Remember when working from home was as fun as being a kid on a snow day? There were fewer meetings and interruptions, you were in familiar surroundings, and you found your productivity soaring unexpectedly. You might even have felt oddly refreshed at the end of the work day. You could get used to this! Well, at least ’til you had no choice in the matter. The novelty wears off when your commute takes you from your bedroom to the dining room table and back again, day in and day out, seemingly without end. It’s time for a home office, and Fairfield Galleries has home office furniture that helps you re-balance work and home. Here’s how to get started.
HOME OFFICE FURNITURE ESSENTIALS
Choose Your Office
The first thing you’ll need to do is figure out your workspace. The best spaces are those that give you seclusion and quiet; finished basements and guest bedrooms fit the bill nicely. Don’t have a spare room? Figure out a spot that’s out of the way and affords you a fair amount of space. Once you’ve chosen your “suite,” measure its width, and also its depth for your desk and chair. It’s also a good idea to evaluate the natural light so you know the kind of window treatments and supplemental lighting you’ll need as available light changes throughout the day.
Inventory Your Needs
Think over your typical office day. We’re far enough into working from home that you probably have a wish list of things that would make your day-to-day job easier, or some essentials you might have left behind at the office. You probably also have a number of things you use on a daily basis. Make a list, since there are some things you probably use without thinking about them, as well as a few you don’t have yet, and you’ll need to make sure there’s sufficient space to use (or store) them properly. In brief, most home offices will have some combination of the following:
- Desk
- Chair
- Computer
- Router/modem
- Surge protector
- Scanner/fax/printer
- Filing cabinet
- UPS (uninterruptible power supply)
- Backup drives
- Bookcases and other storage and organization solutions
Each of us has a different routine, and different needs. But whichever items you do have — especially if they’re currently scattered throughout multiple parts of your living space — it’s a good idea to get everything into a single, centralized, location.
Choose a Comfortable Chair
You’re going to be spending a lot of time behind your desk, and while you can always find ways to work around a limited amount of desk space, there’d better be enough space and support for ye olde posterior. Choose something that adjusts in height so you’re not straining your neck, back, and eyes, and make sure it provides plenty of lower back support.
Choose the Right Desk
You won’t need an enormous home office desk if your work from home setup consists of little more than a laptop and mobile phone, but give yourself space anyway so you don’t feel cramped. As you figure out dimensions, don’t forget to leave extra room on the back and sides for ventilation, plus easy access if you need to troubleshoot a problem with a connection. If you’re working in a limited horizontal space, consider an L-shaped desk or just take a lesson from architecture: when you can’t go sideways, go vertical. A hutch can accommodate peripherals, your monitor, books, reference materials, and much more.
Accessorize
Your workspace should be useful, but doesn’t have to be utilitarian. You see your family every day now, so you may not need their photo on your desk. But choose an artwork that inspires you, or enlarge and print a photo from a vacation that brings back great memories. Keep a small game or toy on hand to lighten the mood, or for the times you need to fidget or let your mind wander. Find organizers for the papers that inevitably pile up, a cable management system so the area behind and under your desk doesn’t look like spaghetti, and something to corral all your pens and pencils (even if it’s just your favorite Snoopy mug). Other small touches, from a fresh coat of paint to a textured area rug, can help personalize and pull the space together as well.
FURNISHING YOUR HOME OFFICE
We’ve all had to make adjustments these days, setting schedules and boundaries, figuring out how to socialize so we don’t feel like hermits, and trying to carve out some semblance of normalcy wherever we can. Unlike other adjustments brought on by these unpredictable times, getting your home office up and running doesn’t have to be on a wing and a prayer. Fairfield Galleries is here to help with everything from furniture to home office design assistance, so don’t hesitate to call or stop by.
