Turning a spare room into a home office is a common practice for many professionals, but it takes a bit more planning than simply pushing a desk into the corner. A home office layout can make work easier and more comfortable, or it can turn simple tasks into time-consuming and frustrating ordeals. The first step in choosing the best home office layout is determining what kind of work you will be doing in the space, and then measuring the room to figure out how much furniture and what sizes of furniture you can fit in the space.
Careful measurements should be taken in all dimensions: height, width, and length. Mark down these measurements and draw a mock layout on a piece of paper. Once you have a basic diagram drawn, you can begin to do some shopping to find the pieces of furniture you will need for your home office layout. Be sure to consider storage: if you have several files that need to be stored, consider the various types of file cabinets, as well as desks with integrated file drawers. Consider bookcases as well, but keep the height of the room in mind when choosing the best unit for you.
The desk is, of course, the most important piece of furniture you will buy for your home office layout. It should have enough workspace and storage space for your needs, but just as importantly, it should fit well in your room. If the room is exceptionally small, consider buying a corner desk that is designed to maximize usable workspace while minimizing the desk's footprint. If the room is large, an L-shaped desk can be placed in a corner as well, or an executive desk can be placed in a more centered position away from walls. It is sometimes nice to face the desk away from a wall to open up the room and make it feel larger and more comfortable.
Consider which pieces of furniture in the home office layout you are likely to use the most and try to place these pieces closer together. This lessens the amount of time wasted moving around the room, and it will also reduce the amount of clutter or lost items. Pieces of furniture that are purely decorative or that will be used less can be placed against far walls. Lights should be centered above the desk, or close enough to the desk that the workspace is adequately lit at all times.
