How to Create Office Space at Home

How to Create Office Space at Home

The home-based business has its perks. There's no long commute, no expensive $7.00 sandwiches for lunch (don't forget an extra $1.50 for that bottled water!), and none of the typical dreariness of the office (flickering florescent lights and tight cubicle space).

It is a challenge, however, to create a demarcation between your home and your business. Avoid driving yourself crazy by keeping your personal and work lives separate! Here are a few tips to refashion your house/apartment into a diverse setting for both work and home.

1. Decide on your office space.
Do not simply set up your workspace in the bedroom you sleep in or the living room in which you watch television and receive guests. Remember, you will need to carry out business correspondence on the phone so you will need quiet. You will also need an appropriate amount of space for your basic machines, which usually includes a computer, printer, and fax machine. Opt to take a spare bedroom or an unused garage for your business operations and keep your usual home space out of it.

2. Consider equipment and accessories you will need.
The computer, printer, and fax machine are the usual weapons of choice for the home-based business. You may also prefer a separate phone line. But, depending on your business, you may find that operations run more smoothly if you have desk accessories such as a desktop calendar, a lamp, a pen holder, a pair of scissors, or a paper shredder. Think of what will be of convenience on a daily basis.

3. Storage is important.
It is a fact of life, but every business yields an impressive amount of paperwork. It is generally not a good idea to keep archived materials in your desk, which should ideally be used for accessories and papers that are more immediate and relevant to current tasks. Consider filing cabinets for papers, roll filing systems for rolled-up papers, and media storage units for items such as DVDs, CDs, and more.

4. Present a professional image.
For home-based businesses that do not receive clients of guests, this principle will generally not be a concern. But your home office should strike the client as efficient, clean, and professional. Otherwise, the client will assume that you are not efficient, clean, or professional. Keep clutter off the floor and at a minimum on your desk. Unless you want to create the atmosphere of a mobster scene, keep the area well-lit and the room well-ventilated. Try not to smoke in the office.

5. Set up regular work hours.
Just like at an office, you should set up regular work hours. You have the advantage of putting in some overtime if you need it, but generally, try not to allow your business to spill over in your personal time. Unless you have an ad hoc policy with clients and customers, you should let them know when are the best times to contact and work with you.

Happy Holiday Wishes from Ace Office Furniture!

Ace Office Furniture would like to wish you Happy Holiday Wishes! And we know that the shopping days before Christmas Eve and Day are fast reaching zero, so we would like to give you some info to rush in those orders for furniture now!

For online shoppers, visit our website store or if you're in the New York/New Jersey area, we have a showroom location at: 229 42 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232. Our friendly customer service would be more than happy to help you with any orders or questions.

Feeling the Tension? Here's a Video to Vent It

As the holiday break is fast approaching, many worker bees are finding their desks increasingly cluttered with last-minute tasks and assignments. Ace would like to help you relax with a little venting.

Behold, it's a classic scene from Office Space:

All About Ergonomics

The term "ergonomics" can be applied to any practice that studies human factors when designing a product or strategy. People usually think of physical comfort when they hear the term, but we also have structural and psychological benefits such as work shifts and safety culture at various businesses because of ergonomics.

Physical ergonomics help individuals remain comfortable and focused on task even after long days of toil in an office. Ergonomic design has been especially focused on white-collar workers' office seating and computer furniture. Muscle aches and hand/wrist strain (which sometimes advances into carpal tunnel syndrome) are common negative consequences of sitting in front of a computer all day.

It's important to recognize the important qualities of a good chair. Whether it's a task chair, executive chair, or guest chair, think about who will be sitting in the chair, and for how long and for what purpose. Chairs at work desks should have more accouterments: arm rests, supportive but flexible backs, adjustable height options, and wheels. Guest chairs can be decidedly less comfortable yet more ornate; guests will normally not sit in these all day.

As for hands and wrists, mouse pad wrist supports, keyboard wrist supports, combination wrist supports, and single wrist supports are various helpful solutions.

Office Furniture Shopping Tips

Opening up a new business in a rented office space or at home is an exciting time in your life. Buying the needed furniture pieces for your business is important in how you develop your business's identity: what kind of culture and atmosphere are you trying to invoke? What sort of activities will you be focusing on?

For example, if you work in a visually oriented industry, consider purchasing literature displays for a common area to deliver a message or image to employees, customers, and clients.

But there are always five factors to consider when shopping for office furniture, no matter what you do.

1. Space - How much space will you have? This will be a bigger issue for home businesses, and a greater deal of creativity will be needed to accommodate yourself and your employees. Also consider wires and cables that will be coming out of the wall. Desks should be near electrical outlets with the aid of strip outlets and extensions (talk to your electrician about the limit per room).

2. Comfort and Safety - It is advised that you do not scrimp and save too much when it comes to office chairs. Your employees will especially need comfortable chairs as they will be seated for most of the day. Discomfort will only inhibit productivity and feelings of satisfaction among your workers.

3. Computers before desks - Decide on whether you are purchasing desktops or laptops before you buy the desks. Laptops cost more than desktops, but they will save you money on furniture as they require less desk space. If you decide to save money on computers, be prepared to buy desks with sufficient surface space.

