At Home: Setting Up A Home Office
Every home needs a home office. Of sorts. The home office handles the business of living.
Paying bills. Keeping papers. Checking emails. Mailing cards. And so on.
We all have office type products that live in our home. And those items are best corralled in an “office” style environment.
Now if you work from home for your job or for yourself, you will need more than just a tiny desk and some desk drawers.
Last week I talked to you about organizing and setting up a garage, well the home office is the next place to go. Both spaces rank high on the list of project spaces clients need help sorting and curating.
In looking back at old photos of my offices, I thought it would be fun (& helpful) to identify what was working and what wasn’t working in each situation.
Keep in mind that the furniture you choose is the indicator of success in these spaces.
Desk > table tops
Drawers > open storage (way too messy on the eyes)
Circa 2012 (?)
This spare bedroom turned home office was a real struggle. The best part about it was the light. The hard part was the shape of the room: long and rectangular.
There is WAY too much going on visually here. The bookcases were too open for the type of item that we were being stored. Something with doors would be better.
Next up is the desk. It was so.small! It might we great for a student in primary school, but a developed entrepreneur? No.
I’ve learned that a large surface area is a must. And preferably a desk with drawers and one file drawer.
Inspired is usually the intent behind a space that is so business focused. This space left me much less inspired and more likely overwhelmed.
Circa 2020
The setup (below) was just not working for me anymore.
Current Office Setup
I decided to rearrange and am enjoying the layout much better. Our business is in a growth phase as we are looking for office space to move out of the house and into a building. Before buying furniture that fits this room, I am paying attention to what I need and what works well.
Organizer’s Tip
Piles are indicators.
They point to an underlying problem.
It could be lack of space or not enough storage area or that a system is needed. I’m paying extra special attention to my piles these days!
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