The idea of converting an extra room in your house to serve as a home office has become so popular these days that homes without a dedicated office space sometimes feel incomplete.
One of the pitfalls of making the home-office conversion, however, is miscalculating what you will actually need when it comes to office furniture and equipment. And some of the problems that arise from making unwise decorating choices can serve up more than a design headache – they can make the home office feel uncomfortable and difficult to inhabit for extended periods of time.
Fortunately, those problems can be averted by taking a few minutes to consider a few ideas prior to moving furniture and equipment.
First, it’s somewhat natural to assume that because a certain piece of furniture – such as a hutch sitting on top of a desk – has attributes that appeal to both the home and office sides of things, that it will serve your home office perfectly well.
It might. Then again, such a bulky, though beautiful, item might also contribute to a sense of clutter. Depending on the design and finish of the unit, a large hutch over your desk might darken the room’s overall atmosphere.
One way to alleviate this problem is to compromise, spatially speaking. By removing the top part of the hutch-and-desk unit, the space can be opened up, light- and clutter-wise, while also preserving the homey design touch with the lower desk portion.
If need be, you could consider adding drawer units below the desk to make up for any lost storage space. With a little time and patience, you might even find drawer units that complement the desk’s design, which would help the overall harmony of the office space all the more.
And if you miss the elevated spaces that the hutch provided – such as built-in bookshelves – you can always add complementary shelving above the desk. Once again, this takes advantage of the hutch’s qualities without being overpowered by its bulk.
And consider adding elegant touches – simple wrapping paper or fabric can work under the right circumstances — to a desk or computer work area.
Your home office should be both functional and comfortable. By taking some of what works from certain furniture units, and augmenting it with other elements, you can take advantage of the best of both worlds, which allows you to be both productive and relaxed.
