Home Sweet Home Office

2008-08-20 21:32:12 

Home office spaces interest me. Contemporary modern is my favorite design style because of the clean lines and the non cluttered look.  Glass desks and furniture on wheels is a great place to start. Then add in the metallic bulletin boards and loose the in/out box.

A boring room is not conducive to getting much work done. If you would rather be somewhere else – you probably will be. Spending a lot of money will not take the place of imagination. If you don’t have a great imagination just borrow someone else’s. Look through magazines and on the internet for ideas that can be combined into one functional home office

When designing a home office certain realities have to be considered. First take good measurements. Measure the actual space and also measure the items you plan to include in the space.

• How many people need to work in it at any given time?
• How much storage is needed?

This will determine whether one desk is enough. If multiple work areas are needed it may be best to build in a custom desktop. A small desk with a thin top – such as a glass top - is best for a small space. Desks and storage should be on wheels so that they can be moved out of the way when necessary.

Other considerations should include -

• Are there adequate electrical outlets? How many are dedicated outlets?
• Is there enough light?

Count the number of devices that have to be plugged in. Then count the number of outlets you have available. Remember that it is not necessarily the number of outlets but how many of those outlets are on a dedicated circuit.

Is there adequate lighting in the room? Natural light from windows are great during the day but you may need to work in the home office later in the day and night. Task lighting is important to minimize eye strain.

These few steps are most important to the overall design of a comfortable home office. Use furniture and storage boxes that are already available in the beginning. Live with the space for a period of time and you will know what functions and what does not. Keep notes so that when you do spend the money your decisions will be good ones.