Welcome to Part 2 in our three-part journey of how to create a home office that’s budget-friendly, serves you well, and is uniquely YOU! (You can revisit Part 1 here.)

You don’t want to waste time and energy getting your space just right. Let my experience save you from the pitfall of a potentially expensive mistake.

 

Thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post.

 

The two MOST important things your home office needs… 

 

 

Let’s start with the NUMBER ONE THING you need for your workspace.

 

 

Ahhh. You FINALLY get to focus on your “new” home office. 

What do you think is the most important investment you will make in your home office? 

A desk? Good lighting? Your chair? Storage? Decor? 

The last time we got together I took you on a journey with me as I thoughtfully selected some of the necessary items for my home office. Most of my decisions were good ones, but I made one BIG mistake.

 

 

You see, we make important buying decisions based on price, comfort, color, convenience, style, or other emotional reasons. Generally, we are motivated by feelings first and logic comes in at a distant second. 

I had it in my head that I needed to sit in a chair in order to know whether it was the right fit for me, or not. That seems logical, but in reality, I was equally concerned about how the chair looked. Would it ‘go’ with the look I was trying to achieve while staying in my budget? 

 

6 Lessons I Learned from My Desk Chair Buying & Sitting Experience 

1 – Seat size matters. Mine and the chair. My cushy herringbone chair had a seat that was too large for my bum. On the upside, there was plenty of room for the cat to sit next to me.

Chairs are designed in various widths for a reason, but not for people like me to sit on one side of the chair, which I did repeatedly. And that leads me to…

2 – Cushion and firmness need to be investigated. Just because a chair cushion feels comfy doesn’t mean that it will hold its firmness for a few hours. As the minutes ticked by and I sat in my chair, writing, or studying, I would end up sitting a little or a lot off-center. That meant that every time I got up and returned to my chair, my chair seat was a bit sunk-in on one side. If I realized my folly and sat in the middle of the seat it didn’t solve the problem because the cushion did not spring back evenly right away. The next morning it would be fine, but the same process would continue each day. 

Center-sitting mindfulness takes work AND just because a cushion is pretty doesn’t mean that it will do the work of providing the support you need.

3 – Arms are helpful, adjustable arms even more so. I use a cordless mouse when writing. It’s faster for me than using the touchpad on my current laptop. Over time with my herringbone office chair, I discovered that my arm would get tired, so I ended up putting the mouse on the chair seat next to my leg and mousing from there. It worked, but it’s much more convenient to receive the support of the adjustable chair arm and mouse from my desktop to prevent the inevitable fatigue that comes from extended hours of tapping on the keyboard.

4 – Great back support should never be underestimated. My herringbone chair had a large lovely cushy back. Over time I realized that my back was not getting the support I needed, partly because the chair seat was deep. Seriously, how did I not realize that the chair was just too big for me? And let’s be honest, that chair wasn’t designed for ergonomic back support, either. 

5 – A desk chair needs to fit the desk space appropriately. My herringbone chair was too large for my small office and desk. It took up a lot of room and I was continually bumping into one L of the desk or the other as I would turn from side to side which got annoying.  

6 – Wheels. Yup, even the wheels make a difference. I had to purchase a floor protector so I could scoot my desk chair around. And because I purchased a budget protector the chair wheels also sunk into the protector and I would get stuck. Pretty round caster wheels look great, but essentially all my weight and the weight of the chair were resting on 5 tiny points, kind of like high heeled shoes. 

 

Would you have guessed that so many little things could add up to an expensive mistake? Believe me, I didn’t. This was a huge learning experience for me.

 

 

Would you agree that the MOST important thing your home office needs is a GREAT desk chair? 

When I was given the opportunity to partner with Wayfair to spruce up my home office, I knew exactly what my space and my bum needed. A fabulous chair that fit me, my space, and yes, was stylish too.

 

 

My new chair ticks off all must-have boxes for a hard-working office chair and I couldn’t be happier. 

