Designing The Ideal Home Office

If you're working from home on a full-time basis, youaren't purchasing all of your office furniture at once,
may feel the need for a functional home office. Withkeep in mind any additional pieces you may want to
so many styles and designs of computer desks, officematch to your desk in the future.
chairs and other pieces of office furniture to chooseExecutive desks also are 29 to 31 inches high, but are
from, it might seem like an impossible task. But withgenerally more elaborate in detail. They can feature
some careful planning, you can create a functional andwider desk tops than standard desks, and have
practical home office you can be proud of.features like storage compartment, storage drawers
Deciding where it will be located and how much spaceand a file drawer. Executive desks tend to be available
you will have to work with, is the first step in planningin richer finishes and offer more features than a
your home office. Will it be in a section of yourstandard desk.
basement, part of your family room or in a separateL-shaped desks are composed of two desks that
room? To select the perfect location for your office,form an L. These are designed to maximize floor
take into account any privacy issues that might arise, ifspace and are ideal for smaller areas since they can
the area is well-lit and the locations of all availablebe installed in a corner of the room. L-shaped desks
power sources.are very popular because, in addition to a place for the
After knowing where you will set up your office, takemonitor and keyboard, there is also a work area within
measurements. How much space you have to fill willarm's reach.
be the deciding factor in determining what other piecesU-shaped desks are made of two desks flanked on
of office equipment you will be able to include. It willeither side of a credenza. These U-shaped desks are
give you a better idea when shopping for an executiveideal for those who need the extra workspace.
desk if you have space for a credenza, bookshelf orHowever, of all the types of computer desks, they do
more than one filing cabinet.take up the most space. If you are sharing your home
If you will need to see clients or business associates,office or have the room, a U-shaped desk is a good
you will want your home office to be professionalchoice.
looking, yet be a comfortable and welcoming place.Office chairs come in many shapes and styles. You
Consider purchasing a side chair for visitors thatwill want to choose an office chair that will not only
matches your office chair, or if there is room, a smallcomplement the desk you selected, but be
sofa.comfortable as well. It should also support you
When choosing a computer desk, consider theergonomically.
following:If you have limited space to work with when setting up
- available floor spaceyour home office, consider purchasing a computer
- whether the desk layout or the components of anworkstation. They are very compact and usually have
office suite favor right hand or left hand setupa keyboard tray, places for the CPU, monitor and
- if it will blend with your decorprinter, and other features like utility or file drawers.
- if the work surface is large enough to accommodateSome types of computer workstations have the
your needsadded benefit of being on casters, so that they can be
- the size and layout of the deskmoved easily. Since they come in a number of
The four basic types of computer desks are standard,configurations, they can be a viable alternative to the
executive, L-shaped and U-shaped and generally referstandard computer desk.
to the layout of the desk.With a little planning, you can create a home office that
Standard desks come in a variety of styles andis both a practical and enjoyable place to work.
materials, and stand 29 to 31 inches high. They canHopefully this article will help you decide what type of
have features such as an adjustable keyboard tray,desk and other pieces of offices furniture you will
and drawers. When selecting a standard desk, if youneed when designing an office space for your home.