Every Piece Of Home Office Furniture You Need ... - Forbes

Desk

First things first when you’re styling a home office, you need a workspace. It can be challenging to stay focused and productive when your desk is cluttered, so be sure to choose a size that accommodates your office dimensions and daily activities.

And staying organized is essential. “No matter if it’s an L-shaped configuration that fits in a corner, a smaller console desk, or a standing desk, be sure to look for features that help keep your workspace clean and organized,” recommends Dave Adams, vice president of marketing at BDI Furniture.

Whether your home office setup is a larger private room or a pocket office, you have options. Here are a few of the most common:

• L-shaped desks
• Stand-up desks
• Floating desks
• Writing desks
• Executive desks
• Armoire desks

Office Chair

Your desk chair is arguably the most important piece of office furniture because it affects your comfort and ability to stay focused throughout the day. “It needs to be comfortable. It needs to be supportive. It needs to be ergonomic,” says Emily Powers, interior designer and owner of Three-Sixty Interiors.

An ergonomic chair will offer the right amount of lumbar support and promote spinal health and stability. And when it comes to quality, you often get what you pay for. There are several budget-friendly options available, but because you’ll be spending lots of time in an office chair, buy the best one your budget allows.

Plenty of Storage

You’re going to need a place to organize paperwork, files and supplies to keep your home office tidy. “It’s hard to be completely paperless, so some file storage is usually necessary,” says Powers. If you have a job that requires securing client, customer or patient files, you will also need to factor in storage pieces with a locking mechanism.

Thankfully, office storage has evolved from sterile gray and beige steel cabinets. There are quite a few options that are well-designed and blend with an office’s existing furnishings. Some file cabinets even come in bright and fun colors to lend a bit of style to your space.

Cable Management

Nothing makes a home office look more cluttered and unkept than a massive cable nest cascading down a desk. Between a computer, phone, printer, other business machines and light fixtures, there are lots of cables to consider. Adams says small spaces in particular need a cable management system. “Cords and clutter can make any workspace ineffective, but this is especially true when space is at a premium.”

Get them under control with cable wraps, ties or tubes that keep them together or out of sight. Many desks now come equipped with cable management included or as an optional feature for an additional cost.

Bookcase

If space allows, adding a bookcase creates a functional and decorative element to your home office. A dedicated place for books and binders makes them easily accessible. Bookshelves can also be styled with photos, decorative objects and a small plant to add a pop of color and personality.

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Zoom Wall

When it comes to creating a wow-worthy home office before and after, the Zoom wall is here to stay for those who work remotely, for better or for worse. Even if you prefer keeping video off during meetings, you’ll probably need to be camera-ready from time to time. Make your meeting background nice to look at with a fresh coat of wall paint, artwork or some floating shelves styled with framed photos or decorative objects.

The Right Lighting

Lighting is important to get right in a home office. Too much of the wrong kind feels clinical uncomfortable, and not enough can cause eye strain, headaches and decreased productivity. While natural light is best, it may not be enough for a home office. Layering lighting works best, which means you’ll need at least three sources of light:

• Ambient lighting or overhead lighting for general illumination
• Task lighting for specific activities like reading, typing on a computer or taking notes
• Accent lighting to illuminate one or two areas like a darker corner or beneath shelves

Extra credit: If you do a lot of virtual facetime or lead presentations, a ring light casts diffused and even lighting that minimizes facial shadows and smoothes flaws. While it may not cure Zoom gloom, it will brighten up your face and make you look vibrant and energized (even before you’ve had your morning coffee).

Color

Let’s face it—many office furnishings are boring. The function-forward designs prioritize purpose over style, which can make your work space look drab and uninspired. Spruce up the office area with splashes of color to lift your mood and increase creativity. It can be a few bright pops of saturated hues or a rich matte black accent with layered neutrals. Color can also work with textural elements to create dimension, like a throw pillow, blanket, area rug or curtains.

Wall Art

Artwork is an essential element of a home office. It can add color to your space and is an opportunity to show some individuality and personality. Wall art also gives your eyes a place to rest when taking a computer break. Make it something you love and will enjoy looking at each day, whether it’s a painting, poster, photography, mural or favorite quote

Biophilia

There’s a reason why interior designers are abuzz with the biophilia trend that focuses on bringing nature indoors. Studies show that being in nature makes us happier and less stressed, so it makes sense we’d want to bring as much of it as we can inside our homes.

Grains, textures, color palettes and materials that reflect the natural world can create some of those feel-good vibes in your home office. A few easy ways to add some biophilic features to your space include bringing in potted plants, nature photography, real wood furnishings and woven elements like a sisal rug or rattan pendant light.

Extra Chair

One thing that Three-Sixty interior designer Emily Powers recommends to her clients is an occasional chair if space allows. An additional chair that’s not your main desk chair can be a productive asset to a home office. “It helps you get away from work while you’re still in the office,” she adds. This addition creates a sense of separation between you and the computer and gives you space to relax and breathe.

Door or Partition

After you’ve sent that last email of the day, it’s easier to enjoy your evening or weekend if you have an office door to close. Working from home can easily blur and break the line between personal and work life. And according to the National Library of Medicine, chronic overwork can lead to depression, anxiety, hypertension and heart disease. A physical boundary between your office and the rest of the home makes it easier to disengage and rest. But it doesn’t have to be a door, any partition will do—whatever works best for you and your home office setup.

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Working from home has its perks (cozy loungewear, a dream commute) and its pitfalls (distractions, a heavily blurred line between the office and off-hours). Creating a designated workspace can help combat the latter, but doing so with thought and intention is the key to making it work. Whether you’re upgrading from a cubicle to an entire room or simply carving out space in the corner of your living room, the items you choose to outfit that zone with will be the difference between a productive workspace and an ineffective one. 

Office furniture rarely drums up an aesthetically pleasing example of form marrying function, but reapply the concept to a home base, and suddenly, you have a lot more flexibility, especially on the design front. Bulky file cabinets and rigid desks get traded for softer textures and delicate lines. Snoozy paper memos and beige walls default to vibrant art and potted plants, transforming the area with colorful flair. And if you’re going for a traditional approach, there are design-forward opportunities for that as well.