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Home Office Setup Ideas and Work from Home Advice (1 Viewer)

Lehigh98

Lehigh98

Footballguy
This was probably a hot topic during Covid but I didn't see much on a search and I still mostly worked out of the main office then...

I'm going to be starting a new job and will be working fully remotely from a home office for the first time.
(With about 2-3 days of travel to customer / prospect sites each week and some overnights, etc.)

Looking for suggestions as I put together my new home office from a pretty much empty canvas.
I can expense most of the setup including new desk, chair, (related) furniture, monitor, etc.

What is your favorite thing about your home office?
What is your least favorite thing about your home office?
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have?
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use?
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook?

Also, any general suggestions for someone completely new to working from home?
I need to figure out my plan for meals, workouts, avoiding distractions when the family is home, etc.

TIA!
 
the big thing is try to work over hard surfaces that clean up easily so that you dont get carb cleaner on a fabric couch or ruin a nice rug take that to the bank bromigo
 
Lehigh98 said:
This was probably a hot topic during Covid but I didn't see much on a search and I still mostly worked out of the main office then...

I'm going to be starting a new job and will be working fully remotely from a home office for the first time.
(With about 2-3 days of travel to customer / prospect sites each week and some overnights, etc.)

Looking for suggestions as I put together my new home office from a pretty much empty canvas.
I can expense most of the setup including new desk, chair, (related) furniture, monitor, etc.

What is your favorite thing about your home office?
What is your least favorite thing about your home office?
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have?
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use?
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook?

Also, any general suggestions for someone completely new to working from home?
I need to figure out my plan for meals, workouts, avoiding distractions when the family is home, etc.

TIA!
Click to expand...
What is your favorite thing about your home office? - Dual monitors
What is your least favorite thing about your home office? Wires. Lots of wires.
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have? Laser printer. Screw those inkjet ones. Go with a laser printer. Try to go wireless with everything. If you're going to be Zooming at all, get a good HD camera, a separate microphone and a Ring light.
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use? Nothing.
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook? If the door is closed, don't interrupt!
 
1. Make sure you setup a set place in an extra room or somewhere, so that you have a place for meetings, etc.
2. Wireless headphones are a must so you can walk around as necessary when on long meetings.
3. Get a sign for your door to keep people from knocking while you are working, especially if you have dogs.
4. Dual monitor setup. Invest in the arms that come off the back of your desk to avoid taking up desk space. I also have an external USB camera for video meetings.
5. I added a whiteboard to one of my walls for brainstorming. Although I used it a lot at 1st, being remote has changed my habits and I rarely use it anymore.
 
My home office setup now:
  • An actual separate room with door I can close for taking calls, focusing, etc.
  • I have a nice L-shaped desk to give plenty of working surface area
  • Recently invested in a sit/stand desktop piece
  • Multiple Monitors - I have a 3 monitor setup
  • TV in my office for background noise
  • MFM - Print, Scan, Copy
  • A quality office chair
Meals, you can meal prep, or just sort of plan ahead - buy things like lunch meat to make sandwiches, stuff for salad, etc. Make chicken ahead of time. Tons of options.

Workout - home gym or gym membership? Either way, depending on what you do, you can possibly just block of some set time each day for a workout, if you have a job that doesn't require "butt in seat" at all times.
 
the biggest thing is to have your own place, with a door that you can close and not be "At work" its very tempting to go to "the office" when you are bored at night or on weekends b/c its right there. Don't set up shop somewhere you "live" (like the living room, corner of the den, or the dining room table nobody uses anymore) you will begin to blur the lines of work and home. Separate office space is crucial.

Get a laptop and a monitor set up. You are going to want to get out of the house for a bit, but you can still "work" from a coffee shop or your back deck on a nice day

If possible, work where there is good natural lighting and windows. I have a beautiful home office but it is in the basement and it lacks natural light. You def feel it after a while

As others have said, standing desks are great..but if you get one, also invest in a mat...you will not regret it. This is the one I have

Try and keep a simple wall behind you for Zoom calls. Nothing worse then zooming with someone else and seeing laundry and other random junk behind them.


And finally, quoting the great Adam Corolla: Be sure to practice good "Spunk Shui" and NEVER set up your office with your back (and monitor) to the door. lol
 
Lehigh98 said:
This was probably a hot topic during Covid but I didn't see much on a search and I still mostly worked out of the main office then...

I'm going to be starting a new job and will be working fully remotely from a home office for the first time.
(With about 2-3 days of travel to customer / prospect sites each week and some overnights, etc.)

Looking for suggestions as I put together my new home office from a pretty much empty canvas.
I can expense most of the setup including new desk, chair, (related) furniture, monitor, etc.

