Creating the Ideal Office for Your New Home

Barcelona real estate Blog

Monday, 21 March 2011 09:23

Bright and cheery? Whimsical and inspirational? Corporate and professional? Whichever of these are descriptions you would use to describe your ideal home office, the sooner you can create it, the quicker you can get to work in it.

Indeed not everyone has a space in his or her home that can be designated solely for a home office. Some might have to share the room with the occasional overnight guest, others might have to share with their kids and still others may not have the luxury to have a room to carve out and call a true home office. Whatever describes your situation, creating a space will not be as burdensome as you might imagine.

Assess Your Space

Newer homes are often built with the extra space that older homes lacked. If your home is on the newer side, it may be large enough that designating a room to call your own is easy. Let’s work from this premise first.

Deciding which room should be your office might be predicated upon what you do in your office. If you live on a busy street, maybe one of the rooms in the back of the house is better suited for inspiration. Do you have clients who meander in and out of your office? If so, impressive furniture will be a necessity for you. Are you a writer or graphic designer? If so, quiet is likely more important than making an impression on would-be customers.

Sharing With the Family

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to have a dedicated home office. Most people, in fact, have to share space, which is outside in the open, with the rest of the family. In this case, you will have to be more imaginative as you create an area that is functional for everyone, accessible to everyone, regardless of the age or size of your kids and can still serve as inspiration to you. If your home has both a family room and a living room, your problem is 75% solved. You would be surprised how easily you can live without two living rooms, knowing that you can have your own office most of the time (at least when kids are at school or playing outside).

If you must share a computer with your kids, bear in mind that kids can be inspired more easily than can you. Buying a desk and office furniture that needs to be shared should cater to your needs rather than the other way around. You can always add a booster seat for smaller kids, but you can’t work on a desk that’s suitable for a 6-year old. You can neither fit it in nor can you be inspired to create behind it if it is plastic and decorated with your daughter’s favorite princess. You may have to accept a few decals here and there on your grown-up desk, however.

If you can afford two computers, buying a beautiful Japanese or Chinese Shoji screen can divide the room in half and behind it you are working on the computer, likely with headphones on, while your kids use “their” computer for games or school work.

If you don’t have a family room to steal:

• If your bedroom is large enough, you can cordon off a space to make an office
• Exchanging the queen-sized bed in the guest room for a folding futon gives you lots of space for a desk, a chair and a filing cabinet
• If you aren’t claustrophobic, maybe you have a closet you aren’t using fully; you can remove the clothes bar and keep the shelves for peripherals

Not All Small Spaces are Impractical

It’s better to have a small area and use it efficiently, than a larger one whose space you squander needlessly. Assess the space you have and use it efficiently. Spreading out doesn’t ensure your productivity. Using space wisely does. If you are spatially challenged, here’s a link that will help get the brain storming.

The Best Furniture for You

Once you know where your desk is going, take measurements. The things you want to remain faithful to are the following:

• Your personality - if you like simple, clean lines, don’t get something wholly ornate
• Your space - large furniture can seem obtrusive in a small space and tiny furniture can easily be dwarfed in a large space
• Your budget
• Your needs – if you have lots of files, but are short on space, in place of a large filing cabinet you can opt for one on casters that can roll into a closet when it’s not in use

It’s All About Focus

Maybe it’s easier to ponder this when going into someone else’s home or office. When you walk in and hone in on something, that’s your focal point. Otherwise your eyes continue to wander, which isn’t pleasant. Figure out where your focal point should be in your office.

Some suggestions:

• The obvious one – your desk
• Artwork clustered around your desk
• Something antique
• Fireplace
• Brightly painted walls

Love the Dress; the Jewelry Leaves Much to Be Desired

You may have the most functioning office, but if your walls are white, even though you love color, or your lighting is subdued when you prefer lots of natural light, you won’t feel inspired. Conversely, if your desk says funky web designer or writer, having a lamp that is reminiscent of your grandmother’s estate is going to get you attention for all the wrong reasons. Your goal should not only be to inspire you, but to also remember how your office represents you. Perception is after all, reality.

A word about color: don’t be afraid of it! Be bold, if that’s what will inspire you!

Although initially time consuming, creating the ideal office space can be fun and in the long run will be beneficial to you. Regardless what your business is, having something that’s functional and fun to be in should be your ultimate goal.

Lloyd Burrell enjoys writing reviews on modern office desk furniture. Perhaps you are thinking about investing in an l shaped office desk in cherry or maybe a small home corner computer desk is more your style? Whatever your needs, conventional, executive, funky or simple and plain, Lloyd can find the right office desk for you. Lloyd lives on the West Coast of France with his wife Emmanuelle and daughter and son.