Home Office Suggestions

[Al]

I'm planning on kitting out an empty room as my new home office. Can anybody recommend any specific office furniture, it must look cool and provide a lot of storage (I'm a bit of a hoarder).

I'm thinking:

Computer desk (must accomodate 3 TFT's with room to spare)
Filing Cabinet
Couple of cupboards
Big book case

[proxops-pete]

Those bigger L-shaped desks will make good computer desk. ;)

[Mike]

Those bigger L-shaped desks will make good computer desk. ;)

L-shaped are the way to go, they provide room for your computer and working space for papers and such.

[palefrost]

Hmm i just built a home office and this is what i have in mine.
-
Headset phone
Fax mashine
Calulator
Printer
file cabinate with lock
Two desks. One for the PC and one in the corner for projects or shipping boxes.

I use the printer and the fax mashine all the time. I made sure to buy a fax mashine that will act like a copy mashine if needed.

[proxops-pete]

Or you could just get two desks and put them in L shape. :D

[Al]

I ws more after links to products really :)

[Mike]

What would you possible need other than that Hercules thing you're getting plus a few pens and such!? :P

You could get the Drink-O-Matic (http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060822/drink-o-matic/), it's pretty cool looking. Might cost a bit to get it shipped to the UK though.

Oh, and an Easy Button (http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?prodCatType=0&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=130700&cmArea=SEARCH) from Staples, whenever you press it, it says "That was easy!".

[Al]

I mean the actual furniture, like desks, chairs and stuff. Not more gadgets to fill my desk which I haven't got yet :)

[Case]

Forget about L shape desks it isnt ALL WAYS the way to go.. and depending on the room shape and layout were outlets are ect it can be a bit of a pain in the ass... I am currently doing the same thing you are but im building every thing my self from scratch and turning my apartment into my work studio. There are two major units that im building one is the desk and its one long desk for the long wall on the one side of the room its a 2 step shelf design _- the monitor and DV shelf and than the main shelf, I like this design mainly because it lifts things off the desk leaving me aditional deskspace.

I am also running new conectivity wiring being im full broadband and no phone line i use Speakeasy Onelink DSL and thier voip service. Ive wired the DSL router and VOIP box in the closet were the lines come into the house. Rewired the apartment lines to function from the voip box so that every normal phone outlet in the house is the voip line.

Now I am also running 10/100 lines from that closet.

If you want to avoid building your own things it helps to know your budget... Because ican sit here and say check this out! and it will cost you a small fortune :) also it helps to know the look your shooting for.


http://lian-li.com/Product/OA/OA_F1.htm

That is one of my fav expensive but fav high tech desks I got to sit at one and demo it and its amazing.. conectivity is key outlets built in were they belong its wireless keyboard and mouse friendly were you can hide the keyboard and mouse in a compartment just for it when your not computing away. Built in printer stand bag holder the WORX

Now as far as chair i feel this is a important one and I myself have not skimped. I hike and climb sicne i was 13 and im in good shape because of it so im in no way a couch potato but most of my work is spent in front of a computer screen and you dont want to mess around with a bad chair that can cause back problems and even poor circulation problems in your legs. This is one i encounterd personaly, I had a 150 dollar chair from stapels that was cutting off or slowing the circulation in the bottom of my legs and was not aware of it. It caused problems long story short STEEL CASE makes a chair called the Leap. Comes in 3 basic flavors, The Leap, Leap Couch, and Leap Work Lounge...

The Work lounge is insainly expensive http://steelcase.com/na/leap_worklounge_ottoman_products.aspx?f=11873

I did not buy one of these... What i do have is the LEap with all the options.

http://steelcase.com/na/images/dyn/63bb8f195e8bef6a8d45add4a538da01/05-0002459.jpg

Whats so special about this chair is that first of all when you recline the bottom seat repositions acordingly so that your hands stay were they are on the desk and not pull you away from the desk forcing you to move closer and reposition. The second thing is every ones body is diffrent so each person needs diffrent support requirements, every part of this chair is adjustable to the seat depth to the leg support to the upper and lower back support and even the arm rests swivel and adjust in height.

