designing an office

**Gentile** · 14 August 2012, 15:03

Originally posted by chef View Post

So, I am about to rent an office a short drive away from home and it's effectively a blank canvas. I'll be needing to buy furniture and "stuff", all the usual trappings of an IT workers office.

My question is, obviously I will need the following:

-desk
-chair
-bookshelves
-cupboard
etc.

but I am thinking if I'm going to go buy this stuff then I might as well do it properly and have it not look like I've filled the office with the leftovers from home (i.e non matching bookshelf, desk etc.) but with a more professional look to it.

Does anyone know of any websites that allow you to design an office space or get better ideas on designing it?

I'm thinking more in the way that you would design a kitchen and pre-plan the design etc.

This any use?

I've got an office upstairs at the moment that I never use, because I don't like it much. I'd like to buy one of these nice mahogany desks, and turn one of my downstairs living rooms into a bigger, more comfortable office with my tech books to hand. Most of the time, though, when I'm coding I just do it in one of my favourite comfy chairs as shown in my avi.

**Spacecadet** · 14 August 2012, 15:05

Originally posted by chef View Post

So, I am about to rent an office a short drive away from home and it's effectively a blank canvas. I'll be needing to buy furniture and "stuff", all the usual trappings of an IT workers office.

My question is, obviously I will need the following:

-desk
-chair
-bookshelves
-cupboard
etc.

but I am thinking if I'm going to go buy this stuff then I might as well do it properly and have it not look like I've filled the office with the leftovers from home (i.e non matching bookshelf, desk etc.) but with a more professional look to it.

Does anyone know of any websites that allow you to design an office space or get better ideas on designing it?

I'm thinking more in the way that you would design a kitchen and pre-plan the design etc.

Do you really need all that stuff?

Go Zen; A big desk and a nice chair plus a decent internet connection should be enough.

**BigTime** · 14 August 2012, 15:12

Don't buy Ikea crap. Splash out on a decent desk and 24 hour chair. I also need a sofa at the end of the desk to watch telly on my external monitor. A wireless mouse is also useful to keep the client laptop appearing active whilst reclined.

**insur** · 14 August 2012, 15:16

Originally posted by chef View Post

So, I am about to rent an office a short drive away from home and it's effectively a blank canvas. I'll be needing to buy furniture and "stuff", all the usual trappings of an IT workers office.

My question is, obviously I will need the following:

-desk
-chair
-bookshelves
-cupboard
etc.

but I am thinking if I'm going to go buy this stuff then I might as well do it properly and have it not look like I've filled the office with the leftovers from home (i.e non matching bookshelf, desk etc.) but with a more professional look to it.

Does anyone know of any websites that allow you to design an office space or get better ideas on designing it?

I'm thinking more in the way that you would design a kitchen and pre-plan the design etc.

Why are you renting an office? Curious.

**Gentile** · 14 August 2012, 15:17

Originally posted by BigTime View Post

Don't buy Ikea crap. Splash out on a decent desk and 24 hour chair. I also need a sofa at the end of the desk to watch telly on my external monitor. A wireless mouse is also useful to keep the client laptop appearing active whilst reclined.

Agreed. One of the reasons I don't like my office upstairs is that it has a crappy Ikea corner desk in it. You need something comfortable if you're going to be using it for hours at a time.

**chef** · 14 August 2012, 15:23

Originally posted by Spacecadet View Post

Do you really need all that stuff?

Go Zen; A big desk and a nice chair plus a decent internet connection should be enough.

- I have books I refer to and therefore a bookshelf is needed
- I need a small storage cupboard/drawers of some sort so i can keep blank cd's/dvd's, software, printer paper, pens and all the stuff you rarely use but dont want to run out of and then find you need to go shopping in the middle of getting the thing your working on completed.
- a white board is needed to help me think and plan out
- a small filing cabinet to keep records and other important documents in.
- possibly 2 small leather sofa's and a coffee table for clients/visitors and a second place to sit and think

obviously a decent sized desk for the 2 monitors and laptop as well as a comfy desk chair goes without saying

**chef** · 14 August 2012, 15:33

Originally posted by insur View Post

Why are you renting an office? Curious.

1) I dont work from home as well as I could because I get disturbed by gf chef when she gets home mid afternoon from teaching and keeps breaking my thought problem solving process
2) having an office close to home but not in the home seperates work/home life aswell as getting me out of the house
3) renting a seperate office in a building with other IT workers gives you the benefit of the office environment/lunch with colleagues etc. but with the advantage of having private working space (i.e shut the office door) when needed
4) it's a good tax write off

**d000hg** · 14 August 2012, 16:26

How is an Ikea desk less comfortable... it's just a big rectangle you put stuff on? For office furniture you just need something that won't fall over and is pleasantly bland. And practical.

You could try bona fide office suppliers like Staples but it's really boring, Ikea might be preferable unless you want proper stuff to hide the cables and so on.

Apart from a chair - you might want to splash out a bit on that.

**chef** · 15 August 2012, 07:38

Originally posted by d000hg View Post

Apart from a chair - you might want to splash out a bit on that.

chair suggestions?

designing an office