How to Design a Small Office

If you are self-employed or if you work from home, then the first step in starting your small business is finding space for your home office. However, after you do this there can be some challenge involved in creating a functional work area. The following are some technical and design aspects that you should consider in order to get a small home office set up that makes it easy to perform your necessary tasks.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Proper wiring
• Necessary technology
• Storage options
• Desk

1. First, you need to make sure your home has the right quality of electrical supply. A single small laser printer will take 300 to 400 watts of power to run. Now think about how much electronic equipment you will need in order to operate your business. Make sure the circuitry in your home is able to handle all the electronic equipment you need to operate. When you know you have the basic wiring to run your home business, you can focus on the next aspect of designing your small office, which is lighting.

2. The existing lighting in your home is not often going to be appropriate for your home office needs. A small office design needs strong overhead lighting that also means you will need to purchase and install new light fixtures before you can focus on moving into your small home office. Determining how much workspace you have will help you to determine how much illumination you need to efficiently light your work area. After you have the correct lighting installed, you can focus on the next major area, which is ventilation.

3. Ventilation is often one of the most overlooked design elements of the small office and yet it is very important. Make sure the ventilation is appropriate to keep all your electronic equipment cool and running at peak performance. Second, you need to make sure the ventilation provides you with a comfortable atmosphere to work in. After these three aspects, you will have the basic infrastructure in place for your small home office. Now you can focus on what actually goes into your home office design.

4. First, you want to consider your storage options. Having a good storage system is crucial to the success of a small business. Three good storage options to consider include a filing cabinet, a supply closet and/or a place to sort incoming and outgoing mail.

5. Now you want to consider the foundation of your home-based small office design, the desk. While many think that installing a massive computer desk is a good idea, the new trend is for smaller spaces. This is because smaller laptops and flat panel monitors require less room. Therefore, you can often get by with a standard executive style desk. It is also important that you find a comfortable and supportive chair if you are going to spend long periods at your desk.

Tips & Warnings

• Place your office equipment where it is easy to use. Be sure to protect sensitive office equipment. Keep cords and wires neat. Have clear paths to move around.