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.

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

Your office furniture is a direct reflection on your business. When choosing office storage, it’s important to pick designs and colours that not only match your furniture, but also suits your business in terms of colour, style and brand. With modern finishes, styles and materials available for furniture and accessories in an office, it’s easier than ever to make a first impression to visitors and improve employee satisfaction.

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.

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.

Home office furniture jargon

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.