MANGROVE REALTY ASSOCIATES
Lori Madden, MANGROVE REALTY ASSOCIATESPhone: (941) 780-8443
Email: [email protected]

Designing Your Home Office

by Lori Madden 08/11/2019

If you are working from home or considering starting a new business at home, a home office is essential for what you do. But you don't have to break into a bank to create your own home office; you can instead use the things that you find affordable or readily available to creatively come up with something that is functional and effective for you.

  • Use Sunlight to your advantage: Place your desk and chair in front of a window and watch your creativity blossom. You are probably going to spend a large chunk of your time here, so you want to be as comfortable as possible. The window view also gives you an opportunity to take in the outdoors every other minute and reduce eye fatigue.
  • Give the walls a new look: Don't just paint the walls, paint them a color that suits you. What kind of color expresses your style and will increase your productivity?
  • Find a comfortable chair: That goes without saying. Don't sacrifice function for form. The chair design you saw on Pinterest may look great in photographs but may be bad for your back with long-term usage. You want to make sure that you have a chair that is ergonomically correct 
  • Add some touch of greenery: For some reason, plants make the atmosphere of any room feel better, so you should add some greenery to make the office more comfortable for you. Look out for plants that you don’t have to water every day, that way nothing dies in your absence.
  • Make the space personal: Frame up some of your favorite quotes for the wall, or place pictures of your family on your work desk. Make it as distinctive as possible, so that it reflects you and your style in every way. Choose accessories that will add to the feeling of comfort you want to recreate. 
  • Put the little spaces to efficient use: You are probably not going to have as much space as a regular corporate office, so you should aim to take every advantage of available space. Use floating shelves to keep papers and office equipment away from your desk. You can get a basket to hold all your working files and to-do lists instead.

Whatever intentions you had for setting up your office at home, make sure it’s something more than a regular chair and table set up in the guest bedroom. You want to be as comfortable and at ease, as you can be. You also want your workspace to inspire productivity and be presentable enough to stage an official meeting if/when the need arises. Visit your local home improvement store for bargains on items that you may need

About the Author
Author

Lori Madden

As a Florida native growing up in Sarasota, I have seen my hometown grow from a sleepy coastal town to a highly sought-after destination along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. After working in Chicago for 5 years, I returned to Sarasota and saw it through a new lens and really began to appreciate what makes Sarasota so desirable, including temperatures that allow for year round outdoor activities including tennis (a personal favorite), golf, boating, kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding, or just relaxing and/or shelling on our pristine sandy shores, including Dr. Beach’s #1 beach in the United States for 2017, Siesta Key! Sarasota’s cultural amenities are many and diverse, appealing to a wide range of arts lovers. Downtown Sarasota has become a destination in itself, drawing many new developments for those who want to be within walking distance of Main Street's offerings and the picturesque bayfront and marina. Foodies will find an eclectic mix of locally owned and operated restaurants offering something for everyone, and there are now Farmers Markets every day of the week in various locations throughout Sarasota, but the Saturday morning Farmers Market in downtown Sarasota draws the biggest crowds. Since 1988, my passion has been selling real estate, representing both buyers and sellers. I have been recognized by my clients and customers for an uncompromising work ethic and dedication to helping them achieve their real estate goals. Relying on my experience as a real estate paralegal and being highly organized, I am able to help make the transition between contract and closing a smooth one for my clients. With an eye for interior and landscape design, I've been known to pitch in and help Sellers minimize and/or reorganize their belongings in order to stage their home to maximize its sale potential. I specialize in out of state buyers looking for their piece of paradise along the Gulf Coast and make it a priority to keep them up to date on our quickly changing local real estate market. I welcome the opportunity to share with you all Sarasota and her surrounding islands have to offer!