aged steel lamp, the look becomes distinctly antique chic.

As long as you won't get distracted, a TV integrated into your office can help you stay up-to-date with the latest news. Mount a flat-screen on the wall but position your desk adjacent to the screen so that you can turn your attention to programmes only when necessary. 

A great perk of working from home is being able to listen to the playlist of your choice at whatever volume. A tiny, portable speaker won't take up valuable desk space and many connect to your phone via Bluetooth so you can play music, listen to the radio or enjoy a podcast while you while away the working day.

If a number of people in your household work from home, transform a little-used space such as the dining room into a productive co-working space during the week. This calming mint-green scheme features plenty of storage, so paperwork and laptops can easily be tucked away when a dinner party rolls around.

Hanging a large noticeboard is a great way to keep organised during the working week. You can use it to pin up all manner of memos, reminders, pictures and postcards to inspire and uplift your workspace. Pantone cards from paint shops make attractive alternatives to sticky notes too. 

Add a little incentive to keep you going through the day by installing a coffee machine in your office. Many studies have concluded that even the scent of coffee can act as a stimulant. There are plenty of compact versions on the market to fit small spaces, but perhaps remember to switch to decaf after your second cup.

If your work involves plenty of paperwork, magazines and brochures, keep them organised in attractive box files. No matter what decorating scheme you prefer, from modern metallics to country florals, there is sure to be a design to suit your tastes. Or, why not buy plain budget versions and cover them yourself with wallpaper or wrapping paper? 

In the digital age, there isn't as much need for paperwork anymore, but somehow it still manages to appear! Thankfully we no longer need to store hard copies of invoices but keep what paperwork you do have tidy with matching desk storage in vibrant and uplifting colours. 

Keep on top of your day with a handy desk planner. Sometimes even the simple act of making a list of jobs to get done can help relieve stress and anxiety. So, the first task on today's to-do list should be: buy a desk planner of course!  

If a few members of your household work from home and tend to hot-desk, locker-style storage will help to keep things clutter-free by separating everyone's belongings. Tucked away in a labelled cubby, you'll be less likely to mislay important information or stationery.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, a nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance, and a lot of creative offices are introducing hammocks into the workplace for employees to do just that. Bring a sleep station into your own office space but make sure your ceiling can withhold the weight of a hammock first. 

Frame a couple of your favourite pictures and either hang them on the wall or prop them on your desk for a lovely decorative touch. Too many pictures could clutter the space, but a few carefully selected prints or photos will add character to your desk without being overbearing or distracting.

It's said that sitting is the new smoking, so make sure your office habits aren’t impacting on your health or fitness. A standing desk that can also be adjusted to a sitting position for lazy days is a stylish choice that’s also good for your body.

Open shelving isn’t just cool for the kitchen or dining room: buy file storage boxes in neutral colours and place them on shelves alongside books, magazine files and ornaments for an efficient homeworking zone that has plenty of personality.

Don’t get distracted by too much stuff on your desk: declutter your home office by shredding out-of-date papers and tidying items away into boxes. Put everything from pens and sticky notes to plugs and papers in neat storage containers and files that are easy to access but tucked out of sight. Keep wires in handy charging stations rather than letting them stray across your valuable desk space.

Don’t shy away from filing cabinets just because they’re typical of a more corporate workspace. Pairing tall filing cabinets with more quirky details like open shelves and wall-mounted bulletin boards will make the room functional and organised without feeling dull.

Make your office Instagram-perfect by accessorising with inspirational quotes or even just your initials. Whether you go for a lightbox sign, letter bookends or a hanging wall banner, you can leave messages for other members of the family, remember important things on your to-do list or simply write a motivational quote to kickstart your day.

Desks take up plenty of room, so if you're tight on square footage try a wall-mounted desk shelf instead. With no table legs to worry about, this nifty design frees up valuable floor space while still offering handy drawers to store stationery – the perfect tiny living hack for homeworkers.

If you've got room for double the desks, go for it. Two desks pushed together will give you more space to work, help you separate different projects you're working on and create enough space for you to work alongside your flatmate or partner. Either place them together in a square so you can work opposite or position side by side for an extra-long workspace.

When your home office is stretched for space, it doesn't make sense to clutter the area with a hefty chair. A sleek stool is a stylish alternative that's less bulky and more streamlined, so it can be neatly tucked away once you’re finished for the day. 

For a to-do list you won’t lose, paint one wall of your office with chalkboard paint for a fun and effective memo board. Write down your tasks for the day, important messages and even inspirational quotes. You'll find it much easier than scrambling around searching for a mislaid sticky note!

If you don’t have enough space for shelving, storage drawers or filing cabinets, it doesn’t mean you have to pile up all your files on the desk. Whatever your line of work, whether you need to hoard magazines, store folders or keep sheets of paper in order, bring in stylish storage baskets for a pretty, portable method of storage.

Who says a home office can't be cosy and welcoming? To create a peaceful space you'll want to work in, choose some delicate, translucent drapes: not only will they block out the sun on bright days but they'll also add a homely feel to your workstation.

Shake up your scheme by decorating your office walls in two contrasting colours for a quirky, mismatched feel. This classic wooden desk stands out against the vibrant blue-green hue that zones the workspace – we especially love how the soft pink of the upper wall clashes beautifully with the upholstered orange stool – it's so wrong it's right!