Home office furniture buyer's guide
Home offices can come in all shapes and sizes so here are some helpful tips to get you going
Whether you run your business from home, or simply want to create a dedicated space for your desktop computer, the right office furniture will make a huge difference.
With so much choice available, it can be difficult to know where to start – get clued up and learn everything you need to know to make the right decisions with help from our expert home office furniture buyers guide.
Types of home office furniture
We break down all the elements of a home office
Before starting to kit out your home office, it’s important to think about the three core aspects of the space:
- Desk
- Chair
- Storage
Get these right, and you’re well on your way to creating your perfect home office. Here’s a quick overview of the different categories.
Desks
Every home office space needs a dedicated workstation, and desks come in a huge range of different shapes and sizes. These include compact space-saving corner desks and PC trolleys that are ideal for smaller spaces, to large, rectangular bench desks and expansive all-in-one desk and storage solutions.
It's the biggest piece of furniture that goes in your home workspace, so it's important to know what type of desk will fit in the room you plan on working from. There are lots of shapes and sizes to cater for most needs, so read on to find what might suit you best.
Chairs
When it comes to the most important home office furniture, your chair is near the top of the list. Investing in the right, ergonomic chair for your home workspace will make a massive difference to your comfort and productivity. Home office chairs fall into a few core categories:
- Task Operator Chairs – simple, standard office chairs suitable for everyday use
- Executive Managers Chairs – larger, more luxurious chairs ideal for home office working
- Leather Office Chairs – premium finish office chairs available in a range of sizes and styles
Ultimately, the chair that’s right for your home office will depend on a few different factors, including the style of room and the size of the space.
When it comes to choosing a home office chair, comfort is king. Remember, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in this chair, so it’s worth investing a little more to find something that’s supportive and comfortable. Look out for ergonomic chairs with a good amount of padding, lumbar support and adjustable arms.
Storage
It’s easy to forget about, but having enough storage is absolutely essential for keeping your home office tidy and organised. Common home office storage solutions include:
- Desks with built-in drawers
- Filing cabinets
- Bookshelves
- Drawers
- Stationery cupboards
If you’re short on space, then choosing a desk with built-in storage may be the best space-saving solution.
Planning your home office
Things to think about before you start
Before you rush out and start buying furniture, it’s best to do a bit of home office planning:
Measuring up
To start with, you’re going to want to measure out your home office space, to see how much room you’ve got for furniture. One of the best ways is to draw out a plan of your office on a piece of paper, before measuring the space, taking care to mark out the location and dimensions of any doors, windows and radiators.
Once you’ve got your plan in place, you can browse through the different products online, checking the dimensions to ensure that they will fit in the space. You can use masking tape to mark out an outline of the furniture on the floor to get a better idea about how it may look when in place.
Budgeting
Prices for home office furniture vary massively from manufacturer to manufacturer. For high quality furniture from Bluespot, you can expect to pay somewhere around:
- Desks: <£100 - £500
- Office chairs: £50 - £350
- Storage £100 - £350
When setting your budget, think about long-term value – with home office furniture, you get what you pay for. Pushing the budget to get higher quality pieces can have significant benefits in terms of the lifespan, durability and comfort of the furniture you get.
Skimp out on cheap, low-quality furniture, and you may find yourself having to replace pieces sooner rather than later.
Planning for future growth
When planning out your home office, it’s important to think about your long-term space and storage requirements. Having enough desk area to house pieces of office tech you purchase in the future, and enough storage space to keep all your papers and files tidy will pay dividends in the long run.
The devil is in the detail...
What to think about when choosing home office furniture
Materials and finishes
One of the key things you’re going to have to decide on is the material your furniture is made from. Different materials all have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of usability, durability, style and price.
Solid wood
As the name suggests, solid wood furniture is made from real wood. It looks natural and unique, but tends to be heavier and more expensive than other wood effect furniture.
Real wood veneer
This finish features a thin layer of real wood on top of a composite or synthetic construction, providing the look and feel of solid timber, in a lighter, more cost-effective package.
Wood effect finish
This is furniture made from synthetic materials, but with the look of wood. Lightweight and easy to clean, it provides an affordable solution, but may not last as well as real wood.
