Tips for Decorating Your Home Office

The best guide to creating a stylish,beautiful,and functional office in your home.

Whether your home office is designated space for conducting a business,your remote workspace or merely a nook for paying invoices and organizing your schedule,you deserve more than a metal desk and additional seat stuffed into a corner. Why? An office which reflects the comfort and design of the rest of your home is a place you will want to burn the midnight oil.

Location,Location,Location

You will probably spend many hours in your home office,so don’t stiff yourself on space (e.g. squishing a very small desk into a windowless closet to preserve the rarely-used guest room).

Also,consider traffic flow and your ability to withstand distractions. Do you work best in the thick of action,or should your office be tucked away in a quiet space? If customers will be stopping by,a private space with ample seating is a must.

Don’t Sacrifice Form for Function

Your desk,shelves and storage should serve you,not the other way around. Consider your workflow and what things you need at your fingertips before buying furniture,and then search for pieces that are both functional and beautiful.

Home office furniture should complement other rooms in your house instead of yelling”soulless cubicle.” If your home has traditional decor,warm wood and soft,comfy chairs or a loveseat are ideal when you’ve got the space. A contemporary home office can feature artistic pieces or modern metal furniture.

Invest in a Excellent Chair

You spend hours parked on your office chair; a beautiful,ergonomically correct,comfortable seat is worth every dime.

Organize Vertically and Horizontally

Many home offices aren’t swimming in square footage,so using space efficiently is imperative.

Hang floating shelves on the walls to get papers and office equipment off the desk,and use vertical file folders on the desk to store important papers within arm’s reach. Are you a stacker or a filer? If you tend to create piles,get a wonderful basket to tame your mail,notes and papers. If you want a clean background,designate one drawer for your”to-do” papers. Wooden or metal cube storage is a fun alternative to bookshelves,since each space can be used for books,knickknacks or baskets of odds-and-ends.

Master Your Technology

There is not much you can do to beautify the computer,printer and phone,but you can hide unsightly cords. Begin by ensuring your equipment is near outlets and easy to access if you will need to unplug. Encase strings on the desk in a fabric cord cover,and feed the strings into a desk grommet,a plastic or metal cap which helps guide cords through a hole in the desk and hides them underneath. Tame the cord jungle on the ground with cord winders,tubing,or a wire organizer that is connected to the desk and lifts the strings off the floor.

Inspire Yourself

Establish a mini-shrine — a few cherished knickknacks,a piece of framed artwork,a special photo on your desk — which motivates you to make and/or get the work done so you can get out of there. A print of Paris can channel your inner muse,or a photograph of your kids might remind you that you are doing it all for them.