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How to Save Time and Money When Designing Your Home Office

September 8, 2011 By 12 Comments

Over the years, I’ve seen good home office design plans and I’ve seen others that had disaster written all over them. Laying out your home office is easier when you take the time to plan out your space and figure out how big your furniture can (and should) be.

  • Start by measuring your home office space (including alcoves, windows, doorways and closets).
  • Do a rough sketch of your home office and plug in all the measurements. Your sketch doesn’t have to be pretty, just accurate.
  • Using graph paper, redraw your sketch to scale (one square equals one foot). Or transfer your sketch to a computer-aided design program (CAD). I use CAD instead of drawing plans by hand because it’s easier to create several layouts for my clients. But unless you’ll be creating plans often, don’t invest in a CAD program. It can be [Read more...]
Filed Under: Home office design, Home office organizing, Working at home Tagged With: ,

The Right Place for a Home Office Isn’t Always Obvious

August 31, 2011 By 12 Comments

I’ve worked with home-based business owners for years, who had little less than the corner of a room for a home office. On the opposite end was a client who couldn’t find space for a home office within her 6,000 SF home (really).

If you think you don’t have room for a home office, think again. Start by evaluating the various rooms in your home. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing, Working at home Tagged With:

Home Office Furniture Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

August 17, 2011 By 10 Comments

Photo courtesy of Sligh

When I bought my first home office desk several years ago, it fell apart after I moved it three times. I definitely got what I paid for…almost nothing. I replaced it with a desk that cost a bit more, but it was reliable and functional.

As the number of home offices has continued to grow, so has the quality of home office furniture. Finally, there are plenty of home office furniture options available and the days of dealing with cheap, flimsy home office furniture are over.

Whether you’re setting up a home office for the first time, or you’ve decided it’s time to replace your existing furniture, you don’t have to spend a fortune. In fact, you may not have to spend any money at all. [Read more...]

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All Dressed Up: Vintage Style

August 1, 2011 By 2 Comments

In this corner is Heather Anderson’s vintage home office that proves that with a little creativity, recycled materials and an eye for antiques, you can create a home office that’s a bit whimsical, functional, and, best of all, inexpensive.

With four kids at home, five years and younger, Heather set up her home office in the corner of her large dining room. She felt that it was “necessary to be near all the action.” Anyone with small children can relate.

Her 6 1/2′ x 2′ desk is made from a base she rescued from her kitchen. On the base is an antique door with a piece of glass on top to give her a smooth work surface. She cut out the drawers in the base to make room for her CPU and printer.

Above her desk is a hutch made out of 1’ x 8’ boards, with cubbies that hold her office supplies and products. She painted the hutch in a distressed gray after her facebook friends helped her decide which color to use. Next to her desk is a dresser to store more supplies.

In addition to using a black lunchbox to hide ugly cords — she cut a hole in each side— she uses a jar to hold business cards and has binders decorated with brown paper bags and antique lace.

As someone who loves to share her handmade creations and ideas, this home office reflects her personality, her creative talent and her ability to save money.  The only cost for the entire project was the boards for her hutch.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office setup Tagged With: , , , ,

Bare Essentials: Add a Touch of Color

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

File and fold

You may work in your home office day after day, but some days it’s better to mix it up and work somewhere else. When you need to take files with you, the Bungalow file tote can handle the job. It’s sturdy enough to hold plenty of letter-size hanging folders, yet folds up for easy storage. It also works well for storing files in your home office, but something this stylish deserves to be taken out once in a while.

Stick with it

One of the (many) things I don’t miss about my corporate days in a stuffy office is my old, grey desk accessories. I’ve done my best to make sure that my home office doesn’t resemble anything close to my old corporate office. Instead of bland accessories, I have colorful and functional ones. The Poppin tape dispenser definitely fits into that category with its selection of eight colors.

Stick ‘em up

There’s no doubt that a valuable photo or piece of art is worth framing. But when you have inexpensive art that you may change out soon anyway, why bother with frames? The Re-stickable Decal Photo Frame makes framing simple, and hanging even easier. The best part is that you can move the frames from room to room without putting any holes in your walls. Each pack comes with eight frames that stick to your walls or windows and won’t damage walls or paint.

 

Filed Under: Bare Essentials, Home office design, Home office products Tagged With: ,

Checkup From the Desk Up: A Real(tor) Mess

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Analysis:

Clients calling at all hours, weekend showings and indecisive buyers can take their toll on any businessperson, including a realtor. This 24/7 realtor has been working from home in the same spare bedroom for 16 years. She was fine working in her “creative” space until some important papers got lost in the shuffle (literally). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Checkup From The Desk Up, Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office setup, Working at home Tagged With: , , ,

How Do Your Home Office Walls Inspire You?

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

To the right of my desk is a metal sign that reads, “It’s all about you.” It makes me smile when I look at it because it’s something I say to others while kidding around, but it also reminds me to do something for myself every day and not take myself too seriously.

When you’re working from home, especially when you’re working by yourself without anyone around to encourage you, you may need a little extra push. Whether it’s a funny cartoon, a famous quote, or photos from your last trip, find something that inspires you to keep working, get new clients or even go on vacation more often. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing Tagged With: , ,

4 Simple Ways to Furnish Your Home Office

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I research home offices for the All Dressed Up page and look through photos readers submit, I get inspired to change my own home office…again. The photos have the same effect on some readers, while others feel they can’t do anything to change their home office.

If you want to change your home office, you can, and you don’t have to spend a fortune. The right rug, furniture and even accessories can affect the look and function of your space.

Start with a few basics.

  • Find furniture that fits. Look at the desk you’re using now. Is it too big or too small for your home office? Are you constantly stacking papers and anything else that doesn’t fit on your desk on the floor?Before I moved into my new home office, I measured the space and figured out how big my desk could be. I found a medium-size desk and return with tongue-in-groove detailing (it’s better to have a desk with drawer fronts that aren’t glued or nailed onto the drawer). The L-shape desk fits in my office and I still have room for a chair and two bookcases. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Home office design, Home office organizing, Working at home Tagged With: , ,

All Dressed Up: A Picture Perfect Home Office

May 4, 2011 By 4 Comments

What do you do when you have an upstairs lounge that you rarely use and you need to reclaim your guest room for its original purpose…for guests?

You can do what Paul Bamford did and create a gorgeous home office with plenty of space to work and relax. The best part of this Photoshop retoucher and photographer’s home office is that it didn’t cost a fortune to put together.

Paul created his desk from a door he painted white and $5 table legs he bought from Ikea. He attached a metal U channel to the back of his desk so the wires along the channel  wouldn’t hang too low. The open cabinet to the left of his desk holds supplies, files and photography equipment for his freelance photography and graphic design work.

This spacious, streamlined home office does the perfect job of combining a hardworking home office with a place to unwind at  the end of the day. And the beautiful Australian view from his home office is an added bonus.

(Photo by Paul Bamford)

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office setup Tagged With: ,

All Dressed Up: Big Plans for a Small Office

March 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

Two years ago, Steve Reilly, a home-based architect and the founder of SLR Architecture, traded his home office for a nursery when his second child was born. He needed a new place to work. Faced with a choice between commuting to an office and paying $1,500 to $2,000 per month, or creating his own place to work, he chose the latter.

While Steve created his new home office — a small building in his backyard — he considered a few factors including how much space he truly needed, how he would build it and what materials he would use. Budget was also an important part of the equation. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office setup Tagged With: , , ,
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