Nowadays, freelancing and working from home is very common. For that, many people search for home office furniture and tips to increase their productivity at home. With many products and brands on the market, choosing the right furniture for you can get tricky.
Today, we’ll answer some questions and present a detailed buying guide for home office furniture.
4 Tips Before Buying Any Home Office Furniture
Before rushing into buying any eye-catching products or furniture, you need to consider four points:
1- Comfort and Functionality
Firstly, keep in mind that you’ll spend some hours working in your home office. So, choosing comfortable and functional products is smart. Make sure to choose the right-sized desk and chair to avoid any back or neck strains as you work.
If the desk is too high and the chair is low, you’ll strain your back and arms. If the chair is high and the desk is low, you’ll strain your shoulder and neck.
Also, being comfortable while you work increases productivity and efficiency. So, take your time choosing the right desk for the chair that suits your body.
When putting your office together, consider what kind of accessories do you need to increase your functionality. For instance, if your work involves documents, then keep a file cabinet within arm’s reach of your desk for quick access.
Pro tip:
It’s smart to get a ch that won’t hurt your back. Many chairs can support your back that we’ll review later on in this article.
2- Know your Space
Second, before purchasing the desk, decide where you’re going to set up the home office. Once you’ve decided, take accurate measurements to get the right size desk to fit the space.
Not only that, when knowing how much space you have, but you can also effectively plan how to put the desk and other accessories you may require to complete the office.
Sometimes commercialized home offices can look so tempting to buy, but they won’t fit if you have a tight space. So, always be accurate and efficient as much as possible.
3- To Assemble or not to Assemble
You’ll find two types of home office furniture. The first type is the factory that assembles furniture, and the second type is ready-to-assemble (RTA). Most people go for the assembled furniture. Although both types have their advantages and drawbacks, you need to decide which type of home furniture you prefer.
4- Which Material Is Best for Your Home Office?
Wood home office furniture is the most popular choice among people. It looks more desirable than metal or laminate furniture. However, you need to consider other materials for your home office furniture.
For example, metal or laminate furniture is more durable than wood furniture. Also, if you have children at home, it’s best to choose metal furniture. If you’re looking for a more modern look, choose metal and laminate home office furniture and not wooden furniture.
Home Office Furniture Must Have
To have the perfect office at home, you’ll need:
I know it seems a lot! But, I made it easier for you! You’ll find all you need to shop for in our guide.
Let’s get into it…
Desks
You can choose between different types of desks depending on your space and style. Knowing the different types will help you decide on which desk type is perfect for you.
Computer desk
If your work involves a computer or laptop, then you need a computer desk that can take all the devices required. Computer desks offer space for the monitor, computer tower, all the cables, and hook-ups to make your device work efficiently.
Also, it offers space for the keyboard and mouse. Some computer desks come with a sliding keyboard tray to pus it back when you’re not using it.
Writing desk
From its name, it’s a desk designed for people whose work is all about writing. A writing desk allows you to sit at the desk at a comfortable height for writing. You need to choose a comfortable chair that goes with the desk to write for hours.
Whether you’re spending time writing a poem, a novel, or working on paying your bills, a writing desk offers the proper space. It’s a simple desk without having many drawers or other details you don’t need. You can enjoy a variety of styles and designs of writing desks to match your personality and taste.
L-shaped computer desk
If you need plenty of room and need to organize your documents and work on a computer, the L-shaped computer desk is the answer. If your space allows, you should definitely get a desk that will offer functionality and help you organize your things.
L-shaped computer desks come in many styles, finishes, and designs. So, make sure to choose the desk that has all the features you need while considering the design that matches your office’s décor and style theme.
It’s best to get a chair with wheels for better task efficiency and mobility between the two connected desktop surfaces.
Standing desk
For some types of work, you don’t need to sit much at your computer. If you prefer doing your work standing, then it’s best to get a standing desk for your home office. They’re taller than normal desks. So the computer or laptop will be at the standing level rather than the sitting level.
If you use more than one computer and want to move from station to station freely and quickly, then consider standing desks. Standing desks are simple in design and come in different looks to match your home office.
If you want to know all the types of desks, check out the 11 Modern Home Office Desks Designs For Your Home Office.
Office Chairs
It’s smart to take your time choosing what you’ll be sitting on for hours! Some don’t think much of it. However, if you get the wrong chair, it’ll hurt your back and neck in the long run. Also, it affects both your productivity; they directly impact our health as well.
Ergonomic Chairs
We highly recommend having an ergonomic chair for your home office. It encourages a neutral posture and provides support as you work. Normally, it costs higher than other types of office chairs. However, it saves your back and neck health in the long run. They are designed to prevent any health issues like back pain, poor posture or blood circulation, and cervical spondylosis.
