 And welcome to episode 31 of the Private Property Podcast. I'm looking forward to that and what it all means. We're going to be looking at working from home and the tips of making your space workable. I know so many of us finding ourselves, you know, inside to ridden with having to work from home. And of course we are fortunate that we're able to be able to work from home, but it really does come with its own stressors. And I think to make us better understand how we can best make our home spaces suitable for work. I'm joined this evening by Lichonolo Kuma Lo, who is the founder of LK Home. Good evening, Honolo. And thank you so much for joining us this evening. Good evening, Zaman Thangran. Thank you so much for having me. So I think a quick disclaimer is that Honolo and I are not related. I know many, although I suspect somewhere along the family tree, you probably might find that we are related. But I think, you know, let's probably just get into it. I mean, I've seen some of the great work that you've done. You're a home deco DIY and a YouTuber. And you really do give us great tips of making our own spaces as homey as possible. And even recently, you know, trying to make us find ways of making sure that we have a suitable home office. Let's start with some of the top tips that you would share with our viewers at home around how we can best make our home offices as suitable as possible for working. Well, thank you so much for the compliment. I think the biggest thing is designating a workspace. And so a part of your house where you'll be comfortable, where you can be able to be productive, because you know, the thing is, if ever you stay in bed, you're not going to get any much work done. And also working from your couch and you're going to be sitting there for like, what, eight, 10 hours, hunched over your laptop and trying to work. So the best thing that I would say is when get a nice desk, spacious enough to house everything that you need to do your work, but then also get a good comfortable chair as well. And I think also the room as well that you're working in is also very important that the temperature as well make sure it's not too cold and not too hot. So, and also have some good light coming into your space as well, because you don't want it to be very like droopy and dreary. And then also another thing is fresh air, because your body needs oxygen, you're going to need a good sufficient supply of fresh air as well. So I think, you know, many people's homes are obviously quite different. And I was looking at even my space that if I wanted to create a little home office, I'd probably have to use the lounge area. So you've got your lounge with the open plan kitchen. How do I best sort of optimize the different spaces? Because we're now essentially working from a lounge, you create your little corner in a lounge, but it's also, you know, the lounge and you can see the kitchen. And you're going there every 10 minutes, like you're going to find something new. So what are some of the best ways to kind of optimize that little corner that we're working from, especially for people who might not have a separate room that they can turn into a study? Yes. And I think, I mean, I mean, looking at my space as well, I had this portion of where my desk is currently used to be a full era. But I mean, it was that nice open space that I just decided to move the mirror away from it and then build a floating desk. So for someone that may not have the space as well, I would say get one of those foldable discs. So they're quite inexpensive. You can get them for about 350 like some of the major retailers. So that's a nice way that also is that if you've got a very limited space during the day when you're supposed to work, you just pull up your desk, work at it. And then at the end of the day, you can actually like probably check out of your work and then pull the desk away. And I think, you know, one of the things that you had mentioned earlier is around good lighting. I know, for example, I typically tend to complain about how bad the lighting at my apartment is, especially, you know, towards the evening. What are some of the tips that you can give us around lighting spaces where, you know, should we be using the lamps on the actual table? I mean, I've typically found that I don't usually work with that light that's in the apartment. But what are some of the different ways you can optimize light so that you're able to work based when you're working from home? So especially if you're not getting like a lot of natural light in the space or working like late at night, I would say table lamps are a good addition to your space as well. And the nice thing is that you can get so either the light bulb, it can be either warm or cool. I mean, I prefer cool light, but I mean just for specifically for working, I find that the warm light works much better. It doesn't strain my eyes as much as compared to as a cool light would. So I think it's depending on the light that is in your room. Sometimes I find that very late at night, I prefer to have all the lights off in my place and then I just have my table light on. Obviously because of the laptop, but then from the work, it's actually sufficient. It doesn't strain my eyes, but it's interesting. I relatively recently was looking at different light bulbs. And when you see the spark difference between the light and the warm and the feel that you kind of get from a place, it's actually quite shocking because I think it's one of those things you don't quite think about until you've got the wrong cloud. And you realize that actually, you know, sort of does to this space. So I think maybe let's look at some of the other tips that you have for people at home. So the first one is to designate different working space. And that's something that a lot of people tend to recommend, especially during this time. You know, sometimes if you really speak to freelancers who typically work from home, they would say that making sure that you have a space that's essentially the office does help. Because I think a lot of us are not particularly used to working from home. You know, we end up sitting on the couch and we're working or you're working from it. And that really doesn't, you know, do much for your productivity. It messes up your posture and there's just so many different factors that are wrong with it. If you do it once in a while, it might be all right. Now, what other tips do you have for at