Sabra’s office
8. Set Up a Reading Space Even if you have the most ergonomic office chair, you still should take a break from sitting in front of a screen all day. Try to integrate a lounge chair with a footrest to take phone calls, open mail, read printed reports or meditate. Albers Design did just that with a comfortable armchair and ottoman in this home office in Mound, Minnesota.
Best solution for us -both my husband and I work often from home- was to have a custom-made desk surface, including a set of drawers built in the full length of the windows wall. Similar to what's shown on the first picture of this article, only just on one wall. We also have an awkward shape wall/ceiling side, so a custom-made solution helped using all the spaces available while keeping a neat appearance, as our work space is in a multiple-purpose room. There's a sofa-bed for guests and the built-in large desk and drawers also accommodate a TV, music equipment and games console. We've also put custom-made shelves on the wall above the sofa, to keep files, books and some photo's all well organized. I totally agree with the need of a good chair, good working light and thinking of enough electricity outlets! We've asked for 4 in each corner of the room, and the electrician looked at me like I went crazy. We use them all a lot!
My beef with all the desk available today is that they are all too narrow. I need a desk with a surface of at least 6 ft x 3 ft. Everything out there is at most 2ft in depth. There's no way to accommodate a desktop tower and 2 monitors plus the keyboard, speakers and a phone. I hate those pull out keyboard shelves. I'm not doing data processing work, I need a level space to rest my forearms. I hate having my desktop tower on the floor - dust, danger of hitting it and it's quite inaccessible. This is why I have kept my ancient desk for over 30 years, but I would love to be able to replace it with a new one. Actually with a combination of 2 desks at right angles and a hutch. Plenty of those but all too narrow. Seems like all manufacturers think that everybody only uses laptops, so providing only 2ft of depth is enough. Hell, no. I have a desktop tower and 2 screens (would love 3 screens). Something I've wanted for a long time is a proper way to organize all the wires. It's a lost cause though. I fix it every year, but it gets retangled quickly. Dust trap.
The right color of paint on the walls. I choose high gloss due to its reflective quality. It keeps the room bright enough in different types of light; overhead lighting and/or sunlight. Adjustable lighting switches with programmable remotes. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for computers and smart devices to protect them during power surges, brownouts, and blackouts. Software to reduce paper usage. Adjustable desks. An inspirational window view.
Flora Promenade rug by Santi Moix for Nanimarquina New Florals Whether it’s rugs in floral patterns or lights that incorporate plants, a colorful spring feel is the mood being put forth by many design companies.
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