7 tips for choosing furniture for your home office

Creative people, tutors, freelancers and entrepreneurs who carry out the main work at home or are forced to sit for a long time at a computer and documents after work, have one thing in common - the need for their own work space at home. Sooner or later, almost anyone who works a lot at home, receives clients and negotiates comes to the idea of ​​organizing an office in an apartment, because a sofa or a kitchen table does not meet the requirements put forward to the working space. It doesn’t matter if a separate room is allocated for these purposes, balcony or only part living roomalways comes first functionality and convenience of furniture. Its assortment is huge, so it is very important that it understand what should end up, and then it will be simple to choose furniture for your home office, and the workspace will be cozy and conducive to productive activities.

No. 1. What furniture is needed for a home office?

The basic set of any office - table and chair (or chair). These elements will certainly be present both in a separate room allocated for an office, and in the working corner in the corner of the living room, bedrooms or on the balcony. All further features of the home office depend on the specifics of your activity: someone will need a small table with a pair of drawers, and someone needs room to work with massive folders, drawings or drawings.

If there is enough space in the office, then you can arrange racks or shelves to store the necessary papers. Those who are especially lucky will be able to place in the office also sofa or a couple of chairs from a coffee table - This place will serve for relaxation or business negotiations. Sometimes the workspace is complemented by its own bar or wine cabinet.

Before you go to the store and buy furniture for your home office, it’s better create a design project. It is especially necessary if a separate room is allocated for the working area: a plan will help you choose furniture optimal size and position it correctly. When the office is limited to a balcony or part of another room, it is all the more important to know what space you have in order to fit everything you need.

No. 2. Home office table - the basis of the basics

For the artist, the seamstress and the one who works only at the computer, you will need completely different desktops. General requirements are convenience, functionality, durability, environmental friendliness and durability. Those who use a drawing board, handle thick folders and work with a pile of paper documents, should pay attention to large tables - those models where the working surface has parameters 140 * 70 cm are considered optimal. Seamstresses may need a more spacious surface to arrange necessary equipment and work normally with patterns.

If there’s not so much space or you work only with laptop, you can get by with a small desktop, about 80-90 cm long, but do not forget that on the table, in addition to the working area, you need to select the right and left auxiliary: for placing phones, notebooks and other necessary things. For comfortable work table height should be 76-78 cm - these are optimal parameters for people with a height of 160-180 cm, however, by adjusting the height of the chair you can adjust to almost any table.

Table shape it is better to choose a straightforward, without sharp corners. To equip the working area in a small office or living room, you can choose corner table option: these are capacious and compact models.

A table for a home office can be made of such materials:

• natural wood - a luxurious and most expensive option. Such a table will confirm the high status of its owner. Among other advantages, environmental friendliness and maintainability, but moisture, the main enemy of the tree, does not threaten the table in the office. The main disadvantage is the high price;
• MDF board - One of the most popular materials for the production of furniture and desks in particular. It is based on wood chips, which are pressed at high pressure and temperature. The use of melamine-modified urea resins as a binder can significantly reduce formaldehyde emissions in comparison with other similar material - particleboard. MDF boards durable, easy to process, can be painted, veneered or laminated, so they can equip the cabinet in any style, but the material is environmentally friendly and durable compared to wood;
• Chipboard made from sawdust, resins that contain formaldehyde are used as a binder. When buying a table from particleboard, you need to find out which emission group the material used belongs to: for residential premises only E0 and E1 are suitable. Among the advantages of the material are low price and good strength, but such plates are not amenable to thin processing;
• glass allows you to make the table light and almost invisible, great for high-tech interiors and minimalism. With frequent work at such a table, careful care will be required, and its cold surface reduces the comfort of work;
• plastic and acrylic tables are infrequent and can be used by those who do not spend much time at the desktop.

Hardware should provide reliable, quiet and durable operation. Steel hardware behaves best, but aluminum and its alloys are not the best option.

The design of the table can be:

• without pull-out tables. Such a table does not look massive and is suitable for those who work exclusively with a laptop. If in use you have a stationary computer, then it is better to look at a full-fledged computer desk with a sliding shelf for the keyboard and a place for the system unit;
• table with drawers and shelves for storage of small items - a convenient option if, in addition to a computer, documents, stationery and other things are used. Firstly, everything you need will always be at hand, and secondly, having laid out everything on the shelves in the literal sense, you can put things in order;
• bureau table in modern home offices it is used infrequently, but it can be a great way to organize a workspace. In the classic version, this is a table on legs with a hidden storage system and a retractable or folding worktop (less often stationary). At the end of the work, you can simply close the door: there is no working mess, and nothing in the apartment resembles an office;
• transforming tables for the smallest cabinets.

  

  

  

  
  

Desirable put the table so that the sunlight falls on the left, if you are right-handed, or in front. Sit back to the window undesirable, as the screen will constantly flare. Optionally position the table so that you can see from the workplace front doorand behind the wall was a wall. It is not always possible to observe these rules, especially when the room is small, or the office is equipped on the loggia or on the balcony.

No. 3. Armchair for home office: what to consider when choosing

If you intend to spend a lot of time in your own home office, you need to take care of comfortable chair. Otherwise, back and leg pains will not keep you waiting, and you will be distracted from the work process.If you spend a couple of hours a day at your desk, then there’s no point in buying an expensive and thoughtful chair — a chair of the necessary height and good support for the back will be enough.

