Win an overnight stay in a suite at London’s Hotel Saint, with dinner and drinks
Home / Homes & Gardens

The work from home essentials you’ll need this winter

By James Wong   |  

This year our spare rooms have unexpectedly become cubicles and our homes, office towers. As winter approaches and work-from-home status cements, it’s time to upgrade the spaces we’ll be spending the majority of winter in with items that, not only facilitate office life, but also overall wellbeing. Here are the must haves for this season.

QOR360 Desk Chair

The QOR360 Ariel is a must-have WFH desk chair

Designed by academic trauma surgeon and epidemiologist, Dr. Osler, the QOR360 (pronounced core-three-sixty) is the coolest chair on the market and by far the most useful. The award winning design gently rocks your back into alignment, perfect for those who suffer back problems and bad posture on regular desk chairs. It also helps with fidgeting, keeps you moving throughout the day and thus, increases productivity. Finally, it trains your abs during WFH lockdown – if you tense your muscles whilst rocking you get a mini work out whilst you email! The chair can be customised in different colours, fabrics and styles to slot in perfectly with home interiors.

Available from: qor360.com

Oakywood Wooden Monitor Stand

The top of your monitor is best viewed at eye level

To further improve your WFH posture, invest in a high quality wooden monitor stand. Polish wood-maker turned design-forward office and tech accessory company, Oakywood, has handcrafted offerings in solid wood. These help boost work performance – reducing eye and neck strain, and raise your monitor 9cm to an ergonomic position at eye level. The stand is, not only stylish, but also incredibly strong – the advanced wood joint technique allows for up to 100kg (220 lb) load.

Available from: oakywood.shop/collections/shop

Nomad Base Station

The most up to date Nomad charging station charges all your devices at once

Nomad smart phone chargers are essential to modern day life, and the Base Station Pro is the ultimate station for tech wizards. It uses FreePower technology with a matrix of 18 coils to enable a position free charging experience for up to three devices a time, anywhere on the surface. The design is modern, with a padded leather and slim profile. It is compatible with iPhone, AirPods, Google devices, Samsung Galaxy and Note, Samsung Galaxy Buds, and more.

Available from: nomadgoods.com

Capresso CoffeeTEAM PRO Plus and Froth Select

The CoffeeTEAM PRO Plus paired with the Capresso Froth Select basically bring the fancy coffee shop to your home, at a time when you need hot drinks the most

Upgrade your coffee breaks with these two genius creations. The CoffeeTEAM PRO Plus (with thermal carafe) is the Rolls Royce of coffee makers – it grinds whole coffee beans directly into the filter and then seamlessly brews up to ten delicious cups of freshness. It has a stainless steel thermal carafe with ergonomic handle, 24-hour programmable clock/timer and a two-step grind and clean chamber automatically cleans the grinder after every cycle.

This model also allows for complete access to the solid steel conical burr and slowly down grinding speed preserves maximum aroma. Meanwhile, combine this with Capresso’s Froth Select, with four settings – cold froth, hot froth, hot milk or hot chocolate. The hot chocolate function is perfect for warming Christmas beverages, where you can add chocolate chips and chunks directly to the pitcher, and best of all, the large capacity stainless steel pitcher is extremely quick and easy to wash (including being dishwasher safe). With these two appliances every cup you make will come out artisanal coffee shop standard.

Available from: capresso.com

Dosha Mat

Try acupressure while you work with the Dosha Matt and feel your body revive

This eco-friendly ergonomically designed mat puts 4,500 acupressure points into a bed of sculptural lotus flowers to aid in a variety of body benefits. Acupressure works by massaging and stimulating key points for deep relaxation and healing – relieving tension, soreness and pain in the back, head, neck, shoulders, hips and feet. Expect increased circulation, a positive effect on the nervous and immune systems, and increase energy levels. It also works a treat for your feet under a desk.

