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Office Furniture Buying Guide
Setting up your home office
Tips
- If you're setting up at home, make sure your office space is in a relatively quiet part of the house. If it's right off of a high traffic area like the kitchen, you might want to consider how the noise is going to affect getting your work done.
- Try to pick a decor before you start shopping for office furniture. For example, if you decide that you want most of the furniture to be black, then you'll know what you want to pick out for your storage cabinets
, filing cabinets, and desk chair. If your office is already set up for you, then this shouldn't be a worry! - Don't forget the essentials: a desk lamp
, a phone, paper. It sounds simple enough but you may not think to purchase these things when getting all of your other supplies. - Lighting is always key. When picking out where you want to position your desk, make sure it's near a window or gets enough daylight. Lamps work well at night when you don't want to strain your eyes, but having some light during the day is helpful and more conducive to getting your work done.
Work Station
Your work area is important to making your office a comfortable environment. There are varying desk sizes and different kinds of work spaces to help you get your work done with ease.
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Computer desks are specifically designed with more surface area so that they can hold your laptop |
These are typically best used in a larger office, as they allow you to have a large workspace so that you can either present a project or have room to spread out your papers. |
Conference tables are typically used in public offices and work very well for discussions between large groups of people. They enable everyone to face eachother while a meeting is being held. |
Some desks are not designed specifically to hold computers, so if you have a smaller laptop or less area in your office, this type of desk might be good for you. |
Storage
There are a variety of ways to store your office supplies. You can place valuables in one area while using shelves to store your reference items. Filing cabinets are also helpful when you have a large amount of information to organize. See some suggestions below.
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These filing cabinets are great for saving space and storing your important documents. They also range in size from 2 drawers up to 6 (like the model pictured above). |
A bookcase is a great storage unit to have inside an office; especially if you often need access to reference materials and have a large collection of literature. |
Use a fire safe to place your important documents or files in so that you can make sure they are protected in case of an emergency. |
These filing cabinets are great to use because they provide deep shelving and wider drawers if you have large papers to file. |
These are great to have because you can place both your printer and your fax on a separate unit without taking up desk space. Also, some models like the above are designed to fit right underneath your desk. |
Furniture
If you have some extra space in your room, why not accommodate your guests with a leather chair or sofa to sit down in? Decide what you want the feel of your office to be before picking out the furniture; if you are going for a more cozy feel then some couches or loveseats would compliment the theme. If you want spare items then one or two less cozy guest chairs might be a good idea. Check out a few recommendations below.
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Seating
If you don't have a comfortable chair, it can be pretty difficult to get work done. Chairs are designed for just about any type of preference, so you have the freedom to pick one out that suits you best. If you typically find that chairs are too high or too low for your taste, make sure you buy one with adjustable armrests and base. Also, if you tend to have back problems when sitting up straight for long periods of time, consider a chair with some extra cushioning in the back.
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More Office Items
Here are a few other odds and ends you might want to add to your space to make it personal and add comfort to your setting. Remember, a few nice pictures or prints can add alot of character to an otherwise bland office.
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