The assortment of armchairs and chairs is huge, when choosing, of course, you should sit down and determine whether this sample meets your comfort requirements. If you want to choose the most convenient and ergonomic chair for many hours of work in the home office, then when buying consider the following requirements:

• design must be rotary with the ability to change the height of the seat, the angle of the backrest and some other parameters. It is important that the adjustment mechanisms are conveniently located and accessible to the seated person. A good chair should have a five-beam support on strong wheels;
• seat may be hard, semi-soft or soft. Hard ones are made of wood, soft ones are made using springs and flooring of large thickness, but the semi-soft seat is the best choice, made of non-slip, breathable material that is not electrified and easy to clean. Fabric upholstery meets these requirements much better than leather or, moreover, dermatine;
• the width and depth of the seat should be at least 40 cm; it should be adjustable in height between 40-55 cm. It is advisable that you can adjust the angle of the seat. The surface should be with a rounded front edge;
• back height should be about 30 cm, width - at least 38 cm, the angle of inclination with respect to the seat - more than 90 degrees, but should be adjustable. In the correct chair, the back is anatomically shaped;
• armrests - an optional element of the chair. They serve to support a person when he sits down or stands up. If you choose a chair with armrests, then they should be about 25 cm high with the possibility of adjustment.

If the table is high enough, and the chair must be raised to such a height that the legs hang uncomfortably, then you can provide footrest with a width of at least 30 cm and the ability to change the angle of inclination.

Number 4. Storage system: racks, shelves or cabinet

To store the things necessary for work, you can use:

• open shelving - A great option for a large library and a demonstration of interesting decor items;
• shelves can also be used to store books, documents and other trifles. Any open space should be neat;

  

  

  

  
  
• wardrobe - An option for those who like to keep all business papers away from prying eyes. Closed cabinets create a sense of order and rigor.

The sizes of storage places and their capacity depend on personal requirements and the allocated space. For small cabinets or even cabinet zones, drawers under the table and shelves above the table act as a storage system.

No. 5. What else can you need in your home office?

Those lucky ones who are lucky to have a separate office in the apartment can be advised to equip the space with such additional pieces of furniture:

• sofa or a pair of soft chairsthat can serve as a recreation area and at the same time be a place to receive visitors, guests or customers;
• coffee table will complement the recreation and communication areas;
• small bar or wine rack.

If there is room and desire, you can supplement the cabinet with an aquarium, a large globe and other items that reflect the owner’s hobbies, soothe and tune into a working mood.

No. 6. Color and style of furniture

Choosing the color and style of furniture in the office is based on personal preferences. Better opt for soft discreet shadesso that nothing distracts from work: if the room is spacious enough, it can be dark shades, and for a small office it is better to choose light colors of furniture so as not to turn it into a hole.Naturally, the color of the furniture should be in harmony with the color decoration materials, and if the working area is located in the bedroom or living room, then the table, chair and other items should fit in well and not stand out.

The cabinet can be designed in almost any interior stylebut most commonly used:

• classic style with massive furniture made from natural materials, a large chandelier and stucco elements. The color scheme is restrained, it is pastel, cream shades, as well as rich green and brown colors. Suitable for offices with a sufficient area;
• minimalism involves only the most necessary things and a minimum of accessories. This is a great option for the office of a young creative person. The dominant color is white, as well as shades of gray, the furniture is simple and functional, with straight lines, the material is glass, plastic, less often wood;
• high tech - style with an emphasis on modern technology, so this is a great option for organizing an office. All furniture items are one-color, glass, plastic and metal are preferred, strict forms are welcomed;
• country - Not the most suitable style for a home office, but still has the right to life. The desktop should be wooden, massive and rough, textiles for upholstery of upholstered furniture in a cage or strip, in honor of all natural soft colors;
• Scandinavian style with its simplicity, rigor and the predominance of white - a good option for a home office. Maximum natural light, functional and practical furniture, natural materials and striped ornaments are welcome;
• loft style Suitable for the office of a creative person who appreciates everything unusual and non-standard. Characteristics: brickwork, the presence of beams, large windows, lots of light, large antique armchairs, rough metal lamps.

Number 7. Home Cabinet Lighting

The need for normal lighting of the working area does not even need to be explained. When organizing the right lighting It is important to consider the following requirements:

• to the maximum use natural lightmost harmless to the eyes. The window should be to the left or front of the workplace, it is best to equip it jalousie or roman curtains;
• role general lighting the upper diffused light plays, for this purpose a chandelier or spotlight is used;
• table lamp - an obligatory subject of an office. It should evenly illuminate the surface of the table, not create deep shadows and not blind eyes. Doctors recommend choosing a lamp with a lampshade in the form of a cone or a sphere - this design allows you to get more reflected rays than direct ones, and this is a more comfortable light;
• the light from the window and the lamp should not be reflected on the computer screen - the glare bothers sight;
• if the area of ​​the office allows you to arrange a recreation area and negotiations, then it can be equipped with its own lighting, for which use sconces and floor lamps.

  

  

  

  

  
  

A properly organized workspace can significantly improve productivity, make it comfortable and safe for health, so you should pay attention to the rules for choosing furniture for your home office and creating a cozy environment.