DO NOT even bother pricing it from them I went on ebay found a dealer out in cali called them up told them im a student designer and wanteed to demo their chair after using it as a intern and im starting my own bizz after i grad this year (last year and all lies) they gave me a major discount and shiped it free.. Companies know how great this chair is and know second a design firm uses's they will push the product.

The options and all about this chair you can find here (http://steelcase.com/na/files/dyn/cdd50a5de4b21c9c6411512b1d0a9ae7/05-0002313.pdf#page=1) in the pdf

Heat controll is a major one for me. I have reflective material from 3M over my windows also known as privacy film or window film. This keeps 99% of UV rays out of my work room during the day while i still have full light and keeps the heat down specialy in the summer and no one can see in from the outside during the day. at night i have cloth like shades that roll down or when i need total black out of light during the day.

I dont know how much hardware you have but i have tons... And with this new setup I am starting to rack all my major hardware. 4 of 6 of the main systems will be rack mounted, all ,y data storage network appliances ect.

Nother major thing that is a MUST IMO is take good care of your eyes and to do that INDIRECT LIGHTING.!!! never have lights that shine stright down point up and bounce off the cealing or walls it will not put strain on your eyes or cause glare on the screen. This is a big one for me... I have concrete cealings so i have to drill fun :)

I am going hard wood floor but in a tile like situation least you wont be able to tell... it will look liek a solid wood floor but not. reason for this is because it will be able to be lifted up to access the raised platform floor

http://steelcase.com/na/images/dyn/75f4e0e681cf80a885fa4ec6b6d3704e/98S0278.jpghttp://steelcase.com/na/images/dyn/75f4e0e681cf80a885fa4ec6b6d3704e/98S0278.jpg

This allows me full access to wiring and if any thing dies i can gain access to it again...

http://steelcase.com/na/images/dyn/754eb3a3ddec46cec6cd74e7b3d5e1c9/04-0011707.jpg

This is actualy going to happen to the whole apartment. The data closet in the hall way I am also building and im half way done with my own DIY solidstate AC unit fairly easy to make.. this will keep every thing cool in there.

[Al]

Excellent posy Case, that is just the sort of thing I'm after. Me next house I only plan to be there for 2 years so do want everything to be non fitted. The house after that is a different story as I'd like to go for a custom build.

[Case]

When i buy a house I want to buy land and design it. I took some Archetectual classes and i have ab unch of archtect friends and all honesty i have some things that i want special... Like my kitchen will be like my living room. I love to cook i want it in the center of the house and sprawl out from there. Indoor koi pond and 2 sal****er tanks. I am a reef aquarium nut.

[Case]

sal t w a t e r

Need to go on your exception list because yes i see the femal body part in there so you need to get the exceptionlist goin...

and http://www.formica.com/ !! order free samples all you want till your hearts content AWSOME stuff to work with easy to work with in fact and you great finishs. They have a hard surface colection its a weird material but the finishs are beauitfull and super easy to cut and work with too.

[moonshadow4280]

Well friends in my office I have the following:-

[LIST=1]
Comuter desk
Two portable chairs
Another small table
Printer
Computer chairs
Calculator
Fax machine
Landphone

To keep off the strain of my works, I also put up new eye soothing picture on nature in walls.

[itrush07]

Wow, great info case!

[addyisback]

Look at this these are some awesome furniture....http://www.officeorganix.com/images/NEWModel500.jpg

[addyisback]

Look at this these are some awesome furniture....http://www.officeorganix.com/images/NEWModel500.jpg









http://www.interiormall.com/images/cat/furn/Leda/gpc-77_b.jpg

[bodryn]

I made the bad mistake of getting an L-shaped desk. Then I found that with that arrangement, there was only one place in this smallish place I could put it that looked right. You get a lot more flexibility with 2 separate desks that you can arrange the way you want and grow with your needs.

One good idea might be to use a rolling cart that looks like a desk but which can be easily moved as a unit. I find that sometimes it's nice to have it in the bedroom, sometimes out in the living room. Could even put casters on a regular desk. That way one can be on the computer at night without disturbing your significant other.