Organizing the Home Office
- 1. S TAYING ON TOP An important tip: Get a cross-cut shredder that slices confetti-style, so you can make sure Organize Your your personal information will not be legible. Home Of鍖ce Achieve a functional and attractive home of鍖ce for the New Year By Karen Pasacreta Little piles of paper are forming all over your house. Forget about eating on the kitchen them on pieces you have less physical table. And the island that was supposed to be your cooking workspace is full of school contact with. papers, bills, important information for your business, and catalogs galore. And its not If your house has a large pantry, you only building up, its also building out into other rooms. You need a change. can also convert that into a workspace, or Well, the New Year is a time for change. The resolutions start 鍖owing and renewed even use the kitchen island cabinetry for energy leads to self-evaluation. You ask yourself: What are my business goals? What do I your of鍖ce supplies. If you have a laptop, want to achieve this year? How can I increase my productivity? potentially every space is your desk. Thats The answer lies in organization. You need a workspace that is both functional and when the focus is on organizing your practical a home of鍖ce that blends with your busy life. supplies, so dont be afraid to clean out The good news is you can have organizational nirvana without compromising design. a knife drawer for paperclips, pencils, and Interior designer Toni Saccoman knows 鍖rsthand that the key is to make your workspace Post-It速 notes. blend with the rest of the house. Functionality is key The home of鍖ce of 2010 A wide and open living room can also Open 鍖oor plans are it today. And the kitchen is the center of everything, explains become a natural workspace, especially Saccoman, principal of Toni Saccoman Designs in Chestnut Ridge, New York. by placing a desk in a small corner or Blending the home of鍖ce with the kitchen makes sense, as people tend to spend alcove so it looks like a built-in. The most of their time there. They want to keep one eye on the kids, one on the TV, and still nice thing is computers are smaller be near the food. The challenge is in designing the of鍖ce to blend with the kitchen, yet and thinner and take up less space today, but 36 inches (kitchen counter height) is hooks under your desk to hang the wires or place them in a wire basket screwed to the organizing it to function separately, says Saccoman. says Saccoman. also acceptable. bottom of the desk. Either way, out of sight, out of mind. Plus this way youll have more Also according to Saccoman, there are many ways this can be achieved, like I Install shelves Shelves are perfect for A drop-down leaf on an armoire desk room for a recycling bin to reuse paper. Its never too late to go green. choosing the same kitchen cabinetry for the desk, but using different materials for storage boxes to put your paper, pencils, lets you hide your mess. Plus, it typically I Get a shredder Now lets talk about the paper thats practically growing like weeds each countertop. Many people make the mistake of wanting granite for the counter, but and pens. You can buy these relatively contains a place to neatly house all your all over your house. Build time into your schedule to go through your mail every week, she recommends using wood. Wood is more comfortable and absorbs light. Granite, inexpensively at many local and brand- supplies and may include corkboard to so you can get rid of the things you dont want and 鍖le the things you need. Then shred although beautiful, is usually shiny and cold and re鍖ects light, which can make you name home goods stores. Measure post important reminders. anything thats over six months old. If you set it aside to read and you never did, and odds tired. and plan for enough height between I Hide those wires Try going wireless! are you never will. For cabinetry, she recommends a stained 鍖nish for the desk instead of paint, since your computer and the shelf. Standard Wireless keyboards and computer mice stain will handle the dings better. Painted 鍖nishes require higher maintenance; use desk height is 30 inches above the 鍖oor free up the space so you never have to Think long term worry about tugging on a cord again. But Whatever home of鍖ce design solution you decide on, you want to make sure it is one you even if you do have cords, there is an grow with. And just like the New Years resolutions you make, what you want today may PHOTO: VEER Open 鍖oor plans are it today. And the kitchen is the center of everything. inexpensive solution: twist ties. Tie each not be what you need down the road. cord separately, then tie them all together It is important to take every factor into consideration, notes Saccoman. The best in one big lump. You can either screw in designs will transcend time. BA 4 BUSINESS ASSET | WINTER 2010 | WWW.MYBUSINESSASSET.COM WWW.MYBUSINESSASSET.COM | WINTER 2010 | BUSINESS ASSET 5