Furniture Placement Tips for the Home Office

The home office needs to be functional, especially if you work strictly from home. If you are not productive due to a less-than-functional office, the money will not flow as freely. If I feel at all uncomfortable in my home office, whether it is due to clutter or awkward furniture placement, I find it extremely difficult to concentrate and to make efficient use of my time. But by paying close attention to the furniture placement in your office, your workday will likely be much more productive. Try these furniture placement tips for the home office.

Placement of the Desk

Because this is where you will be spending much of your working time, the placement of the desk is possibly the most important of anything in your home office. I do not like to have my desk up against a wall, especially a window wall. It is most comfortable to have it pulled away from the wall, facing the doorway so no one can walk in and surprise me. When your back is toward the door, you might feel on-edge while working. If possible, place it so there is no window directly behind or in front of you. Since there are several windows in my office, I have no choice but to keep the curtain closed on the window behind me to avoid a glare on my screen.

Extra Seating for the Office

Some people use their home office as a library, while other people might host meetings in their home office. Keep extra seating on the opposite side of your desk. If you have a chair or two for guests, be sure they will easily be able to pull it up and visit with you. Although I normally do not have visitors while I work, there is a small futon on the wall opposite me, facing my desk. Even if it is not used often, it gives the office a warmer, more comfortable feel.

Where to Place a Filing Cabinet

Some desks come with an attached filing cabinet, which gives you easy access while you are working. I have a separate filing cabinet, though, which I keep within arm's reach while I am working. This means it is behind my desk so I can quickly roll my chair over and retrieve any files or place documents inside whenever I need to do so. But if you do not have the space behind your desk, or if you do not use it very often, you may benefit from reserving the space you do have for other things.

Other Office Storage

Other office storage may include any drawers or upper cabinets you might have. Thankfully, I have plenty of storage space in my new office. There is a small closet with shelves, plus a few upper cabinets. Since they are not within reach, I keep rarely-used items there. I also have a couple dressers and a drawer bank, where I store copy paper, envelopes and other items for easy access while I am working. Finally, there are a couple shelves on my desk, which is where I plan to keep the things I need to grab at a moment's notice.

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