"Achieve a functional and attractive home office." For Affinion Group niche publication, Business Asset

1. S TAYING ON TOP
An important tip:
Get a cross-cut shredder
that slices confetti-style,
so you can make sure
Organize Your
your personal information
will not be legible.
Home Office
Achieve a functional and attractive home office for the New Year
By Karen Pasacreta
Little piles of paper are forming all over your house. Forget about eating on the kitchen them on pieces you have less physical
table. And the island that was supposed to be your cooking workspace is full of school contact with.”
papers, bills, important information for your business, and catalogs galore. And it’s not If your house has a large pantry, you
only building up, it’s also building out into other rooms. You need a change. can also convert that into a workspace, or
Well, the New Year is a time for change. The resolutions start flowing and renewed even use the kitchen island cabinetry for
energy leads to self-evaluation. You ask yourself: What are my business goals? What do I your office supplies. If you have a laptop,
want to achieve this year? How can I increase my productivity? potentially every space is your desk. That’s
The answer lies in organization. You need a workspace that is both functional and when the focus is on organizing your
practical — a home office that blends with your busy life. supplies, so don’t be afraid to clean out
The good news is you can have organizational nirvana without compromising design. a knife drawer for paperclips, pencils, and
Interior designer Toni Saccoman knows firsthand that the key is to make your workspace Post-It® notes.
blend with the rest of the house.
Functionality is key
The home office of 2010 A wide and open living room can also
“Open floor plans are it today. And the kitchen is the center of everything,” explains become a natural workspace, especially
Saccoman, principal of Toni Saccoman Designs in Chestnut Ridge, New York. by placing a desk in a small corner or
Blending the home office with the kitchen makes sense, as people tend to spend alcove so it looks like a built-in. “The
most of their time there. They want to keep one eye on the kids, one on the TV, and still nice thing is computers are smaller
be near the food. “The challenge is in designing the office to blend with the kitchen, yet and thinner and take up less space today,” but 36 inches (kitchen counter height) is hooks under your desk to hang the wires or place them in a wire basket screwed to the
organizing it to function separately,” says Saccoman. says Saccoman. also acceptable. bottom of the desk. Either way, out of sight, out of mind. Plus this way you’ll have more
Also according to Saccoman, there are many ways this can be achieved, like I Install shelves Shelves are perfect for A drop-down leaf on an armoire desk room for a recycling bin to reuse paper. It’s never too late to go green.
choosing the same kitchen cabinetry for the desk, but using different materials for storage boxes to put your paper, pencils, lets you hide your mess. Plus, it typically I Get a shredder Now let’s talk about the paper that’s practically growing like weeds
each countertop. Many people make the mistake of wanting granite for the counter, but and pens. You can buy these relatively contains a place to neatly house all your all over your house. Build time into your schedule to go through your mail every week,
she recommends using wood. “Wood is more comfortable and absorbs light. Granite, inexpensively at many local and brand- supplies and may include corkboard to so you can get rid of the things you don’t want and file the things you need. Then shred
although beautiful, is usually shiny and cold and reflects light, which can make you name home goods stores. Measure post important reminders. anything that’s over six months old. If you set it aside to read and you never did, and odds
tired.” and plan for enough height between I Hide those wires Try going wireless! are you never will.
For cabinetry, she recommends a stained finish for the desk instead of paint, since your computer and the shelf. Standard Wireless keyboards and computer mice
stain will handle the dings better. “Painted finishes require higher maintenance; use desk height is 30 inches above the floor free up the space so you never have to Think long term
worry about tugging on a cord again. But Whatever home office design solution you decide on, you want to make sure it is one you
even if you do have cords, there is an grow with. And just like the New Year’s resolutions you make, what you want today may
PHOTO: VEER
Open floor plans are it today. And the kitchen is the center of everything. inexpensive solution: twist ties. Tie each not be what you need down the road.
cord separately, then tie them all together “It is important to take every factor into consideration,” notes Saccoman. “The best
in one big lump. You can either screw in designs will transcend time.” BA
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