home in terms of how we can best optimize our home spaces to create those work spaces? I think the biggest thing to also work space is that there's actually huge psychology behind it. Because what we don't realize is that especially for people that are not used to working from home, the moment when you actually get out of bed and you get ready, you get into the shower and you get into your car and you drive to your work, you are preparing your mind and your subconscious to actually get into work mode. But now the problem is that if you just stay in bed and you roll over, pick up your laptop and you open it and you don't even get out of bed. That whole thing, it's very hard to adjust. And I think it's also seen that, I mean, for the first three months, I was on campus studying. And now for this month, I had to study virtually that whole adjustment of actually studying virtually. But I mean, now that I actually have this specific space where I actually say, okay, fine, yeah, I'm not watching series. I'm actually working. It actually helps me. And then by the time that I actually think of getting up and going to get space. So I think a lot of it is realizing what is it that you need to actually be productive and to do work. And I think designating that specific place and also just like in terms of your routine, your routine is also very important. And I think it's all those small little things that you take for granted. So like actually getting out of bed and also moving around and exercising. And those things that actually help with actually help you with being productive. If you're watching us at home, I'm joined by a little criminal, who is the founder of LK home. And we're really looking at some of the tips to making our home spaces work for workspace purposes, because a lot of us are finding ourselves having to work from home and really trying to best adjust to to working from home. And I think one of the things is, of course, our views at home are either bias or their rentals. And with some of them, when you were mentioning earlier on that in your particular space, you created a corner and that's where you essentially work from and you created a floating shelf. Oftentimes, our viewers who are perhaps renting might not be able to, to like drill holes into their walls. So other tips that we have, particularly for people who are renting will look at people who move boards because I think that that's easier because they can physically do some of the stuff. Any tips for people who are renting because they know that they have restrictions around what they can put up on the wall and drilling and restrictions. So I think in that great thing is that you can find quite cost effective options for home office desks that you can put into a space and also of different sizes as well. The biggest thing is like obviously then you'd have to, there's no point in getting a two meter wide desk for one meter space. So also know the space that you're working with and find a nice area of your place where you either if you have to rearrange furniture do so and just put that place and there's nice desk that you can then put there and that won't even sort of get you in trouble with your landlord. Yeah, and I think it's such an important one. And it's very easy for us to sometimes forget, especially when you've been living in a place for quite an extended period of time. You're DIY, I've got a YouTube channel where you share with us different ways that we can do DIY projects. So for those people who are able to drill holes in walls, you've done a floating child. How easy is it? How easy is it? Because I think so many people probably get intimidated, but now they've also got the luxury of a bit of time on their hands to start doing some of these DIY projects. How easy or difficult is it to essentially do a floating shelf for your apartment? Are they going to end up, you know, messing up their walls as they're drilling? I think the thing with DIY is also the one thing that I've also learned is to start small. I mean, I started off with helping my dad. And that's where I sort of gained my confidence over time how to use a drill how to use a spirit level. And those sort of things tend to over a long time they built. So I would say probably if you want to first start off your first project and you want to put up a desk where you need everything to be straight. You'd rather go with a different avenue. But definitely look, it's not, it's not difficult. I mean, okay, let me see. It's very labor intensive. It can be a bit difficult, but it's not impossible. And I mean, if you follow the correct insurance level create material as well, it can be very easy to do something like that that you put like maybe a floating desk. Of course, for our viewers at home, if you've just joined us, I am joined by little Honoluo Komalo, who's the founder of LK home, and we're looking at tips for making your space work for you. So if you're finding yourself working from home and you're struggling with the best ways to create that little home office and you're looking for tips, this is the episode for you. If there's anything in particular that you're struggling with or you want some help with, do send us your questions and comments. If you've been able to turn a little corner at a home into a home office or perhaps a different room, do send us those comments. Even send us pictures of how you've been able to jazz up your home space in order to be able to work. Of course, we're going to go for a quick break. And after this break, we'll be getting more tips from the Honoluo on how we can make our home spaces suitable for, we'll be back just after this. Welcome back to Episode 31 of the Private Property Podcast. I'm your host, Zaman Donga Komalo. So this evening I'm joined by little Honoluo Komalo, who's the founder of LK home, and we're talking about different tips to make your space work for you. Of course, if you're finding yourself working from home and perhaps you're a bit frustrated about the different ways you can make that space work for you, and for you to be able to be as productive as possible. So then this is the episode for you. Before I carry on with the Honoluo, of course, you can enter the Private Property Competition. We've got the competition details right here below. You can, you know, all you need to do is essentially download the app. And of course, you stand a chance of winning that 1000 rounds. And if you have any questions about that