The Home Office - Hardcover

Telecommuting and the Internet have permitted more and more people to work out of their homes. Setting up a workable home office, however, can be a daunting task. Enter Candace Ord Manroe. She believes that evaluating your needs is a necessary first step in designing your home workspace. With a clear idea of what you need, Manroe helps you scout out the space for your office, and includes creative examples of offices tucked under stairwells, in closets, attics, and former pantries. She shows offices that function as part of another room, such as the kitchen or bedroom, and presents inventive storage systems for small spaces. After your needs are established and the space has been found or created, the book concentrates on how to personalize the design and decor to create the most pleasant work area for your tastes. Included are hundreds of ideas using traditional, modern, and even humorous approaches: you can employ dramatic furniture, color, and light to put a stamp of individuality on your home office.

These two similar books give the amateur an understanding of what to consider when designing a home office. Both discuss evaluating needs, choosing location, layout, furnishings, equipment, and decorating, and both illustrate options for a variety of types of home?even including craft and sewing areas. Both are well written and illustrated and encourage an accessible, casual style of decorating. Although neither is as extensive as Neal Zimmerman's Home Office Design (LJ 9/15/06), both are recommended, Allen's being the first choice because it offers manufacturers and other resources for equipment and advising on practical matters such as sound proofing..
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