If you’re setting up an office in your property for the first time, the first issue to consider is where to put it. The temptation is to locate it in a part of your home that isn’t much used. But spaces are often unused for a reason, and a room that isn’t pleasant won’t make a good work space. Each location has its pros and cons, but the overriding advantage of converting the attic or basement is that you create a designated area, without having to snatch space from rooms that already serve a purpose.
In an ideal world, the home office should be a separate room. If this isn’t possible, the American architect Neal Zimmerman, author of At Work at Home, recommends: “A nook or alcove within a larger room is better than a desk within a shared space. It offers you more protection because it has physical definition and is distinct from the surrounding living space. If your home office is in your bedroom, hide the office area with a screen at night to create a sense of separation between work and sleep.” And if you think you’ll be able to concentrate in a corner of the room where someone else is watching television, you’re fooling yourself.
Several issues will influence the layout of furniture. One of the most basic — unless you’re lucky enough to have wi-fi — is the location of power and phone sockets. In Feng Shui at Work, Kirsten Lagatree recommends avoiding locating your desk so your back is against a window. “This will make you feel as though nothing solid is backing you up. Place your desk so it allows you to sit with your back to a wall or corner. This will create a sense of security. If you must sit with your back to a door, hang a mirror in front of you so you can see anyone coming into the room.”
There are huge advantages to placing your desk beside a window. Fresh air helps concentration, and it’s good to “stretch the eyes” periodically by focusing on something in the distance. But a desk beside a window may cause glare on the computer screen. Orla Mahon, an interior designer from Interior Spaces, suggests an L-shaped desk that allows you to evade the sunbeams. “I tend to avoid reflective surfaces in a study,” she says. “Natural light is the best task lighting, but you can supplement it with recessed downlighters angled to minimise glare, reflection and shadow.”
When you’re creating your own work environment, it’s up to you to protect yourself from fatigue, eyestrain and repetitive stress injuries. “If your computer isn’t at the right height it will cause neck and back strain,” says Mahon. “Remember that the top of the screen should be at eye level, so if you’re working on a laptop, it’s worth investing in a wireless keyboard and mouse so that you can raise the screen to eye level.”
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Don’t be afraid to invest in a decent office chair with adjustable back support, seat height, and armrests, which will cost from €200. “Anything under €200 isn’t likely to last,” says Mahon, “and ideally you should try a chair before buying.”
Fully functional, if slightly austere office furniture, can be bought cheaply from Viking Direct or Abbey Office Supplies, but for a little extra you can put together a much more attractive ensemble from Habitat. “Trestles start at €60 each and come in a range of finishes,” says Deirdre Murphy from Habitat. “And table tops range from €175 to €300 and come in toughened glass — clear, misted, black or red — as well as solid wood and melamine.”
The desk area must provide for your immediate storage needs, but anything you don’t use regularly can be stored elsewhere. Adapting the shelving inside a wardrobe creates alternative storage, and baskets or wine racks can replace in-trays. Also consider having a comfortable chair close to the desk; a change of perspective can help concentration.
Your home office can be as individual as you. In a traditional office, you are subject to various controls about how you can organise your space. But at home, you’re the master of your own destiny.
Feng Shui at Work by Kirsten M Lagatree, Newleaf (1998) is out of print, but used copies are available from www.amazon.com; At Work at Home, by Neal Zimmerman (Taunton Press), $29.95, www.amazon.com; Orla Mahon, Interior Spaces, 086 805 3017; www.vikingdirect.ie; www.aosl.ie; www.habitat.net
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Eleanor Flegg is the editor of Room magazine