Getting the look of your home office right can be tricky. On the one hand, you certainly don't want it to look corporate and cold because it is part of your home. On the other, you do want it to look enough like a workspace to make you feel comfortable working there and to appear professional and businesslike to clients who visit your home office.



Achieving the right look for your home office depends to some extent on your personality and the type of work you will use the space to perform. Are you an accountant who works best in calm and cool environments that don't distract you? Then go for neutral wall tones and gentle impressionist type art. Are you an artist who thrives on visual stimulation? You'll probably prefer hotter colors that keep you energized and inspired. Whichever your preference, you can use wall art and accessories to create a visual ambience that provides you with the kind of space you need.

The key to making your home office work as an true functional office is having at hand all the tools you need—your computer, files, office supplies, and whatever else your work requires. The key to making it blend with your home's décor is tying it to the rest of the house through using the same or similar colors and using furnishings more suitable to a home than an office.

For example, instead of buying a huge, CEO type desk for your computer and horizontal workspace, choose an armoire with a pull out shelf and storage shelves in a style that complements your other home furnishings. It will provide you with the space you need for your computer, books, and software while still looking “at home” when office hours are over and you can close the armoire doors. Rather than selecting filing cabinets that scream “dingy office”, opt for a trunk that can also be used as an end or coffee table while providing you with the file storage you need. Use an upholstered wing chair with good back support as your office chair, a swing out reading lamp with a tri-light that can throw light on your work surface and provide ambient lighting for the room after work hours. Choose a charming wall clock instead of a business like desk model and make sure that paintings suit your home's decorating theme.

Home offices don't necessarily require an entire room. Often they are created using part of a guest bedroom, but they can literally be located anywhere, so use whatever space you have without apology. We know of one enterprising lady who removed the clothes racks from a double closet in a spare bedroom, then installed a long, shallow board that served as a desktop, put up shelves above it to hold her work paraphernalia, housed a two-drawer filing cabinet underneath and used a small upholstered occasional chair for her desk chair. The end result was that the footprint for her home office took up no more space than the original closet while keeping everything organized and disappearing completely when the closet doors were closed at the end of the day!

With the advent of the Internet, more and more of us are working from home. If you plan right, your office and all its clutter doesn't have to take over your house. Strive for a happy balance that ensures you can get right down to work when you must, and still have a beautiful home to relax in when the long work day is done.