I’ve worked from home for almost a decade. I worked partially remotely when I was still working in Corporate America, and now that I work full-time for myself, I choose to work from home. (I tried out a co-working space for a few months but didn’t like it.) I’m a huge believer in having a dedicated workspace, or office, at home if you work remotely. It helps me create a better work-life balance, gives me space to think, and helps me stay productive during the day. It also gives me a “drop-zone” that I can walk away from at the end of my work day. I get a ton of packages because of my content creator role, so I’d go crazy if those were sitting all over the rest of my house.
So, if you’re also a work-from-homebody, I’ve got ya covered with the best desk, chair, monitor setup, and accessories to make it productive and comfortable.
Creating a great home office or work space means balancing efficiency and functionality with comfort (if you’re going to be at home, you should enjoy the comforts of home, right?). But then again, you can’t get too comfortable or you won’t be productive. It’s a fine line, and that’s what I’m going to help with today.
This is HUGELY helpful since having boundaries between work and home life can be really challenging when you work at home. I love knowing that all of my work can happen when I sit down in my office, and I can leave the room knowing it will stay there. I highly recommend creating a dedicated office space in your home to reduce distractions (since there WILL be some).
When we renovated our house a few years ago, we put up a wall to divide a large living room into two spaces to create a dedicated office since I work exclusively from home. However, when I lived in a loft apartment before I got married, I had a small desk in the corner of my living room for my “office,” which was dedicated to work. I never put bills, mail, laundry, or anything “non-work” related on that desk.
I also recommend keeping your desk area away from places in your house where you’ll get easily distracted (like beside the TV). I did put my office downstairs near the living room in our house so that I could be near my boys even when our nanny is here (maybe not the best option if you’re on Zoom calls all day), but I have doors that separate the rooms, so everyone knows that if the door is shut, I need to be left alone.
I first got addicted to dual monitors when I worked at Goldman Sachs right out of college, and now I have three monitors. Multiple monitors are a game changer for your productivity since you can multi-task efficiently. I love keeping a document open on one screen while writing a related email on the other or referencing multiple sources of data.
The easiest way to do this for a home office is to order a monitor and use it in tandem with your laptop, and then add a third monitor if you decide you want one. I love that my monitors sit up high enough that I don’t have to look down while working. If your monitor still isn’t high enough to be at your eye level, you can order monitor mounts and stands to raise the screen to your eye level (helps relieve neck and shoulder pain!).
Choose monitors that can adjust in height and tilt, and you might even want to consider anti-glare screens to reduce eye strain. Mine aren’t fancy – just Dell – but I like the extra wide shape.
After sitting at an old antique desk with a cane back chair for years, I KNEW I wanted a standing desk. At the time, I was training for the Boston Marathon when I was preparing to leave my job in Corporate America to work for myself, and the constant sitting left my hips and back so strained. Your glutes also shut off when you sit too much which can lead to other problems. I also find that I’m much more productive when I can stand or lean at a desk. I got the Jarvis Standing Desk by Fully, and it’s been a game-changer.
The best part about it is that I can adjust it from fully standing to sitting height. I love having both options. I don’t have to worry about my plugs and monitors either, since the Jarvis has a cable management place to store cords so they don’t get caught or stretched. (But I still need to find a good way to hide them under the desk though. The messiness drives me nuts!)
Look for a desk with easy height adjustment, a solid build, and enough surface space for all your essentials. When I bought mine about 10 years ago, Fully was the only one that really made standing desks, but now there are tons of brands that are more affordable. However, I will say that mine has stood the test of time, so if you’re planning to WFH long-term, I’d invest in a reputable brand.
If you aren’t quite ready to invest in a true standing desk, these Stand Desk Convertors or a monitor stand will work great.
I didn’t order a walking pad until about a year ago when I was pregnant with my son. I realized that I would have to find a way to get some steps in throughout the day with a newborn at home (and still try to work), so I thought a walking pad might make that situation easier. And it turns out I was right!
Not only did I love having the option to walk while Charles was napping during my work day, but I realized I was actually very productive while I walked and worked, too. I set it to a pace I can maintain easily without having to steady myself, and while it’s not fast, I’m amazed at the distance I walk in just 30 minutes. I find it hard to do super focused work on the walking pad, so I save it for cleaning out my inbox, talking on the phone, or working on blog posts.
The walking pad that I have is very affordable from Amazon, and I can’t say I totally recommend it (and it’s not sold anymore, so no matter). After a couple of months, it started making a clicking sound, and I also don’t love that it’s big and hard to hide when I’m not using it. I wish I had ordered this folding walking pad that has great reviews, instead.
An ergonomic chair is another must-have for long hours at your desk. It’s a high cost upfront, but I promise the investment is worth it. I used a dining room chair in my office for years and had so many issues with my shoulders since I wasn’t high enough to comfortably type or use a mouse. Once I invested in a better chair, that improved dramatically.
