The Office Floor Plan
Do not consider purchasing office furniture until you have measured your office space and considered what furnishings you would like to have in the office. When you have measured the office space and decided on your furnishings it is then the time to do an actual floor plan. Be sure you have measured the office furniture that you want to place in the space as well. Basic office furniture would include a desk, desk chair, guest chair (one or two depending on the space) and a bookcase. If you have a large office space you may want to include a desk size credenza for additional work space.
There are many different ways to lay out the furniture in the home-based office and it will mostly depend on the size of the space and where the window and door are located. For example, you could have the desk facing a wall, facing the window, diagonally placed, or centrally located in the office space. Another question to ask is will this just be a home-based office or will it do some double duty as perhaps the guest room or dining room? If the office will serve as a dual space then you will need to consider storage space such as a closet so the office can disappear when you need it to. So, we have painted the office, put up our window treatments and wall decorations and now is the time to place the furnishings.
Lighting For The Home-Based Office
At this point when the use of the office space has been determined and the office furnishings have been placed in the office, it would be a good time to consider an effective use of lighting. So when choosing the lighting remember that the home-based office is not only functional working space but it is also a part of your home decor. There should be comfortable, properly lit area for reading, relaxing, and viewing a computer screen or TV. There should also be a place to display collections or artwork. Some rules of thumb to follow when installing lighting into the office would be to consider the natural light and then layer the lighting using some ambient, task lighting, and accent lighting. The bottom line is that the office has good quality lighting. A dimly lit office will have a negative effect on your productivity so be sure you have adequate lighting in your home-based office.
What Industry Are You Working In?
I only ask this question because just like family pictures and inspirational quotes, whatever industry you are working in should be reflected in your home office space. In a previous article I talked about how adding a touch of your industry to your space will let people know what it is that you are doing while working at your desk. For example, if you are a company representative selling health and wellness products have a couple of products and perhaps information about the products displayed either on your desk or on your bookcase. Just be sure they are placed in an area where they will be noticed and perhaps invoke curiosity in your visitor.
Basic Office Equipment
Finally add your basic office equipment such as computer/mouse, printer/copy/fax machine, telephone, shredders, bulletin boards, white boards, etc. and you have successfully completed the set up for the perfect home-based office. Don't forget to add some comfy space for taking a break or reading. Add some easy to care for plant life or even a silk plant or two and you have created a space that you will be happy and productive in for the hours you will be spending there.