Home Office Furniture
Before you go out and buy a bunch of home office furniture, it's a good idea to do a bit of planning. Unless you work out of your own home, office-type work spaces will probably not need to be in use at all times. In that case, you might want to use "dual purpose" ideas that let you adapt your room as needed.
The most important item, if you are going to be sitting at desk for any length of time, is a good chair. You need a proper office chair that is ergonomically designed for comfort and support, rather than something borrowed from the kitchen or dining room.
When considering home office furniture that works well in small spaces, you need to forget about putting any old desk in your room and working around it. Think small but think realistically too. First of all your desktop has to be at a comfortable height and you will need good lighting so that you can see what you are doing. For a fixed desk you could consider building a worktop into a corner of the room as part of a run of cupboards. This is a way to make use of sloping ceilings or awkward corners (spaces that are too cramped for other purposes but could work well as a place for a single chair and work area). Try fitting your worktop right into a corner with a curved edge to sit at, which makes it less obtrusive.
Dining room or drop leaves tables are other options, or even a custom made desktop that folds back against the wall so that it can be pulled down or stored in an upright position. Various styles of home office furniture, from the very simplest to quite sophisticated systems, are available so that in essence you open up a complete miniature office when you fold down or open up the cabinet doors. When you are not using your miniature office you can neatly close the doors on it. If you have an alcove or recessed area you can build in a series of shelves with the lowest one deep enough to create a desktop. Atkins features a cabinet that provides a shelf for a computer screen and other desk essentials as well as a pull out worktop. This particular one has notice board space behind the doors.
From a practical standpoint be sure that you have enough power and telephone points within easy reach of your work area. When buying equipment keep your space requirements in mind. A laptop takes up less space than a full sized computer and combination systems (printer, fax, copier, scanner all in one) will save on desk space and eliminate trailing wires. Tempting as it is to let yourself be surrounded by your work "mess" it is important to remember that this is still part of your living space and you don't want the clutter to take over and spoil your otherwise relaxed atmosphere.
I've tried bins but it won't take you long to admit that a closed storage system is better for keeping clutter in order. Filing cabinets and trolleys can be slotted under your desk. Boxes and files can be neatly shelved to keep things neat and tidy. Label or color-code them so you don't have to ransack the whole house to find what you want to work on. Ready made storage units are available but you can make cleaver use of everyday containers such as baskets, bins and buckets. Make use of wall space too, by hanging storage on hooks and pegs. You can attractively store pens, paperclips and the like and don't forget to find space for a pin board somewhere near your work space.
Further reading: Small Spaces for Modern Living: Making the Most of Your Indoor Space
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