Finding that perfect chair wasn’t too much of a challenge once I did a little reminiscing. You see, a number of years ago I worked for a nonprofit where I had a desk chair in my cubicle that was quite comfortable. As I was scrolling through the many possibilities at Wayfair, I saw the name HON. That was the manufacturer of the office chair I loved, so I checked out all the possibilities and found my new favorite chair at Wayfair. 

 

 

This Ignition 2.0 Mesh Task Chair is solid, sturdy, comfortable, supportive, fits me, fits my small L-shaped desk, has a clean modern line that I love, and is infinitely adjustable. And the icing on the cake it rolls easily on the carpet, with me in it, and with no carpet protector. WIN!

So what about my other chair? As I was making the transition, my husband started working on a project where he wanted to be at a desk. We set him up in a corner of our bedroom and the herringbone chair that was too big for me at 5’ 5” is just right for his 6’ 1” frame (with a bit of space for the cat). Double WIN! 

 

It’s time to talk about the SECOND most important thing your home office needs…

A UNIQUELY-YOU ELEMENT

You’re going to spend a lot of time in your home office. 

That’s why it’s important that you have something that’s uniquely you. 

One of my favorite places to be is at the Lake Michigan beach. It’s where I go, all four seasons of the year, to recharge, ground, and breathe. It’s the place where my physical and mental health gets renewed. Just looking at photos of the sandy bluff and sparkling water help me to relax. 

 

 

What is your favorite place? Or what favorite things, experiences, people, and events could you consider for that uniquely-you element in your home office.

 

 

I thought about having a photo canvas made of one of my beach snapshots. Then I got the idea of purchasing three 8” x 20” frames so I could have a photo printed that I could cut to size to fit in the frames as a triptych (3-panel art). The frames were purchased and we hung them on the wall and for MONTHS I looked at photo frame art. 

Then the pandemic hit and that project got further derailed. Fortunately, I recently had a flash of fresh inspiration. Why not paint a beach scene from one of my photos? Why not? After all, I’m not a painter, other than that one time I painted Lake Michigan, from memory with a bit of imagination, certainly not from an actual photo and scene. 

 

After making a trip to the HobLob for artboards and decorative acrylic paints, I set up my laptop with my beach photo and went to work. Five or six hours later I called it finished and left it to dry and ran an errand. When I returned I carefully cut ⅔ of my painting in half. (The remaining ⅓ had previously been cut and taped to the larger piece prior to painting.) And yes, that was a bit freaky to do. Whew! I’m glad I didn’t accidentally make a wild and damaging cut! 

 

 

This is definitely a uniquely-you element. Actually a uniquely ME element! 

Now I have two kinds of inspiration… one to remind me that my beach reward is just a mile away once I get this post finished AND when I’m facing a challenge, it doesn’t matter that I’m not experienced, I can figure it out because everything is figure-out-able. Even seascape paintings. Yes?

 

 

The same day I picked up my paints I found this fun metallic memo board on sale for half-price. Originally I had other plans for posting quotes and dates to remember, but I didn’t need to paint this or do some paper crafting magic on my clipboards. All I did to make it uniquely ME was tape a square of matching metallic scrapbook paper to the front and tie on a few strands of bakers twine and attach some inspiring quotes. 

 

What could you do, make, create, or purchase and personalize that will inspire you and beautify your home office? 

 

If you’re in the midst of creating or re-making your home office or studio, I want you to know that more than any other spot in your home, this is the place to take your time so you can get it right. Just like your kitchen, where you need the right appliances and tools and cabinets and storage, you’ll want to do the same for your home office. 

 

 

Now might be a good time to assess everything, from your desk and chair to storage and decor and other functional pieces that will make this important spot work hard for you. Swapping out one item might make everything work and become a space you absolutely love. Maybe you’ll be like me and discover the most important thing your home office needs.

 

What part of my home office transformation has most inspired you?

I’ll be back in a few days to share with you Part 3 and how I stylishly solved the storage issue on the other side of the room. 

 

In the meantime, please let me know about your home office struggles. I’m here to help you.

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Links to other items in the office at Wayfair:

Ceramic Garden Stool

Geometric Pendant Light (Updated Version)

6 Drawer Rolling Storage Chest  (White)