Home Office Functional And Stylish

How to Design a Functional Home Office

As a computer technician, I am surprised by the many home offices that I visit that are arranged in a haphazard order with old furniture. With some simple rearranging and budgeting, you can make your home office functional and stylish.

1. Designate a room to be used for the office and just for the office. This is important. Just as you don’t have a bed in your living room (sofa sleepers excluded) you should have only office furniture in your office, and every piece should serve a purpose.

2. In designing a home you have two options: you can use furniture from relatives and friends or you can save for and purchase new furniture. If you really want to be able to design your office, I recommend saving your money and purchasing new furniture. Although you might be tempted to just get some old office furniture from a yard sale, leave the room empty and let ideas fill your mind on how to utilize the space.

3. Picture it. Try to visualize what you want your office to look like and then look online and in catalogs for furniture that matches your tastes and preference. Once you found the furniture you want, you may have to decide between picking it up locally and putting it together yourself, or having it delivered and put together for you.

If you choose the latter, budget for it in your savings. If possible try to theme your furniture. If a collection exists that offers everything you are looking for in furniture and style, go with that collection.

4. Create it. Once you have your furniture, arrange the furniture to your liking, but these things in mind: is everything accessible? Can I get to everything without having to move anything? In designing your office, every piece of equipment should have a place for itself: computer, printer, LCD monitor, shredder, filing cabinet for papers, laptop, etc.

Don’t crowd an area, and experiment with placement.
Make sure all electronic items have surge protectors. If you have had a recent spike, replace your surge protectors with new ones. Read the rest of this entry »