4. Don't forget other machines - It is likely that you will need more than just a computer for office equipment. You will probably require telephones, fax machines, and printers. You may also need scanners, panel accessories, desk lamps, and copyholders. Use machine stands, credenzas, and bookcases to hold up these necessities.

5. Other functional rooms - Will you be requiring a reception area for visitors? Are you giving your employees a cafeteria space? Do you need conference furniture? Remember, a business is more than just an office where work is done on a computer. Keep in mind all the different types of spaces you will need to have in order to carry out various communications and operations.

Furniture Tip of the Day: L-Shaped Desks or U-Shaped Stations?

Should your office go for L-shaped desks or U-shaped stations?

L-Shaped Desk

L-shaped desks are great for office corners. They've become more popular due to the ubiquitous computer. One side is for all of your computer tasks, while the other side is for everything else! L-shaped desks commonly have double pedestals.

U-Shaped Station

U-shaped stations take up more room than L-shaped desks, but they offer more desk space. Pushing two U-shaped stations against each other (with hutches providing privacy) is a good way of saving space.

L-shaped desks are best for offices with one to three occupants, while U-shaped stations are best for larger rooms without cubicles. Take advantage of display dividers to provide privacy for workers, and use machine stands for auxiliary devices such as printers and fax machines.

Ace is Now a Proud Member of Photarium

Ace Office Furniture is now a member of Photarium's Blogger Directory.

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What's Making Your Office Ugly?

So... do you find your space at work to be just a little bit... cramped?

Maybe you could use some spare space?

...Or does your business just come across a touch impersonal and cold?

It could use a bit of warming up?

...Or is your office desk a bit cluttered?

Could it just use a bit of spring cleaning?

... Maybe you just need some help from Ace Furniture, a reliable online retailer of office furniture for companies, home businesses, schools, and government sites. Occupy intelligently designed, spacious desks. Spruce up the office space with furniture that has character. Neatly put away your documents and files in some attractive storage.

Importing Office Furniture

Mostly everyone would agree that the quality of imported furniture is good, provided that the factory is properly monitored, assuring a good quality furniture. It is also true that the pricing is much lower than for domestic goods. It's equally true that the selection is large and availability is plenty. Generally, this is great for the economy, by enabling a very large portion of our population, to purchase new furniture. The same holds true for any other industry as well.

These being the facts, production of manufactured goods in the USA has mostly vanished. Companies who had previously produced their goods locally, were forced to import from foreign countries. Is this trend in the long run really beneficial? Even if we were to assume that all the displaced workers can find other forms of employment. Assuming that by the grace of the All Mighty, the ever lurking terrorists will not take advantage of the so many containers arriving at these shores, from all over the globe.

However, we are increasingly placing ourselves at the mercy of foreign governments. Suppose that the United States and China were to have a dispute, which is prone to happen. What if China decides that if the USA does not relent, they will not allow any shipments to leave. (Let us not forget that China is not a democracy.) Or they were to decide that a large tax be applied. We won't be able to fall back on production over here, because most production plants have been dismantled. We will G-d forbid be stuck. Think a minute, and look around you. Basically everything comes from China. Where will we buy computers, telephones, furniture, tools, cars, screws and nails etc.? Where will we the parts to fix the equipment? How many items operate on batteries, that are imported? It can create a very dangerous situation, worse than a blackout. Even food and food products are being brought in from China.

Instead of us teaching them, and thereby shooting ourselves in the foot. With our technical knowledge, the focus of this beloved nation should be to produce machinery that can greatly reduce the manual workforce. By pursuing this approach, we will bring back this nation to its former glory. Merchandise produced in USA will be the best at low cost. Our ports will not be cluttered with arriving containers that may contain dangerous substances. They will, however, be loading merchandise from this country shipping elsewhere. Most importantly we will not be held hostage by another government.

Office (Furniture) Politics

Read about this odd and dramatic true story about the political battle over office furniture selections:

"Speaker gingerly takes up office decor issue"

Want to avoid your own office war over furnishings? Choose quality yet affordable furniture to retain employees and to keep your goals within budget.

Office Seating Tips: How to Get into the Hot Seat

Every now and then you take stock of your office furnishings. Some equipment need repairs, a few desks have to be replaced, that room requires a painting and so forth. However, the seating is usually accepted as being OK, because they aren't torn, they still swivel, and the wheels move. This thought, although common, is very wrong. What should also be examined on the office chair are the following points.

What is the condition of the foam? Is this the proper height required? Does it offer lumbar support? Do the arms adjust to the position needed for using the keyboard? There is another very important aspect to keep in mind when evaluating your office environment. The chairs that were purchased way back do not have the important options that are available today. Also, the person using the chair is not the same one as the original user. Each person's body needs support, and every one is unique at which point their body requires the support. A person who is big and tall will not be comfortable using a chair that was used by an average-sized individual.

A good office chair, whether for the executive or the manager or task chair, with the proper adjustments can now be found at very affordable pricing. By procuring comfortable seating for the people in your organization, you will see benefits. They will be more productive workers. There will be fewer trips to the coffee machines. And possibly less sick leave. Most importantly, you will have a happy work force.