First it was the man cave. Then the She Shed. In the age of COVID-19, a home office is the new must have for any home.
For the past few months, I have been working from home full time while my company’s offices remain closed. Its unclear when we will ever return to a traditional “work from the office” environment. For the foreseeable future, I will be working from my home office. And if I am going to spend all day in this room, I figured that I might as well upgrade a few things.
Here’s a look at what I started with, which admittedly wasn’t too bad. It was just boring and lacking any style. I had one monitor connected to my laptop. I had a desk, chair, keyboard, and mouse. I also had a wired headset and a speakerphone for my conference calls. I wasn’t taking many video calls before COVID-19, which is why I didn’t have a webcam. I just used the camera on my laptop in the rare case that I needed to make a video call. A high-quality internet connection is always great, too, and Spectrum internet is a great choice for this.
The walls were a neutral tan color that the builder used throughout our home. I had a cheap rug on the floor (to reduce the echo) and a hand me down guest chair that the dog liked to use.
Along the back wall, I had a piece of art, but it was in a cheap frame. I had a buffet table for storage and used it for my printer and speaker. The tripod light was interesting to look at, but it kept falling over and one time it took a chunk out of the wall.
Over a holiday weekend I decided to give my home office a makeover. I wanted to make the office a place that I would enjoy spending time in (since I knew this would be my most used room over the next few months). I wanted to upgrade the tech so that I had a great experience working from home. I also wanted a clean aesthetic with hidden wires and minimal clutter.
I went with the Sherwin-Williams Naval (SW 6244) for the wall color, which darkened the room and gave the space a cozier feel. I get a lot of light from the window and the glare often makes it hard to see the computer screen. The deep blue reduced the glare and gives the room a great look.
I found the Bowery Hill desk on Amazon but ordered it from Walmart because they had a better price. It is actually a dining room table, like my previous desk, but it works really well for a workspace. Underneath the desk, I use a wire tray cable organizer to keep everything neat. I also use a few of the Belkin 6-Outlet power strip surge protectors throughout the office. I like these surge protectors because the plug is flat against the wall and can rotate, which works great when you have the power strip plugged into the wall behind a piece of furniture.
I used the VIVO Dual monitor desk mount for two 24″ monitors. The monitor mount has a few clips for cable management, which worked ok. But I found it looked better after I used a few black zip ties to hold all the wires in place. Adding two monitors is one of the best upgrades you can make to a home office. If you do nothing else, invest in a dual monitor set up.
I intentionally keep the desk clear, but there are a few items worth keeping within reach. I have a Google Nest Home Hub that I use as a clock (I bought it just for the flip clock screensaver). For calls, I switch between the Jabra Evolve 75e headset and a Sennheiser speaker phone. Sometimes it is easier to use the Bluetooth headset so that I can stand or walk around during calls. For long conference calls, I like the speakerphone because it can be uncomfortable to wear a headset for hours on end.
I use a Logitech Brio webcam because it is one of the best on the market right now and one of a handful that can offer 4K video. There are ways to connect a DSLR camera if you really want to do a professional studio set up. But the 4K streaming that I get from the Logitech Brio is more than enough for my video conferences. I had a difficult time finding a webcam in stock because they are high in demand. I found this one on eBay because Amazon and other retailers wouldn’t have availability for a few months.
For lighting, I have a cheap selfie light that has a few different light modes. I wasn’t sure if I needed this, but I’ve found it to be more useful than expected. It really makes a difference in the video quality and I’m considering purchasing a larger version.
Attached to the top of each monitor I have an LED task lamp. I like these lights because they don’t take up any desk space and they shine directly onto the desk (so I don’t get any glare in my eyes). The BenQ screenbar is a similar, but more expensive version of this light.
Next to the desk I have a small file cabinet with a Mophie 3 in 1 charging mat on top. I needed a place to charge all my gadgets and I’ve been happy with this charging mat so far.
In case anyone cares, here are links to the Barr-co diffuser, the plant stand I use for the money tree in the corner, and the area rug. The framed photo above the desk is The Central Garden at the Getty Center by John Lewis. I bought the print several years ago from the Getty Museum store, but I don’t think it is offered any longer.
On the wall I have a knockoff version of a Stendig calendar. I liked the look of the Stendig wall calendar, but I would get confused because the dates run Monday-Sunday. The version I have uses a Sunday-Saturday format for the dates, but has a very similar look. I also added the Clarinda Accent Chair from Ashley furniture.
As I started to take more and more video calls, I realized that the wall behind me needed to be staged. People often comment on what they see in the background and I’d rather have them see a modern room than a messy office.
I kept the buffet table (one of the only items that remained) and upgraded to a Sonos One speaker. I listen to Spotify throughout the day and this speaker works great for the size of the room. I debated getting the Sonos Five instead, but couldn’t justify the cost. Maybe I’ll add that one to my list for Santa Claus.
The Brightech Jaxon Tripod LED Floor Lamp isn’t needed for light in the room, but it looks great in the background during my video calls. I’ve had a few people ask if I’m using a stock photo and a green screen effect for my background, which I take as a compliment.
The framed art is a print by Beth Moffat, an Australian artist. I used Framebridge for the new frame and mat, which made a big difference in how the art looks on the wall.
A final item to consider for your home office is your internet connection, as you can’t work at home without it. I use a hard wired connection for the laptop in my home office. If you are using a wireless connection, consider upgrading the router to something like an ASUS ZenWiFi. This will give you a strong connection for the bandwidth intensive video calls.
This article turned out much longer than I expected, but hopefully it gives you some ideas for creating a home office of your own. Many of us will be working from a home office for months to come. You may as well invest in a few upgrades to make the space more enjoyable.
