The basics: function over aesthetics
Start with what the workspace needs to do, not with how it should look. An ideal home workspace has three characteristics: you can work there with focus, you can video call without distracting backgrounds, and you can mentally disconnect after work hours. The latter is harder to achieve than the first two. Yet it is essential, especially for entrepreneurs who tend to never really close the workday.
Choose a fixed spot in the house. Not the couch, not the dining table if it’s also used for eating. A desk in a separate room is ideal; a defined corner in a room is acceptable. It’s important that your brain associates the spot with work, and that the rest of the house does not get that association.
Light: the most determining and most ignored factor
Ask ten entrepreneurs what they think about when setting up a home workspace, and nine will start talking about ergonomics or technology. Light rarely comes first. That’s a missed opportunity.
Natural light increases alertness, reduces fatigue, and significantly supports your concentration more than artificial light. Not as a nice-to-have, but as a measurable effect on your productivity at home. The problem: natural light is uncontrollable. Too much in the morning, dim at half-past two in winter, direct sunlight on your screen just when you have a video call.
The solution lies in good light control. A window treatment webshop with custom solutions is exactly the right approach: standard-width blinds rarely fit well, close unevenly, and let light through at the sides. Custom-made window decorations fit perfectly, operate smoothly, and give you full control over the light entering. During weekdays, you filter the light so that your screen remains readable. During video calls, you turn on the background lighting. After work hours, you completely close off the area, mentally removing the workspace from sight.
Sound and privacy: an entrepreneur also thinks about the outside
Controlling light is one thing. But those who hold meetings from home with clients or employees also have to consider how the home workspace comes across to others. A passing car, a crying child in the background, or a room with too much echo: these send subtle signals about your professionalism.
You improve acoustics with soft materials. Curtains and window treatments also work here: they dampen reflected sound and reduce echo in a room. Combined with a carpet and some upholstered furniture, you can achieve a lot. No major renovations needed.
Privacy is a second point. If you’re in a garden or ground floor room, you don’t want passersby watching during a strategic meeting. Here too, good window treatments solve this without sacrificing light entry.
What entrepreneurs forget: the long term
Setting up a home workspace is not a one-time task. Your work pattern changes. Your business grows. You might rent office space in the future, or have people visiting more often. A poorly set up workspace at home will cost you more in the long run than the initial investment.
So think not in terms of 'cheap solutions' but in terms of work comfort as a strategic investment: less absenteeism, better presentations to the outside, higher concentration during deep work sessions. That return is tangible.
The Netherlands has held a leading position for years when it comes to working from home in Europe: more than 5 million workers sometimes or regularly work from home, a higher percentage than in any other EU country, according to CBS figures from 2024. This structural shift requires a structural approach to the workspace. No more stopgap solutions, but a conscious setup that aligns with how you work best.
Start with what has a directly measurable impact: light, sound, privacy. The rest will follow naturally.
