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4 Declutter
Every working office tends to accumulate “stuff” over time – books, papers, reference materials, prototypes of great inventions, and so on. Schedule a day to do a clean out and recycle or repurpose everything you don’t need. Organize what remains so that you can retrieve it easily. Bookshelves arranged by subject matter and file drawers arranged logically are an incredible time saver. Purchase attractive wicker, wood or acrylic boxes to store materials neatly out of sight and keep them together.
A key source of disorganization in home offices (or any other room in the house, for that matter) is insufficient storage. If needed, invest in extra bookshelves or filing cabinets. There are many attractive options for home offices these days, or you can buy standard office storage units and paint them in a kicky colour.
5 Gadgets galore
Here’s another reason to love the home office: The fusion of the design world and the techie world. Now you can find tech chic office gadgets of every kind aimed specifically at the growing part of the workforce that doesn’t think “putty” is a real colour. Among the options are modern-art desk lamps, desktop phones and other electronics that are as beautiful to look at as they are useful. The new Polaroid mobile printer co-designed by Lady Gaga (who has a financial interest in the company) features leather and stainless steel accents. Apple computers have been understated works of art for many years and Dell offers laptops that feature interchangeable lids in a plethora of designs. And IKEA has known for years that office furniture and accessories can be beautiful.
Whether you’re just organizing a home office for the first time, or you’ve been working out of your back room for years, look at it this way: It simply makes good business sense that it should be a functional, inviting and stylish place.
Read more in Decorating & Design and Styling Secrets
