The photos I see over and over in the media (television and online) of home offices Look Beautiful, but are Not Functional. I am amazed at the creativity and vision of many of them, but they are not set up to really work, let alone work for you.
This is the first of a series of articles reviewing home office design examples and offering ideas that will improve your home office so it is not only lovely to look at, but enjoyable to work in.
This home office set-up is designed to evoke the look of Mid-Century Modern Design.
This photo is of a home office set-up is designed to evoke the look of Mid-Century Modern Design. The person who created this space did a phenomenal job pulling all of these vintage and current elements together to create this look. I love that this space has a bold table for a desk and the big abstract print is fantastic.
But is it really a functional home office? The orange chair is my first concern. Circa 1960’s, this dining room chair has smooth curves and a simple shape. But it is designed to support you when you are leaning back, rather than when you are sitting up at a desk. Over time this will cause sore and tired muscles. I am also concerned about the height of the desk-table in relation to the chair, as this chair is not adjustable.
The orange desk light is perfectly coordinated, but is so small that it will only create a very small circle of bright light that will not illuminate this person’s desk top or work.
This desk lamp not only looks cool, but gives you more light to work by.
A good size table lamp will give a bigger spread of light. There are some great funky 60’s pieces out there. If one in orange cannot be found, then a little DIY can make it a perfect match.
An ergonomic desk chair in orange.
I would suggest getting a more ergonomic and supportive desk chair. There are some bold orange ergonomic desk chairs on Overstock dot com. Click here on what to look for when buying a desk chair.
Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s – Great Style, Energizing Color
Con’s – Non-adjustable chair, Non-ergonomic chair, Lamp too small to illuminate workspace on desk.
What do you think of this home office? How would you approach this space and design vision?
Check out The Smarter Home Office: 8 Simple Steps to Increase Your Income, Inspiration and Comfort. Available on Amazon
home office photo – Dee Speed
lamp photo – etsy
orange desk chair photo – overstock dot com
