Home Office Design

Create A Home Office Design That Matches
Your Work Style

Whether a hideaway or bustling business center, create a home office design that is both functional and attractive.

However, to create a home office design that will meet your needs, you should first identify all the activities that will occur in that space.

For example, will you be the only user or will it also be a room for your children to do homework, play videos, or watch television?

Some home offices also double as guest bedrooms. Will this be a requirement for your new home office?

After identifying the activities, you should make sure that the infrastructure for your home office design is in place.

Here are the basics:

• Obtain conduit material to neatly hide power cords and computer wiring
• Make sure that you have enough electrical outlets and telephone jacks
• Make sure that you have power surge protectors for equipment
• Confirm that cords connecting your computer and its components are long enough

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll use my home office below as a starting point to provide you with a few home office design and decorating ideas.

My office space is 10 ft. x 11 ft. and I wanted to design it as a stylish, yet efficient business center.

So, as with all key rooms that I've covered on this home interior decorating web site, I first identified a focal point.

A focal point gives the eye an initial point of interest so that it can begin to take in the interior landscape of a room with ease.

If your focal point is not an architectural element, such as a fireplace or windows with a beautiful view, you'll have to create one. In my case, I chose a mahogany table desk as the focal point. The desk is 62" (L) x 30" (W) x 30" (H) and is arranged at an angle across the room.

I went with a table desk for two reasons. First, I loved its elegant, hand carved legs and classic look…

Second, the desk is open underneath which allows the eye to appreciate it and then move on. A solid desk of similar size would have cut the room in half and overwhelmed it. Take a look at the picture again and imagine the room with a weighty desk that is closed underneath…Too much, right?

That's why you'll want to keep this in mind for your home office design.

Your focal point doesn't have to be a desk, but whatever it is, make sure that it's eye-catching.

Here are some other home office design suggestions:

Arrange your work area in an L or U shape - this way you'll have all your important items within easy reach.

Consider a computer armoire - if you don't want your home office design to look like an office or if the space doubles as a guest bedroom, a computer armoire would be perfect. It will hide computer equipment, save on space, and make a beautiful furniture addition….perhaps even a focal point You'll also have extra space for a wall bed or a daybed.

Install the right lighting - you'll want a desk lamp so that you have adequate task lighting, and a second lamp or built-in lighting fixtures for general lighting. Use a dimmer switch for built-in lighting.

Purchase a comfortable chair - if you plan on spending lots of hours at your desk, make sure that you get a comfortable chair with adequate back support. Consider one that swivels if you'll be turning to retrieve papers or to answer the phone.

Install sufficient shelving - you'll need shelving for reference books and to display collectibles and personal items. Built-in shelving would be an excellent space-saving choice, but there are plenty of quality assemble-it-yourself options.

Consider modular storage pieces - they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from stackable cubes to shelves and have optional lids, doors and drawers.

Once you've identified the major home office design components, you'll want to go back and add the furnishings and accessories to make it homey. Hang art that you love as well as family photographs. Display collectibles in dramatic fashion.

Additional home office decorating touches to my office are shown in the picture to the right.

I hung a blackboard as a fast and easy way to track important appointments and as a general "to do" list.

For guest seating, I chose Director Chairs. These are great because I can change out the fabric in a snap for an updated look.

I hope these home office design ideas have been helpful.