Available from: doshamat.com

Yeti Hondo Base Camp Chair

Yeti’s outdoor chairs are perfect for those looking to work outside, and are strong enough to withstand harsh weather so you need not worry of collapse if you leave it outside

If you have a conservatory or just need to get out for some fresh air, then work from this snazzy outdoor chair instead. Yeti’s Hondo Base Camp Chair is the most durable and comfortable piece of outdoor furniture around (it feels like an indoor seat with outdoor perks), and the arm rests provide perfect support when using a standard laptop. There’s also a holder for your drink ware, and the whole thing folds up easily for transportation. For those after a lighter version of the chair, Yeti has the Trailhead Camp Chair, which you can carry on your shoulder like a golf bag.

Available from: uk.yeti.com

VEVA 8000 Elite Pro Series Air Purifier

Powerful on the inside, elegant on the outside – this will safely purify your work from home air from any room

There’s never been a more essential time than now to invest in a quality air purifier. The VEVA 800 is a premium model with HEPA filters that capture dust and allergens as tiny as 0.3 microns – meaning it eliminates household dust, pet dander, mould spores, pollen, bacteria, germs and PM2.5 particles from your air. Its carbon pre-filters also remove odours from pets, smoking, cooking and your laundry pile, and best of all it’s low maintenance – easy to use and you only need to change the filter every six to twelve months depending on usage.

Available from: amazon.com

Artis Multi-Tasking Oval 7 Brush

This multi-purpose brush is a WFH woman’s best friend

For last minute Zoom meetings many WFH individuals will need one quick and efficient make up brush desk side. Artis has the perfect option within their Elite Collection; the Oval 7. This is a multi-tasking brush which seamlessly applies and blends a range of liquids, cream or powder products to the face, from foundation, bronzer and concealer to highlight, blush and powder. You’ll be video conference ready in minutes.

Available from: byartis.com

Bubbly Belle Essential Oil Diffusers

Make your WFH space even more inviting with these essential oil bundles

Bubbly Belle’s all natural essential oils focus on self-care and the bundles are perfect for all winter WFH needs. There’s the First Aid Kit bundle which includes the Sore No More, Peppermint, Immunity Boost and Sleep essential oils. This is ideal for those feeling under the weather during the winter season, and then there’s The Fresh Perspective bundle, which includes the De-stress, Energizer, Motivate and Focus essential oils that bring out alertness and promote concentration during the working day. The sleek diffuser evenly transports the aroma around the room to stimulate your senses naturally and without any harsh chemicals or toxins.

Available from: bubblybelle.com

Shantiva Copper Pitcher

Drinking from a copper water pitcher as opposed to a plastic or glass one will boost your productivity

This festive copper pitcher is not only high quality and exquisitely designed, but it also comes with a range of health benefits. That’s because copper is anti-bacterial, acts as an anti-oxidant, improves immunity, supports good health, prevents ageing, eliminates toxins and free radicals, and stimulates the brain. It’s no wonder yogis have drunk their water from copper for centuries. This pitcher has been handcrafted with pure hammered copper. If you want additional copper sparkle, Moscow Muled has beautiful copper 16oz mugs which match perfectly. They can be used for your water during the week, and for those Happy Hour Zoom calls they make for great cocktail and even mulled wine mugs.

Pitcher available from: shantiva.com
Mugs available from: moscowmuled.com

Cariloha Bedding

Comfort, style and sustainability can coexist thanks to Cariloha’s bamboo fabrics. They have a soft, buttery feel for pure comfort in the bedroom

If you’re a ‘work from bed’ kind of person, then you’ll need sheets to complement. Cariloha’s bedding products are made from bamboo, a notably softer option to cotton. In addition, using bamboo is more eco-friendly, and the company sources the finest sustainable bamboo from the green hills of the Sichuan Province in China. Their duvet comforter ensures, not only a better night’s sleep, but an ultra snug wrap around while typing away, and the sheets are five-star hotel luxe.

Available from: cariloha.com

Crown Linen Zen Throw Blanket

Crown Linen Designs creates beautiful yet practical throws to accompany you to work

Finally, no WFH winter is complete without a throw blanket. Crown Linen’s Zen offering is 100% waffle weaved linen, in a calming taupe and flax edge design. The large 52”x64” throw is extremely breathable yet insulating, meaning that you can keep it on for long working hours without overheating, yet retain warmth. The best thing is the linen becomes softer with each wash so it’ll last for years. Machine wash in the cold, and dry out quickly in winter air.

Available from: crownlinendesigns.com