RISMEDIA, August 29, 2007-(DoitYourself.com)-According to a recent Builder Magazine study, 54% of households have home offices and most architects now include them in new home plans. If your current home doesn’t include an office, why not create one using an extra bedroom, underused closet or the kitchen pantry?
As in any remodeling job, start with the floors and walls. Stay away from carpet, which causes static electricity that can affect your electronics. Hardwood, while beautiful, is easily scratched by wheeled desk chairs. And although ceramic is durable, it will break most anything that you drop on it.
In the end, perhaps the best floor for a home office is luxury resilient flooring. Products like Nafco flooring come in tiles and planks that have the look and feel of ceramic and hardwood, with none of the disadvantages.
“Home offices are some of the busiest rooms in the house, so choose a floor that’s beautiful, durable and low maintenance, like luxury vinyl tiles and planks,” advises Diane Martel, vice president of marketing for Nafco.
For the walls, choose a color that invigorates you or hang art that inspires you. Also, make sure you have adequate electrical outlets, telephone jacks and data lines. Next, install the right lighting. You’ll want a desk lamp for task lighting and built-in lighting fixtures for general lighting.
Purchase office furniture based on your work habits. If you like to spread out, get a big desk and perhaps a credenza. If you’re neat and tidy, a petite desk or desk armoire might be adequate. Give yourself plenty of storage space using file cabinets, shelving or baskets. And don’t forget to purchase a comfortable chair.
Finally, and most importantly, identify the office equipment you will need, including a personal computer, printer, fax machine, copier and telephone. You might even consider hiring an expert to make sure it all functions properly. Once installed, get some conduit material to neatly hide computer wiring.
Whether you work at home or just like spending time on the Internet, treat yourself to a stylish, functional home office. Luxury resilient flooring makes an ideal floor for a home office.
Courtesy of NAPSnet.