competition, do ask them below. We've posted the link for you to be able to download the app and remember to take your screenshot and to share it with us. Last week we announced that two lucky winners right here on the Private Property Podcast and we'll be announcing more winners during the end of the week. So good luck to everybody at home. I know that this is a financially difficult time. So even a 1000 rounds really does go a long way. I mean, when we started, you're saying one of the things that we definitely need to do is to designate a office space, and there are different ways that we need to essentially play around with the space, must ensure that we have good light. And if we don't have, you know, and I suppose in many people you want to have natural light as much as possible, then if you don't, you can make use of buying different lights. Maybe decide if you want to warm or cool. And a nice hat that I wasn't even aware of is the foldable desk. I think I need to, I need to explore that one, although I have to bring in a desk before lockdown because I knew I'd be in this situation. And before the break, you know, you're sharing tips for people who are renting versus people who obviously, you know, have a place and are able to drill and do a floating shop the way that you have. Perhaps share with us some of the, the, maybe a starting point for people who think, you know what, I've got a lot of, I've got a lot of time. I think I can build a desk for myself. I'm going to be ambitious. I mean, you were saying just before the break that one of the things is to start small with DIY projects. And I think some people would think desk can't be that hard. So perhaps if you could share with us what a starting point is for a project like that, typically how long would that even take. So if you wanted to be ambitious enough to do it yourself, as opposed to going to any hardware store and buying it, what kind of timeframe are we looking at? I think, depending on how invested you are, it can be literally in a two days. So I would say one day for preparation and one day for even actually building the actual desk. So I would say the first thing research is always key. So in terms of even with all the projects that I want to do is find out exactly what is it that you want. So they are different kinds of disks that you can build. So YouTube is an absolutely amazing space where you can find out how to do a lot of things. And one of it is also building a desk. So find out what is it in terms of the resources that you might have available in terms of material, the wood and stuff. And also it'll also be highly dependent on the equipment that you have. So whether you might need to get a drill and all those nails be starting from scratch or it's something that you already have in your arsenal. So those kind of things. So research is very important. And the other thing to also touch and research when I did my desk as well. One of the things that I actually researched was the best economical height for the desk, according to my height. So because I mean, obviously a shorter person might require this that might be a little bit lower and a taller person and I'm like quite tall. So then my disk came to about I think 70 or 80 centimeters off the ground. So it's determined those kind of things and also with things like your chair, your chair as well as another thing that you really have to consider from that. But I would say look it's not difficult and it's very easily done and there's funny enough today I just watched a YouTube video on how to build a desk using pine wood. So literally it's just like pieces of pine and a nice long surface and it's a very beautiful desk and can actually get you to do a lot of work. Okay. And so as a short person, I'm glad that when people are building desks, they take into account our height because you do sometimes find yourself working from a desk where you can see that this is not built for someone with my height, because it's also just the typical chair standard size. So, and a lot of us typically just do not have, you know, those office chairs at home where you can just take it up and down. You know, do you have any do's and don'ts for our viewers at home who are looking at, you know, creating that home office or creating that little nook. Whether it's in their lounge or in their bedrooms, as they try to make sure that their home spaces are able to essentially become a bit of a workspace. You know, do you have any do's and don'ts that they could potentially bear in mind as they transform their home spaces. I think one of the things I would say maybe do is consider your space and your flow as well. You want something that's still very comfortable and that is very easy to use and will allow you to be productive as well. So if you can get away from your couch, but I mean if it has to be at your dining room table, do that. So the thing is, and also it's, and the other thing that I would say don't is don't take somebody else's blueprint and make it yours because of our own. So if you are in a house with your whole family, another person might have to occupy the bedroom, another might have to occupy the office, another might have to occupy the living room, and those sort of things. I think it's definitely do adapt it to your own space and also just start with what you have. And what are some of the mistakes that we can potentially completely avoid, because I mean I can, I can already think of perhaps wanting. And this might be a slightly far-fetched, I mean probably even wanting to paint that different corner differently, not bearing in mind the fact that we might be in this work environment. But after that, you still live there. So drastically changing the work, like your home environment like that might not necessarily be the most suitable thing, especially if it becomes to, you know, have hazard with the rest of your work. No, most definitely. And I think the moment where you are going to do something as permanent, like building stuff into the walls, think about exactly how do you want to use that space long term. Because even though the moment you start drilling into the wall, you kind of change how the wall is and how the wall, so the thing is that yes, you can fill it up over time and repaint it, but I mean it's not something that you're going to do each and every single day. So if you know that primarily you are more feel-based and you don't necessarily are going to need it post this period, I