The home office is fast becoming a more essential space in your property, says Frank Valentic, the managing director of Melbourne firm Advantage Property Consulting. "As seen on this series and the last series of The Block, the home office/study is no longer an optional room but an essential room with our busy lifestyles," says Valentic.

He advises anyone designing or renovating a home to consider a good balance design and functionality, as demonstrated by the study created by Josh Terrett and Charlotte Ekas on The Block last week. "Josh and Charlotte’s study is light, bright and full of storage," says Valentic. "It’s worth considering a colour palette that is stimulating if you work from home full time. Colour psychology suggests that cool colour palettes in an office environment will stimulate productivity, specifically blue as it’s shown to make people perform better, and green which is meant to evoke a relaxed nature. You don’t want to be distracted, so avoid using strong colours such as red and yellow that will possibly draw your attention elsewhere."

Key to the success of any home office is size, so don't scrimp on the size you designate to your office space and make sure you have more than sufficient storage space to allow you to be organised and uncluttered. "It’s a good idea to consider your workflow when choosing where your storage will be located," says Valentic. "Ayden and Jess’s study area on The Block wasn’t as spacious as many buyers would have liked."

Natural light in a working environment is also essential. "A position near a window can help relieve boredom, provide fresh air and give you something pleasing to look up from your desk at," says Valentic. "Keep overhead lighting to a minimum so as to not make the area ‘flat’ and instead have plenty of mood and task lighting in the form of lamps."

Place your office in an area of the home that you can close off from after you check out from work for the day, and Ensure you have a door you can close so as to wholeheartedly switch off from work mode at the end of the day. "The location was one of the biggest negatives about Dea and Darren’s study area on The Block," says Valentic. "Dea and Darren’s study wasn’t positioned in the best location of the house."

He also recommends wireless internet in a home office. "Wherever you can, go wireless. It will ensure less clutter, allow for a more visually pleasing area and be flexible. A wireless speaker for the office is a great idea to allow you to have some calming background music. Adding a little greenery to the room is also proven to increase productivity."