No matter where you work, it is important that your workspace supports your health and comfort, and this is nowhere more true than in the case of office furniture for home. Part of the advantage of working from home is the flexibility of having surroundings that are tailored to your own needs, so why settle for your uncle’s duct taped gaming chair, a thrift store desk and some shelves built out of cinder blocks?
The opportunity to make a living doing remote work is a chance at a really wonderful and productive work life, but uncomfortable and unattractive surroundings can completely ruin the experience. Investing in office furniture for home can pay big dividends in terms of comfort, focus and enjoyment.
Home Office Furniture For Your Remote Workspace
Remote work is a fairly new invention, but there are already many great resources to make it as convenient and enjoyable as possible. Productivity is higher when you have a comfortable environment and can surround yourself with solid home office furniture and equipment. Don’t underestimate the importance of setting aside a designated office area in your home; trying to type while curled up on the couch or even at the dining room table will get old. But if you don’t have a room to spare, never fear: there are ways of setting aside a corner of a room as a very functional office space–and without breaking the bank.
Your Home Office Desk: Multiple Options for Your Unique Needs
The choice of a home office desk is just the first step toward designing your perfect home office space. Whether you need a large work surface or a standing desk for better health, the right desk can open up loads of opportunities for creativity and inspiration.
A Large Desk Lets You Spread Out Your Materials
If you have the space, a large office desk can give you plenty of room to have physical documents easily accessible, along with industry manuals and a device or three as needed. An L shaped desk lets you designate one part of its surface for papers and books, and another as typing and mouse navigation space.
Standing Desks for Cardio-Vascular Health
Sitting all day is bad for your heart, your waistline, your breathing, your blood sugar, and virtually every facet of your body’s wellbeing. The simple switch from a sitting to a standing position for at least a few hours out of the work day can make a dramatic difference in your body’s functionality.
Use your home office furniture to encourage you to make better habits in how you use your body during the day. So adjust your desk to standing height, push away your office chairs and spend some time on your feet. With the right equipment you will be surprised how comfortable you will be.
Home Office Chair Selections: The Most Important Factor For Comfort
Office chairs are a very important subject. Even with a standing desk you will need to sit sometimes, and if you ever have clients or coworkers visit your home office you will need to have a good place for them to sit as well. Invest in good office seating and reap the benefits of improved productivity, joint health, and so much more.
Home Office Task Chairs: Your Bottom’s Home at Home
Good office chairs should encourage good posture. It should not cause painful pressure points or aggravate conditions like sciatica, and it should allow good blood circulation to the legs. It should also be easy to move, swivel and adjust so as to permit flexibility in your position depending on what task lies before you. Do not skimp on your task chair, or your back and hips will make you regret it.
Other Office Seating
Whether clients, coworkers, or auditors come to pay a call, you want to give the impression that you are ready to open your office in hospitality. Start by having attractive seating that suits your office style. Having at least a couple of extra office chairs will show that you are really open for business.
Storage Pieces: Reducing Clutter and Inspiring Organization
There are as many options for home office furniture storage pieces as there are remote work career paths, and your needs will dictate which choices are most appropriate for you. If your work demands an extensive collection of books, your storage solution will look different from that which is chosen by someone who has to have hard copies of a large number of important documents. The best office furniture is the office furniture that suits your needs.
Give thought to a realistic assessment of your needs so you don’t install a wall full of open shelves, only to realize later that some drawers and cabinets would have been more appropriate.
Filing Cabinets: Keeping Documents In Order
While not particularly chic, file cabinets are one of the top essentials for anyone who needs to have hard copies of documents in order to stay in compliance. Consider choosing fireproof filing cabinets, as this can present an insurance benefit for your business and mitigate risk. An organized filing system can save hours every day so make sure you are properly equipped.
A Home for Your Books
Your work library serves multiple functions, from offering important information in a less distracting format than Google, to providing the legitimacy of having relevant text by experts in your field, to simply providing an aesthetic backdrop to your creative endeavors. Depending on your needs you may wish to have all open shelving, all closed cabinets, or a mix of both.
Lighting: An Important Consideration
Your home office can experience great differences in lighting over the course of the day, so choosing both its location and its lighting accessories is of paramount importance. Too little light is an obvious problem, but if you’ve ever tried to work when the sun is pouring in through a large window you will know that too much light can cause glare and eyestrain. Your home office furniture supplier can give you solutions for both problems.
Room Dividers to Reduce Glare
Observe how the sun moves through your home at different times of the day and year. Obviously window curtains are an option, but if you don’t want to deprive the rest of your family of light just to serve your needs, you can consider a room divider. Many are easy to move and remove so that you only need to be shut off from the rest of the room when the sunlight is too bright, but you can still enjoy your home’s ambiance when the lighting is less intense.
Placing a room divider to shade your office chairs and desktop at the brightest part of the day will make a surprising difference in your workflow.
Lighting for Your Home Office
Your needs may vary, but there will be times when you need to have lighting in order to accomplish your tasks. A simple floor lamp can provide the ambient lighting you need, while swivel lights on the ceiling or adjustable desk lamps can put illumination right where you need it most.
Camera Readiness: Make Your Space Suit Your Style
If your job requires remote collaboration, interviews, or video chats with clients, you will want to create a pleasant background for when it’s time to turn the video camera on yourself. You will want your background to be tidy and attractive, not distracting, and also to have good lighting so that you aren’t overexposed or silhouetted against glare. The right home office furniture pieces will create the ambiance that you seek.
Bookcases as a Camera Backdrop
If your bookcases stay tidy and the lighting is right, they can provide a fine backdrop for your video needs. Just include some enclosed storage where you can stash haphazard items that may clutter up your camera view when someone rings unexpectedly. Configuring your camera to show the best of your home office furniture will pay off when your are consistently able to present a tidy, attractive space on zoom calls and meetings.
Room Dividers as a Camera Backdrop
If your bookshelf situation is out of hand, you may want to select something that is easier to keep from cluttering. A room divider offers a purely vertical surface, with no temptation to stow items thereon; put it someplace where you can back your office chairs up to it or roll it in front of your filing cabinet to create an instantly clean backdrop, no matter the state of your waste can or desktop.
Home Office Furniture: Improve Your Remote Workspace
If you are just beginning a new remote work position, or have been muddling along for a while with the furniture you already had before you began your remote work life, you should consider making the investment in ergonomic and functional home office furniture pieces to make your experience as painless as possible and to streamline your daily routine.
You will find that the hours of work pass more quickly when you are comfortable, and that you get more done when you aren’t always hunting for the file or stapler that you need and that there isn’t an easily accessible place for in your current configuration. Office chairs that don’t adjust easily are another big time waster.
For good productivity and a day free of frustration, invest in home office furniture today.
