We've talked about setting up a home office with $50 and $500. What if you have a bit more to invest (or splurge)? Now is the time to get that investment piece you’ve been dreaming of!
Take your time to research each piece. A serious home office must have serious technology to promote a healthful working posture as well as durable and sustainable materials. Needless to say, they also look fantastic.
Chair
If you can afford to splurge on one thing for your home office, let it be an amazing task chair. Take your pick from the many legacy office furniture brands. Some of their designs have been around for a while, featured prominently in pop culture, and have been continuously tweaked to better fit the human body and our evolving working habits.
Herman Miller's Aeron Chair, for example, is a staple of a stylish office in pop culture. It's the designated work chair of important people, ranging from James Bond's boss M to the personification of God in the Simpsons.
Retail price starts from $2,199 from Xtra, www.xtra.com.sg
Okamura Luce Chair $769, okamura.com.sg
Thonet S64 VDR Chair €1,495.00 (S$2,305), Xtra, www.xtra.com.sg
Work Surface
A proper home office desk should be functional, yet handsome enough to pair well with the rest of your home.
Ariake Sagyo Desk with sumi ink finish. $2,533, P5 Studio, www.p5studio.com.sg.
Opt for a slim timber desk to save space and express lightness.
Hay CPH190 Desk. $2,260, Grafunkt, www.grafunkt.com.
Choose one with a built-in drawer for proper organisation.
Herman Miller Nelson Desk US $2,375.75 (S$3,383), store.hermanmiller.com
If you’re a restless worker, a portable laptop stand would do the job and add a pop of colour to brighten the space.
Vitra Nes Laptop Table. $1,258, Vitra Store Singapore, www.watelier.com
Lighting
“Good lighting is the number one priority for a home office. If having permanent lighting fixtures installed is not possible, do invest in a floor or desk lamps – great if they have up-down lighting features so that you can have both ambient and task lighting.” says Goy Zhenru, founder of Goy Architects.
The adequate light you need for an optimum workspace is 500 lux, while the average home lighting hovers around 250-300 lux. So get that luminaire boost - do your research and ask your favourite lighting dealer on the best light to mimic natural daylight.
Occhio Sento Lettura offers an illumination that closely mimics natural daylight.
€1,222.86 (S$ 1,885), from Occhio, www.occhio.de
Louis Poulsen AJ Table Lamp, from $1,528, Louis Poulsen, www. louispoulsen.com
Hay Cloche Light, $550, Grafunkt, www.grafunkt.com
House Doctor Desk Table Lamp. $880, Journey East. www.journeyeast.com
Acoustics
Spending more time working from home, have you noticed the noises around you more? Acoustic panels and partitions work wonders in blocking them off in the office, and they can work their magic in your home office too!
Woven Image’s hanging acoustic solutions creates a cocoon of calm and can be slid open when not needed.
Pendent Splay retails for $603.5. The kit includes panels, wires and ceiling mount components. www.wovenimage.com