Around the time I bought my standing desk, I got a Capisco Adjustable Standing Desk Chair, and it’s by far my FAVORITE (and priciest, funny how that works) office purchase. It sits higher than your typical office chairs, and it’s the perfect complement to an adjustable or standing-height desk. The shape of the seat helps with my posture, and I don’t feel the need to adjust my seat as often as I used to because it has open hips. The plus-shaped back is comfortable for backward or even sideways sitting if that’s your style.
You can also find many non-traditional office chairs made for standing desks online at a more affordable price point. This Amazon chair is great for a standing desk, and it’s cheaper.
If you’re going to go the route of a standing or adjustable desk, you need to make sure your mechanical keyboard and mouse are wireless. (No one is buying a wired keyboard and mouse anymore, right?) I especially love my wireless keyboard because I can quickly turn it off when the boys join me at the desk ;). And I prefer the Apple mouse and keyboard since I’m used to my Mac laptop keyboard, which is much flatter than a traditional keyboard.
Even though most of our world is digital, you’ll need a file cabinet for important paperwork. I used to keep a small two-drawer file cabinet in my office, and I was always amazed at how much I used it. Now that I have a large console in my office, I’ve found a solution that allows me to keep files inside of that, but if you don’t have a console table or closet in your office, you should order a file cabinet.
If you have more space, a console is a great option since it’s pretty and hides a ton of stuff. I keep my files, printer, packing supplies, and extra random stuff in my console, which helps keep my office clean and organized. My console is technically a media cabinet, and it’s gorgeous.
One unique feature of my office is my rolling coat rack – since I try on clothes for a living, I needed a place to keep things that are steamed and ready to wear, so I bought a rolling rack. I also keep a large garment steamer in my office since that’s something I use daily.
I keep these cute Albany Rattan Cane Bins on the shelves of my garment for extra storage. Bins and baskets are essential for hiding random things in a workspace – think printer paper, stapler, glue, tape, etc.
Believe it or not, I didn’t get a printer for years. I never thought I needed one since Tommy could print whatever I needed from his office, but when my employee found out, she convinced me to get a small one for my office. For some reason, I thought printers were huge and took up tons of space (which I didn’t have), but you can get super small, sleek-looking printers. I thought I didn’t like to print, but now that I have a printer at home, I use it FAR more often than I expected. Return labels, contracts I want to mull through, files and receipts I need to keep, you name it.
Since I hate clutter, I organize my papers and pens in acrylic trays on my desk. I have this acrylic paper organizer and use this acrylic pen holder. I just got this organizer with a whiteboard option on the lid, which is fun. A cable management system can also be helpful for reducing clutter and keeping cords out of sight.
I’m a big fan of house plants and flowers in my office. They help maintain the “home” part of a home office and make me happy. I get nearly all of my house plants from The Sill since they look great and are hard to kill! And I also found these faux tulips from Amazon that look SO real, and I keep that bouquet on my console.
This is KEY for me. I know this isn’t possible for everyone’s home office spaces, but if you’re trying to decide where to set up your office, pick somewhere with the most sunlight you can. I got so lucky with a gorgeous sunroom at our old house. It had windows on three sides of the room, and my living room on the fourth side, so I got sun at all hours of the day. I can’t tell you what a difference it made for my mental health to be in a sunny space.
My current office only has one window, but it’s in the front of the house without much shade from trees, so I still get great light. As a content creator, I also keep a ring light at my desk to create an even BETTER lighting situation, which I love. If your office setup does not have natural light, a ring light will help a ton for Zoom calls. Don’t leave it on for too long though, or you’ll get a headache.
This is totally preference, and your space may not accommodate room for additional seating, but I’ve personally loved having extra seating in my office. My chairs are often where I keep packages I need to send, things I’m planning to return, or things I need a few extra days to get to. I like knowing that there’s an extra spot to keep things in my office but out of the way of my desk.
Extra seating is another great way to make your home office feel like it’s at home.
I also love having art in my office. It makes my space feel personalized and happy and helps blend my home style with my office. All of the pieces I have are from EBTH or were gifted, but you can find great art on Wayfair.
These aren’t necessarily an office setup item, but I have to include them in this post. If you work in front of a computer all day, invest in a pair of blue light-blocking glasses. They help reduce headaches and eye strain, which will make you SO much happier long term. If you already wear glasses, you can get a prescription that also blocks blue light. And if you don’t need a prescription, you can order blue light-blocking glasses online almost anywhere. I love this pair from Gabriel Simone.
This goes without saying, but I’ve actually struggled with our internet the entire time I’ve lived in our house. You may want to add a wifi extender in your office space.
• Storage: If you don’t have storage space in your office, try adding wall-mounted shelves, cabinets, or floating organizers. Clutter is a no-go in a productive office.
• Lamp: I recommend a good lamp with adjustable brightness. That way you can work late into the evening if needed!
• Layout: I’ve tried so many different layouts in my office in order to figure out what works best. Don’t be afraid to swap furniture around until you get everything in the perfect spot.
I hope these ideas help you create a productive home office that you love!
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One response to “My Home Office (My Favorite Standing Desk, Computer Monitors, and More)”
I’ve tried so many different layouts in my office in order to figure out what works best. Don’t be afraid to swap furniture around until you get everything in the perfect spot.