Mesh Office Chairs
Some people tend to sweat when sitting down for a long time. It’s no shame! That’s why mesh office chairs are best for you since they offer great breathability. Its backrest is made of net-like fabric to allow airflow.
It’s comfortable because the seats are cushioned. High-quality mesh office chairs are designed with ergonomics. Also, they come with a waterfall edge for better lumbar support and blood circulation for minimum lower back pain.
24-Hour Chairs
When spending over 8 hours a day working at your desk, then you definitely need to protect your back. The 24-hour chairs are the ultimate choice for long hours of work. Also, they’re known as intensive-use chairs because they’re significantly more durable than other office chairs.
Of course, there are more types of chairs you can get for your home office! So, we dedicated an article that discusses all types of office chairs in detail.
Networking
A good, secured, and stable internet connection is one of the factors of work-at-home success. We found the right router to accomplish that, so we recommend the R6400 for your home office. It’s 40% faster at long distances than the TP-Link AC1750, which was known to be one of the fastest routers on the market. It has a faster USB 3.0 port for attaching your NAS devices.
The AC1750 Netgear R6400 has great power compared to other routers that offer that power at higher prices. Also, it comes with a built-in VPN server to secure your network’s connection. It has a QoS feature that supports Apple’s Time Machine backups and prioritizes particular applications’ traffic.
Lighting
Desk lamps are divided into two broad divisions; adjustable and nonadjustable. After choosing which type you need, then choose if you need a lamp that plugs into an outlet or is battery-powered.
Swing Arm Lamp
A swing arm desk lamp helps you direct the light where you need it to be. By simply swing the arm, you can have better lighting depending on what you’re doing.
Battery Powered Lamp
If you want to minimize the cables as much as possible, then you can get battery-powered lamps. Also, it gives you the freedom to move it from one side of the desk to the other without worrying about the wire length.
USB Powered Lamps
You can plug a USB-powered lamp into your PC where it acts as a power source. So, if your work is mostly on your PC, this may be a good option for you.
Organizer Desk Lamp
If you don’t have much space on your desk, then get a lamp that comes with a built-in organizer. You’ll use your lighting and organizing your desk accessories easily.
If you want to know all types of lamps, you can get for your home office, then enjoy reading about the 15 types of desk lamps for your home office.
Communication
Phone Dock
Basically, it’s a cradle that holds the phone upright while charging it. So, why not add a modern taste to your desk by getting the Twelve South’s HiRise Deluxe?
If you have an iPhone, this phone dock is our staff’s favorite dock for any Lightning-connector iPhone. Also, it can work with Micro-USB–equipped phones. You can easily access your iPhone’s headphone jack and remove your phone one-handed.
If you’re on a budget, you can still enjoy a modern touch and save $20 when buying the non-Deluxe model. It just doesn’t come with a Lightning-to-USB cable and needs more assembly. However, we think the Deluxe phone dock is worth its cost.
USB Headset
Jabra UC Voice 550 Duo is the best USB headset for talking to clients if you spend most of your time at your PC. When having long conference calls, you need to have comfortable headsets to avoid any pressure on your ears.
The best thing about Jabra UC Voice 550 Duo is the noise-canceling mic that filters out background noise. Also, you can hear what’s going on around you and enjoy high-quality sound. You can use the mute control feature to your advantage when you don’t want to be heard for any reason.
Bluetooth Headset
If you’re not a fan of USB cables and love to move around during your call, then we recommend the Plantronics Voyager Edge. Without a doubt, it is the best Bluetooth headset for your home office. It offers the best balance of Bluetooth range, sound quality, battery life, and comfortable fit. Also, its incoming call quality was phenomenal.
Computer Accessories
After getting your PC basic needs, whether it’s a laptop or workstation, you might need some extra computer accessories to maximize your productivity and functionality.
Monitor
If you have lots of work to do on your PC and open several windows, then you need the Dell UltraSharp U2715H. This 27-inch monitor has a 2560×1440-resolution and IPS display for an amazing resolution and size for your home office.
You can open two windows side-by-side without experiencing annoying scaling or resolution issues. It has a perfect factory-calibrated display, one Mini DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 1.4, four USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 input and output, audio, and one quick-charge USB port.
Laptop Stand
If you’re on a budget, and can’t get the monitor, don’t worry! You can get the next best thing to maintain your back posture, and that is a laptop stand. Normally, the laptop makes you bend your neck down, causing back and neck pain as you work for a few hours.
A laptop stand will keep you from slouching as it puts your eye level 2 to 3 inches below the top of your monitor. So, we recommend Rain Design iLevel 2 since it’s proven to be the best for lots of people and laptop models.
The iLevel 2 is affordable and comes with easy push-knob adjustment and a sturdy yet simple design. This laptop stand protects your laptop from overheating as it’s made of aluminum. Also, you can organize the cables under the iLevel 2 bottom support.
