Left: Brooklyn home of Designer Sarah Zames of General Assembly turned this space beneath an industrial staircase that lead up to the roof Right: Architect Kevin Alter helped design the renovation of Sam Shah and Anne Suttles 1920's bunglaow in Austin, Texas. They created a nook under the stairs that houses a vintage Eames chair that belonged to Shah's father. These images appear on www.dwell.com
Left: Architect Brue Norelius transformed one of the bedrooms into a studio. A custom desk has a magnetic board and bike as wall art above. Right: SMH, Inc's top picks for office accessories. Images courtesy of DWR and Hay. The main image appears on www.dwell.com
Photography: Signe Birck, Styling by Marcus Hay for SMH, Inc. These photos show our office in Chelsea, Manhattan which is an extension of Marcus's apartment. A small but functional space, This is where it all happens. We used shelves and a desk from Blu Dot and a Tulip Table and Eames chairs from DWR.
Left: In his home office which happens to be a converted shipping container, Wardell runs his art gallery Chester's Blacksmith Shop. His nephew peeks down from the "napping nook" above. Right: SMH, Inc's top picks for office furniture and accessories. Images courtesy of Hay, Poppin, Bu Dot, Tom Dixon and CB2. The main image appears on www.dwell.com
Left: The Perth Residence of Renee Coleman via The Design Files, This office is very discreet and blends in with it's environment perfectly. Right: The office beyond the dining/ meeting area is actually made from everyday packing material like cholguan that retails for about $5 a sheet. This image originally appeared in A Good-Looking Office System on the www.dwell.com site. These images appear on www.dwell.com
Left: SMH, Inc's top picks for office furniture and accessories. Images courtesy of DWR and Heath Ceramics Right: Austin Hernandez's home office in Mexico. This photo originally appeared in Hecho in Mexico City. This image appear on www.dwell.com
In this current climate is a well know fact that more folks are working from home, whether you office is a business, a after hours email station or a nook designated for writing checks and paying bills you should always have a well thought out space that meets all these needs for a work station at home.
A home office does not need to be a big ordeal, it can potentially blend in with the environment so an eye can skim across it without pausing on a messy tower of bills and paperwork that never subsides if you plan it properly. It could be a nook under the stairs or even as you will see here a reconverted shipping container.
Here are 6 tips for an efficient home office:
1. Your space should reflect who you are and what you do, don’t be afraid to think out of the box and embrace something beyond your expected office designed furniture, most on the market found in generic stores lacks soul and an attractive silhouette. You have to sit in there most of the day do it should look pretty. Use a small dining table as a desk,
2. Embrace open shelves to get papers and office accessories off the desk, and use vertical file folders on the desk to keep important papers within arm's reach. Do you prefer to stack or file? If you tend to make piles, get a nice basket to tame your mail, notes, and papers. If you prefer a clean desktop, designate a drawer for your important papers.
3. Invest in a great office chair, your back will thank you! An ergonomically correct, comfortable seat is worth every cent.
4. Let the light in! Make sure your office has plenty of light to cut down on eyestrain and headaches. Position the computer monitor so there's no glare from a window or overhead light, and put a small lamp on the desk for task lighting.
5. Display things that inspire. Use a magnetic board or pin board that will promote ideas and allow your eye to gaze and rest from the screen in front of you.
6. Consider a nap area nearby that is not a bed, lying down for 10 minutes is proven to be beneficial, a daybed is perfect for example.
We have sourced a lot of these images from Dwell Magazine. Dwell is one of our official online content partners. You can view Curio our online mini magazine on Dwell also. In this article designed purely for this blog we have suggestions of great things to buy for the office from some of our favorite retailers, many of whom are clients and whose products we have used in projects that have proved very successful, We hope you enjoy our shopping guide.
All images are credited where possible, Please advise if any images need further credits or details.