would say something more temporary, like then that foldable desk situation and then you just use like a dining room chair or a chair that you can buy. And I think then, but other than that, if it's something that's going to fit into your lifestyle, I mean, for me, I think the desk was a blessing and disguise because I actually built my day for school, you know, and now it turned out to be where I work and where I also study. So for me, in terms of long term, it's for currently my space, it works out perfectly because I was going to be studying for the whole year and also with the possibility of studying even further the next few years, it's something that I'll be able to use. But I mean if it's something that's going to quite temporary, I would say get a temporary fix like a foldable desk. And I think, you know, one of the questions that probably would come up with something like this is around budget. I mean, we've thrown around different kinds of ideas, you're creating a nice nook or a different room altogether at home. There's options of doing a whole floating table, or even getting a foldable table. What kind of budget are we looking for, you know, for for something like this. So if somebody, if somebody needed an estimation of almost the starter pack for your own office, what kind of budgets are they essentially looking at. So I think the foldable desk, I mean, I remember the foldable desk that I used studying when I was in high school was, I think about 350 at the time, and I think right now it can be about around the same price or 500. So that's pretty much I think like your sort of temporary kind of very low-end cost. And I think with something like building the desk, I mean with the desk I previously built, with my desk I previously built my TV stand. And the desk was actually left over wood from that. So it's those kind of things that if maybe you might have some wood lying around, or you might have a work surface lying around, that's not another option to look into. So you just need to sort of look at purchasing brackets and other material that you might need. And then obviously then you'll go to about, I think these standing desks that sort of fit in a nook in your house can be anything from a thousand grand to five thousand grand from your major retailers. And those are also good options as well. And the thing is like you get, you can either get them assembled or you might have to assemble yourself. So definitely they are different options. They sort of, in terms of cost, there is different options available. So if anybody at home is looking at getting somebody like yourself in to consult, because I think we're now finding ourselves where we're looking at our homes and we're thinking I'm going to be working from home for the rest of the year. Some people, you know, they are fortunate enough to be working in offices where they giving them the option to stay working from home or come into the office. And I'm sure just given the uncertainty of COVID and perhaps even people's anxiety, some would probably opt to stay at home and working from home. If people wanted to reach you perhaps consult you for your deco, you know, consultations, how do they go about teaching you because I think I can already see more and more of us wanting professional expertise to help us, especially to ensure that we don't make mistakes when we're dealing with our spaces and end up doing, you know, whether it's painting or drilling hole, especially because we're going to be living there for quite a substantial period of time. So we also don't want to start something and or bite, bite off more than you can chew. So then with other people, we probably just want professional help to just jazz up your particular space. How do people go about reaching you. So the best way to contact me is through my Instagram account. And it is at LK home DIY. So that is at IK home DIY. LK, LK. Yeah, at IK. LK. So excuse me, that is at LK home DIY. I wrote it down here and I didn't make the other capital. So that's why I keep reading it. Okay. LK home DIY if you need any more of that inspirational tips on how you can best make your home into a workspace and really trying to navigate that I think so many of us are finding ourselves in this new normal and really trying to find different ways we can make our space as workable and livable as possible. Thank you so much for joining us this evening I'm sure many of our viewers will be reaching out for more of those tips and DIY ideas that you do post on your social media platforms. Thank you so much and thank you for having me. And that is it's a Honoloku Malau is the founder of LK home of course if you want to reach her you can go to her Instagram account on at LK home DIY and if you want any you know ideas on the different ways that you can play around with your space. So before then welcome to go there of course do remember to participate in the competition that we've got running all you have to choose to download the private property app and follow the prompts. And if you want to find out more about that do follow the link that we posted just here below will be announcing the winner at the end of the week, and then of course brings us to the end of episode 31 of the private property and your host is Amandu and Pumaila until tomorrow evening stay home and stay safe. Hi I'm Clinton Banfield our family and I live in Cape Town on the Western seaboard. To be able to wake up and take in the scenery every day is an absolute pleasure. We're probably one of the best views of Table Mountain. There's some really amazing suburbs in our neighborhood. Central hub close to the full home situated along the canal which give you a breathtaking view of Table Mountain. A little bit further along the canal you'll find Millington Golf Club which is a great place to unwind with your mates. Then we have Blow Burg which is world renowned for its beaches where your often see car surfers taking full advantage of the wind. To top it off there's a great variety of family restaurants in the area like Blue Peter where people love to meet. The Bayside Mall is a landmark and table view giving you an all-round retail experience in a relaxed and convenient environment. As a family we've chosen to live in Atlantic Beach Golf Estate in Malcbostrand. Our suburb is so chilled it really gives you this constant holiday feel. We've lived here for two years and we've really enjoyed the laid back lifestyle and this is our neighborhood.