Portable Hard Drive
Sometimes you need to store some important data and files of large sizes of your PC, that’s when you should get a portable hard drive. The 2TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the best because it’s affordable, fast, and reliable. It’s not heavy; it weighs only 0.35 pounds to carry anywhere easily. Also, it’s lighter and thinner compared to other portable drives that offer the same features.
Desktop Hard Drive
We highly recommend the Seagate Backup Plus after many trials of other hard drives; this is the best desktop hard drive ever. It’s cost-effective, reliable, and fast with a 2-year warranty, which is great. Although the 4TB drive is a few dollars cheaper, the 5TB drive is faster. Moreover, you’ll enjoy 200GB of free OneDrive storage for two years after purchase, which is amazing.
Cable Organization And Management
With many cables going in and out, your desk can get really messy! That’s why it’s crucial to organize the cables to enjoy a tidy, neat-looking desk. Tidiness helps you be more focused and creative when working, so let’s see what you should do to tidy your desk up.
Cable And Cord Wrangling
There are many affordable accessories for neatly organizing the cables and cords.
VELCRO One Wrap Thin Ties
With just $5 you can get a pack of 100 Velcro Thin Ties. They are the most durable and flexible solution for a messy desk, yet the cheapest.
Cable Clips
If you’d rather keep the cables fixed to a surface, then we recommend the six-pack of iGotTech Cable Clips. Each clip is has a glued back and holds two thin or medium cables.
If the cables are thick, and you want to have a good-looking desk, then get the Bluelounge’s Soba system. You’ll love the train-like design of this. After cutting the sleeves to the right length, wrap them around the thick cables. Then you can add the Y-junctions and outlets as you please.
Surge Protector
Like lightbulbs, surge protectors tend to wear out with usage and need to be replaced every few years. We use the Tripp Lite TLP1008TEL because it’s a better performer. Also, it will stop working when the protection circuits wear out. It comes with 10 outlets to offer enough space to satisfy your home office needs. Definitely, it provides plenty of protection for your devices from any electrical threats.
Audio Extras
Depending on the type of music you love to play while you work, you’ll choose your headphones. Although we recommend playing some music that boots creativity and productivity, you can play what gets you going!
Headphones
Owning a pair of good headphones is an investment in both enjoyment and focus. Sony MDR-7506 headphones have proven to be the best recommended by our staff and freelancers. Also, it’s the best over-ear headphones that are under $150!
Why is it great?
Sony MDR-7506 headphones can last forever. You can easily replace their earcups, and you get a one-year warranty on their parts. Also, their tough, coiled cord survive many roll-overs from the desk chair.
Sadly, they don’t come with a built-in microphone, so it’s not best for conference calls. However, they’re great for shutting out distractions at home and increasing your focus.
Bluetooth Speaker
If you hate it when the desk chair roll-overs the wire, or if you forget your headphones on and get up, then you need Bluetooth speakers.
If you hate having a crowded desk with wires and cables, then it’s best to eliminate a wire you can eliminate! We recommend the UE ROLL, which gives above-average sound in a waterproof, rugged, and portable design. With many Bluetooth speakers on the market, the UE ROLL stood out, offering the perfect combination of design, convenience, sound, and bag-fitting size.
Productivity Apps
Congratulations! Now you have the perfect home office and you’re ready to work while maintaining your health!
Finally, after putting together your home office, we recommend downloading some Apps to boost your productivity! Make sure you have a good internet connection to contact your clients and your team at any time effectively.
Clockify
For success, you always need to keep track of your schedule. So, download Clockify which is simply a timesheet and time tracking app. It helps freelancers manage and track time to increase productivity.
Trello
It helps you manage tasks and coordinate with your team and clients! Trello helps everyone stay notified whenever someone adds, modifies, or finishes a task. So, it’s crucial to have it to increase your work success.
Wunderlist
As a freelancer, you must keep track of things you need to do especially if you have multiple clients. So, that’s when you need Wunderlist to help you get things done. You can use this app for your work and personal life as well to create that perfect balance.
Brand24
It’s a brand monitoring tool that helps you track the position of your freelance brand on the internet. You’ll know what clients think about your brand and react in real-time.
We’ve gathered over 11 Apps for freelancers; that’s not all! You can check them right here.
Thank you for recommending Brand24! 🙂
You are Welcome! ^_^
For increased productivity, Trello is the best app I guess. Amazing overall round up!
The importance of a good desk was something I really appreciate you discussing. I can definitely see myself getting lost in my work and requiring a good surface to focus on it so I won’t lose my productivity. I’ll definitely shop for a quality desk from local furniture stores to help with this.
As a person who really wants to keep things neat, I can see it being really important to have a home office that makes as much use of space as possible. I can bet that picking snug tables and small shelves that can be used in different ways in that area is better than buying large pieces that will make the room crowded. Once I find an office furniture store in the area, these are the things I’ll look for for sure.