Star Cents

Home furnishings in the office

WITH MANY PERSONS working from home, whether fully or on a part-time basis, the concept of the office is hitting the home front.

And home furnishings are hitting the office hard.

Annette, a senior accountant with a government firm, knew she was not going to spend more on her home office set-up than she did on the electronic components for the small space in the living room that she carved out to do the weekend work.

"I bought a computer and a scanner, which were pretty expensive, but when I looked at the computer furniture it was too expensive and it was frail. The chair was tiny and you could see it would not last and when I pulled out the tray for the keyboard it was almost falling down," she said.

So it was home furnishings for the office in the corner of the dining room. Which meant sacrificing a chair from the dining room set which was not much of a problem, because her family is a quartet, two children living with her husband.

There is no chair without a desk, though, and here Annette had to go with a coffee table, which she elevated by pulling apart the steps of an aerobics exercise set. "I sorta preferred something that I could elevate my feet on, so I did not mind the block at the bottom," she said. "And if I want to I can turn them lengthwise and get the space in the middle," she said.

With a strip of carpeting under the chair, appropriated from the bedside, underfoot, Annette was ready to go.

Gregory had more space and went a bit further with his home office, while not spending much if any extra money. The bed in the extra bedroom stayed, but a bedside table was added to hold the computer, which he sat on the bed to use. An old television was added for 'company' and a pair of heavy curtains hung in the window.

"The sun comes in directly in the evening," he said. "So it was not only hot, but the glare on the computer screen was too much."

He is pretty happy with his home office set-up, but thinks that he will have to concede to a proper desk soon. "I can't get to relax as much as I would like," he said.

Adrian has found a mobile solution. As he uses a laptop, he roams at will, with the dining room being a favourite spot.

"Anywhere in the apartment is the office," he said.

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