Leather
A premium, luxurious finish found on higher end executive chairs. Leather does require careful cleaning and some maintenance to keep it looking its best.
Leather effect
Leather effect is a synthetic material that’s designed to look and feel like real leather, at a fraction of the price.
Metal
Modern and contemporary, metal furniture is stylish and durable, and complements glass very well. It tends to be lighter than solid wood furniture, but will require regular cleaning to ensure that it continues to look its best.
Glass
Glass desktops are a stylish solution for a home office. They look fantastic, but can be heavy, and do require regular cleaning.
Shapes and configurations
When choosing your home office desk, there’s a lot of choice when it comes to shapes and configurations. Think about your available space, and pick something to suit your chosen layout and room.
Corner desk
Designed to fit into the corner of the room, corner desks provide a good balance of working space.
Compact desks
if you’re short on space, then a compact home office desk could be the perfect solution. Bear in mind that the smaller the desk, the less space you’ll have to work at.
Wood effect finish
This is furniture made from synthetic materials, but with the look of wood. Lightweight and easy to clean, it provides an affordable solution, but may not last as well as real wood.
Storage desks
storage desks are a great space-saving solution for home offices and feature built-in storage solutions like drawers, cupboards and filing spaces.
Leather effect
Leather effect is a synthetic material that’s designed to look and feel like real leather, at a fraction of the price.
Wave desk
wave desks (also known as radial desks) are large desks with one wider side. Originally designed to house chunky CRT monitors, they provide plenty of workspace, but are too large for the majority of small home office applications.
Bench desk
bench desks are designed to be modular. They share components, like legs and beams, and can be reconfigured and extended through the addition of more components. Generally, bench desks are better for large, open-plan offices, but can work well in home offices.
Colour
When designing your home office, it’s important to think about the colours – after all, the furniture will be going into your home. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of choice available, so whatever kind of home office you’re trying to create, you’ll be able to find something to match your style.
At Bluespot Furniture, we offer desks in a huge range of colours and finishes, including a range of natural wood tones designed to complement your existing room schemes. We also offer more vibrant shades as part of our HD Colour Range, perfect for bringing a splash of colour to any space.
Sizes and heights
Measure twice, buy once!
There’s little worse than purchasing a load of new office furniture, only to find that it doesn’t fit in your available space.
Think about the practicalities of your home office space, and remember that you’ll need to leave space for drawers and doors to open.
Home office furniture jargon
Some popular office terms explained
Features/products
Adjustable arms
This refers to how adjustable the arms are on an office chair. All chairs are different – some feature height adjustable arms, others are width adjustable, some slide forwards and backwards, and others rotate.
Castors
Small wheels located on the bottom of your office furniture for easy manoeuvrability.
CPU holder
An accessory attached to the underside of an office desk to hold the central processing unit (CPU / computer tower) – helping with wire management.
Gas-lift chairs
These are chairs with a built-in lever, allowing you to quickly and easily adjust the height of the seat.
Laptop solutions
These are small, portable tables designed to help people working from armchairs or sofas.
PC trolley
A PC trolley is a small desk that’s fitted with castors. They are a flexible, space-saving option for smaller home office spaces.
Task chair
Also known as operator chairs, these are simple, functional office chairs designed for working at a computer.
General Terminology
Ergonomic
When it comes to office chairs, ergonomics refers to a chair that’s designed to complement the shape of the human body, making it more comfortable and supporting good posture whilst working.
Lumbar support
This provides support for your lower back, promoting good posture and improving working comfort.
Self-assembly
Also known as flat-pack furniture, self-assembly items will need to be built at home.
Wire management
Any feature designed to hide and/or organise wires from your electronic equipment, to free up space and keep your desk tidy.
Create your perfect home office with Bluespot Furniture
With thousands of different desks, chairs and innovative storage solutions in an unrivalled range of sizes, styles and colours, you’re sure to find the perfect home office furniture to meet your needs at Bluespot Furniture.
Customers benefit from top quality furniture that’s built to last in the UK, fast and free delivery and ultra-competitive prices, backed up by a 10-year guarantee.
For further information on any of our products or services, call a friendly member of our experienced sales team on 0800 8044 760, or email help@bluespotfurniture.com today.
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