| | Home Office Furniture Choosing the right home office furniture will help you to do your job better, add character to your room and help you make the best of your home office space. You’ll need to think about exactly what furniture you need for your home office. If you’re on a tight budget, you may want to consider starting with the minimum requirements of a home office desk and a home office chair and then building from there. You can gradually add cabinets, drawers and shelves as necessary and as your budget allows. Some department stores, homewares shops and supermarkets offer ‘office starter packs’ which include the very basics. They may not be the most stylish or high-quality items but in many cases they’ll be enough to get you started and make sure that your equipment and files are reasonably well organised. However, if you can afford it, shopping for your home office furniture should also take into account how ‘professional’ you want your office to look, whether your room will have a certain style, and whether clients and prospective customers will be visiting you in your home office. If so, you might want to think about considering more than just the basic functionality of your office furniture and also thinking more about aesthetics and co-ordination. When it comes to office furniture, ergonomics are also very important. You’re likely to be sitting at work for a significant amount of time so you need to make sure that you’re comfortable and not causing any damage or strain to your body. Choosing a home office chair When you’re choosing a chair for your office, it’s crucial to consider the chair’s height. You should buy a chair that is easy to adjust. When you sit down your feet should be flat on the floor and your thighs should be flat. Make sure the seat is deep enough that you can sit right back and still have space between the back of your knees and the chair. The chair should support your back, especially the lower back, and the back rest should also be adjustable. Choose a padded fabric covering where possible for comfort.  Home office shelving One of the decisions you'll need to make about your shelving is how accessible you want your books, DVDs and other bits and pieces. If you are doing the kind of work that means you need to constantly reach for reference material or files, then you'll be more likely to want to have open shelving placed conveniently close to your seat, so that you're not forced to be constantly getting up to grab and return items. On the other hand, if, during the course of a normal working day, you're not likely to need anything else on a regular basis apart from what's on your desk, you might be more inclined to keep your files and knick-knacks closed away behind cupboard doors. Depending on the design of your home working space, you can be quite creative about the positioning of shelves. Utilise space that would otherwise not be used, i.e. under stairs. Choosing a home office desk When you choose your desk for your home office, think about the work you’ll be doing most - the desk should be set at the ideal height for the work that you do. For example, if you work with blueprints a lot you may need a higher desk than if you are working at a computer. If you haven't chosen your home office desk with your exact sitting height in mind, the desk should be adjustable. When you’re working with a computer all day, your desk should be at such a height that the top line of typing on your computer screen is at eye level. To some extent this can be mitigated with an adjustable chair, but this won't work if the desk is too low. Choosing home office furniture is a balance between style, comfort and safety. Check these related pages: Home office design |