‘Hunting High and Low’ for Office Furniture

As the song says, I’ve been ‘Hunting Hi and Low’ (famed Norwegian band ah-ha in case you want to check them out) for home office furniture for the last week or so.  Turns out I’ve got several home office projects on the go right now -very cool.

The challenge of finding furniture for a home office makes it seem, at times, like I’m never going to find just the right pieces.  We have to consider the following:

• The size of the space
• The needs of the client
• The functionality of the furniture (a biggie for me!)
• The style and color of the furniture
• The availability of the furniture (especially here in Halifax)
• My extreme pickiness (ha!)

I have to say that options seem to be improving.  Not only can we choose from the usual places if we want something inexpensive like Staples, Ikea (shipping it here is a bit pricey), Sears (Sauder) and Bombay but local retailers have done a great job of ramping up their selection. For moderate budgets  Jordans Furnishings in New Minas has a good selection including Ashley and Winners Only.  If we want to put up with a little hassle around getting the furniture here, I do love Pottery Barn for certain offices and the pricing falls in line with a decent budget.  However, if you’ve got some money set aside and really want an awesome home office, my favourite right now is local retailer Attica.  They have several lines of home office and I’m loving the BDI Sequel collection, the Hudson Street collection and the Catalina product line.

When I’m searching for furniture here are all the things I may need to have a proper home for:

• Computer Workstation or Laptop
• Printer(s)
• Telephone
• Desktop Sorter or Hanging File
• Files, Files, Files
• School Stuff – projects, reports, homework, supplies
• Office Supplies – paper, labels, ink cartridges, file folders, pens, stapler, hole punch, etc.
• Electronic Accessories
• Cameras
• Television
• Books and Magazines
• Binders – committees, courses, etc.
• Photo Albums

Whew, that’s a lot of stuff and that’s what makes this hunting job a bit tough. If I only wanted a gorgeous desk and nothing else I would have hundreds of options but I also need a filing cabinet or two, a bookcase, a storage cabinet, several drawers, and so on.

If you’re one of those lucky people who lives in a larger city, all I have to say is, don’t tell me about all the other awesome places you have to get home office furniture – I’m having enough trouble making up my mind already!

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Home Office Design and Organizing Part 1

This if the first of a three-part series on designing and organizing your home office.

Let’s talk about everyone’s worst nightmare – paper, paper, paper – where does it all come from and what to do with it?  For most of the busy professionals I work with this is the most challenging part of keeping their home organized.  Can you relate?

Piles of paper going up the stairs and down the stairs . . . information on vacation plans still piled high on the dining room table along with unopened mail, bills waiting to be paid . . . and then there are the magazines.  Let me count the ways that I love my decorating magazines!  How difficult it is when the pile gets so high that it starts to fall over and I have to purge.

Aaah yes, purge, that nasty word.  Call it as you will – edit, cull, delete – it all means the same thing – before you can design and set up a functional home office, you’re best to get rid of all the excess. 

Keep your long-term vision in mind as you slog through the piles of paper, the mounds of old discs and stacks of newsletters that you mean to read one day.

Where do I begin, you ask?  Well, that depends, I answer.  If you are looking for instant gratification to keep you motivated, the best place to begin is with the visible surfaces. If you are not as worried about keeping motivated, you may decide to start with your filing cabinet if it is stuffed to the brim and can’t possibly hold another piece of paper.

Take one box, file or pile at a time and start with each piece of paper or item and ask yourself the following questions:

1. How old is this – is it recent enough to be useful?
2. Does this require action?
3. Can I really identify a specific use for it?
4. Is it difficult to obtain this again if ‘someday I might need it’
5. When was the last time I used this?
6. Are there tax or legal reasons why I must keep this?
7. If you still feel that knot in your stomach – ask yourself: What is the worst possible thing that will happen if I toss this?

 As you set aside your daily organizing time also be aware that you will need 10 or 15 minutes every day to deal with incoming.  Follow a system by separating items into ‘Action’ or ‘File’ or send them straight to the file known as the recycling bin!

 As you open mail, discard the envelope immediately and place the item either in an action folder or file away in your new filing system.  Designate a place for unread magazines and newsletters such as an attractive basket or magazine box. 

 I wish you good luck and much purging and look forward to the next phase, which is designing and setting up your home office space.

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