If you are considering home office decorating ideas, the first thing you should do is decide on what you need for a functional and comfortable area. Use the printable Home Office Worksheet to get your ideas on paper and start the thinking process for locating and decorating your office.

Here Are Some Questions to Start You Thinking

• How many hours a week do you work at home?
• Do you already have a space set up or are you looking for an area you can use for a home office?
• Do you need quiet and privacy away from the bustle of family life?
• Do you receive clients in your office?
• Do you need a separate entrance?
• Do you have adequate outlets and phone jacks for electronic equipment?
• Do you need a large space for spreading out work and documents?

This is a sample of questions from the printable home office decorating worksheet. Once you have taken the time to fill this in, you will have a good idea of your needs, work habits, and available or needed space.

Working from Home Calls for Discipline

One of the hardest things about working from home is keeping regular work hours. It is almost impossible to do this if your office is in the center of family activities. There must be a way to insure privacy when you are working.

Finding Space for Locating Your Home Office

You may already have a room or location in mind. If not, consider these ideas.

Of course the best way is to have a separate room with a door that you can close when you are not available. If a separate room is not available, perhaps there is some unused space in the attic or basement if you have one.

In old homes, attics were considered storage space because of the lack of insulation or air conditioning. This is a problem that can be easily conquered with air conditioning and insulation products available today.

If you don't need a room to yourself, and only use the office for home use or occasional work, you may have a room that can be utilized for double duty, such as a guest room, den, or dining room that is used infrequently for entertaining.

Your home office could be a table located in the corner of your guest room

A home office could be a desk built into the kitchen counter between cabinets, or an armoire designed to hold a computer station located in a guest bedroom. It can be located in a large walk in closet, in a small area under the stairs, or a desk built into the kitchen counter.

The only caveat I would mention is locating your office in the master bedroom. I know this is a common area for an office, but your bedroom should be a haven where you can relax and rejuvenate. It is hard to do that if you are staring at a desk covered with paperwork demanding your attention. If you must or prefer to have your home office in the bedroom, be sure to use a desk with adequate drawers or decorative boxes to hide your work from view when you are finished with your days projects.

Separate Your Office Boundaries

If you must locate your office in a shared space, at the minimum the office space sould be shielded by a screen, or a corner of a room could be partitioned off with a large piece of furniture such as a buffet table or large bookcase.

Visit furniture stores to see the latest in office decorating pieces. Since locating an office in the home is now becoming more and more popular, furniture designers are rushing to meet the demand for functional and affordable home office furniture.

Equiping Your Home Office

In order to allocate enough space for your office, you should have some idea what you need for equipment. Luckily, today many pieces of equipment do double duty. Here is a list to get you started:

• Computer
• Printer/Scanner/Copier
• Telephone/Answering Machine/Fax
• Paper Shredder
• File Cabinets
• Bookcases
• Drawers or Wire baskets for storing small items (staplers, paper clips, pens, etc)
• Storage for computer paper and documents
• Other specialized or professional equipment you may need

This list will give you a start on the equipment necessary to run your office efficiently.

Home Office Ergonomics

Most people who work in an office environment are familiar with ergonomics. Here are a few of the most obvious mistakes that are made in the placing of home office equipment and how to correct them:

• Elbows splayed out -- Lower the work surface
• Constant twisting of head from side to side---Bring items closer to center of vision
• Wrists bent in an awkward position when keying---Raise, lower or change the slope of keyboard
• Tension in neck and shoulders--- Take breaks often-- Set alarm if needed for reminder --- Lower work surface --- Raise chair
• Head tilted forward, eyes squinting --- Lower monitor, tilt monitor back
• Neck flexed downward --- Raise monitor
• Frequent leaning or stretching --- Bring work and equipment within easy reach
• Reflected glare --- Move monitor away from light source or shield light sources
• Back pain-- Check your chair. An ergonomically designed chair that fits your body is worth it's weight in gold

These are some of the most common ergonomic problems in the home office. For some great ergonomic office furniture check out this website:

Furnishing Your Home Office

Even if your home office equipment is high tech, it doesn't mean your furniture must be.

A beautiful desk facing the windows encourages you to look up and take a short eye break from your computer. Some comfortable seating for receiving clients, and a large table for spreading out your documents can be in the traditional, country, or contemporary style to fit in with your decorating preferences.

Above all, Your Home Office Must be Usable

If you work at home full time, your office should be one of your top priorities. If your office is in the center of a traffic pattern, dark and dreary, noisy and cluttered, you will find excuses for not using it.

Many times it is not only discipline that keeps people working on a schedule and getting work done at home, but an office that is comfortable, inviting, and functional.

Do yourself a favor by creating a favorable work atmosphere where you enjoy going each day. Make your office a place where you can be productive, because you have taken the time to analyze, design and decorate your home office around your needs and preferences.