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How To Choose the Best Office Furniture For Home

Published at 02/08/2012 15:55:08

Introduction

Homeowners do not skimp on buying furniture for the bedroom, living room and dining room, and it's important to have the same respect for the home office. The craftsmanship and quality of office furniture for home is first and foremost important for personal health and safety; a cheap and poorly designed office chair can result in long-term health issues with the body. Office furniture for home is also important for the value of the home; similar to adding a pool or garage to a house to increase its value to prospective buyers, a homeowner might increase the value of this asset by simply taking care in buying and using the best office furniture. Normally, a manager or another person in charge of procurement selects the best furniture for an office in corporate America, but at home the onus is on the owner to make these decisions. Luckily, you don't need a degree or special job title to pull off this task.

Step 1

Obtain ergonomic office furniture for home, at a store, starting with the chair. A good chair includes the following elements:

  • The base should have at least five wheels or casters for rolling around the floor. Inspect the wheels to make sure they are of sound construction and design. For example, if your office has thick carpeting, make sure the wheels on the chair are not going to get tangled in the carpet. 
  • The seat of the chair should have a thick cushion. Read the specifications on the chair for terms like 12-hour or 24-hour support. This means that you could theoretically sit down in the chair all day without the comfort wearing out before then.
  • Genuine leather is the best material for office furniture for home at home. However, many modern office chairs have a mesh design that allows for air circulation as well as proper ergonomic comfort. Test out which material feels more comfortable on the showroom floor while you are shopping at the store for office furniture for home.
  • Armrests are necessary to support your arms and shoulders during prolonged seating.
  • Backrests provide lumbar support for your back and spine.
  • Headrests help take some of the stress off your neck.
  • The chair should also have the ability to rise up and down using pneumatic lever support. Swiveling at least in a 180-degree direction is important as well.

Step 2

Purchase a desk, file cabinet and utility tables made of a strong steel or metal, instead of buying a wooden office furniture for home. Many metallic desks are cheaper and last longer. Many wood desks are not made of solid wood. Manufacturers may cleverly conceal plywood, which is strong and sturdy in some cases, but the quality and craftsmanship is lacking.

File cabinets are usually metal, but some office furniture for home manufacturers are making matching sets that include wooden file cabinets. Consider that you may open a file cabinet several times throughout the day, which may eventually put wear and tear on the wooden components. Metal is more resistant to fatigue.

You may find it easier to paint and refinish metal versus wood office furniture for home. For example, you might want to decorate your home office to a different color, and repainting metallic furniture may be less of a hassle. Also, metal furniture may withstand moving from room to room or house to house, versus wood.

Step 3

Sources and Citations

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