The home office, or study, is the one room in the house that has had to endure and adapt to modern day living more than any other. Once ‘Dad’s haven’, a place for the ‘head of the household’ to retreat to after a long day in the office, and play music, smoke cigars and catch up on the odd piece of correspondence, the modern day home office is a family resource. Children are expected to produce most of their homework on PCs, and the Internet has replaced the library as a real-time, constant resource. The adults in the household use the home office to answer work emails outside of office hours, or surf on the web as an alternative vocational activity to watching television.

Choosing the right home office furniture is essential to creating an adaptable environment for work and play. Indeed the home office no longer needs to be a room – it is often incorporated into an area of the lounge, dining room, kids bedroom or hallway. All that is needed is a workstation – desk and chair, and a computer.

The key to selecting the right home office furniture is to ensure it is both functional and attractive. The more requirements you have for the desk the more space you are likely to need. Don’t select a basic small desk if you are intending to use it every day as you will have nowhere to store your paperwork and filing, and there is nothing more frustrating than having to hunt for information.

Don’t buy something that is displeasing to your eye. This is a totally subjective area, but unless you choose a style you are comfortable with you will never enjoy spending time in your home office environment.

Ensure the chair that you use is comfortable and adjustable. If you are intending to spend a considerable amount of time in your home office it needs to work for you ergonomically and your seating position is crucial to achieving this.

Make sure you have enough desk space to comfortably fit your computer keyboard and screen. Depending on your needs you may also need additional flat space for writing and laying out projects. If you use files or books you will need shelving space. Consider in detail how you will use the home office workstation space before you make a purchase. If your needs are likely to grow over time, choose a modular home office, that you can add to over a period of time.

Above all, remember, when choosing your home office furniture, it must work for you – not the other way around.