What is your favorite thing about your home office?
What is your least favorite thing about your home office?
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have?
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use?
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook?

Also, any general suggestions for someone completely new to working from home?
I need to figure out my plan for meals, workouts, avoiding distractions when the family is home, etc.

TIA!
Click to expand...


I remote work on mondays and fridays. I have two young kids and they get home from school before I quit work. Plus there is the summer and the ridiculous number of vacation days kids have now.

I have barn doors to my office and to reduce the noise further I bought custom sound dampening curtains. They were ~1000 dollars but worth it. I would like another set to cover the windows outside so when the lawn guys are working i can deaden that noise as well.
 
My wife works from home. She bought a desk that has built-in outlets in the leg of the desk, which helps eliminate wires -- you just plug the cord from the desk to the wall, and then plug everything else into the outlets in the leg of the desk.
 
Multiple monitors is great, but not quite as great if your desk is too shallow from front to back, or short cables limit where you can place them.

TV in office is great...unless you spend all day long on Zoom calls, in which case you won't get to use it much.

I love having a coffee mug heater on my desk.

I love having my desk set up with a nice view of my backyard.

It turns out that the desk chair I bought isn't as comfortable as it seemed at the store. This is less than ideal.

If you're on a lot of Zoom calls, either set up a background or make sure that you won't have an unmade bed or open and messy closet behind you.
 
Lehigh98 said:
This was probably a hot topic during Covid but I didn't see much on a search and I still mostly worked out of the main office then...

I'm going to be starting a new job and will be working fully remotely from a home office for the first time.
(With about 2-3 days of travel to customer / prospect sites each week and some overnights, etc.)

Looking for suggestions as I put together my new home office from a pretty much empty canvas.
I can expense most of the setup including new desk, chair, (related) furniture, monitor, etc.

What is your favorite thing about your home office?
What is your least favorite thing about your home office?
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have?
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use?
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook?

Also, any general suggestions for someone completely new to working from home?
I need to figure out my plan for meals, workouts, avoiding distractions when the family is home, etc.

TIA!
Click to expand...
What is your kid situation?

How will your home office fit into your current house? In a room with other stuff, dedicated room, shutting door, open floorplan?
 
Lehigh98 said:
This was probably a hot topic during Covid but I didn't see much on a search and I still mostly worked out of the main office then...

I'm going to be starting a new job and will be working fully remotely from a home office for the first time.
(With about 2-3 days of travel to customer / prospect sites each week and some overnights, etc.)

Looking for suggestions as I put together my new home office from a pretty much empty canvas.
I can expense most of the setup including new desk, chair, (related) furniture, monitor, etc.

What is your favorite thing about your home office? 2 ASUS ProArt 27" PA278CV
What is your least favorite thing about your home office? Not having a dedicated room. 3 teenage kids and when school is out it is less than ideal.
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have? Nice desk. Not too big, not too small. Plenty of power ports and plenty of USB ports. Larger than expected trash can. Good battery on your laptop.
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use? Unsure. Head set? I use a Jabra USB powered puck.
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook? Less is more. Have multiple places you can work. Embrace working from not your home and use it to your advantage (extra days of vaca where you have to work part of the day and family meets you after work.

Also, any general suggestions for someone completely new to working from home? Get up early. Work out. Start work before your coworkers (if possible). Take a longer lunch. Dedicate time later in the day for family. Prepare for 'working' more than normal, so also prepare for 'your own time' where you can run errands, etc. Another important part is I have found I had to instill in my wife that because Im home it doesn't mean I am available. She is pretty good about it, but its a change for all of us.
I need to figure out my plan for meals, workouts, avoiding distractions when the family is home, etc.

TIA!
Click to expand...
 
My wife works from home. About 6 months ago she had me hang up this big painting that would serve as her backdrop.

Two months ago she decided that she wanted to move her desk over a foot. Guess what else had to be moved over a foot? Guess who had to do that and patch the nail holes and touch up paint from the one side that was now exposed because we had to move it a foot?

This guy right here.
 
belljr said:
You guys don't blur your background on zoom calls?
Click to expand...
I like personalizing things a bit. Sometimes I do that by using photos (or even video) that I've taken as a background. Sometimes I just show what's behind me.

My coworkers are split between blur, not blur and custom backgrounds
 
belljr said:
You guys don't blur your background on zoom calls?
Click to expand...
nope and no virtual backgrounds either. Study says if you want to be taken seriously, don't use them

I had a prospect call with a woman prob 10 or so years older than me (so putting her late 50's). She had a bad virtual background on that was so cheesy to begin with. In the middle of the call, her 1/2 naked husband walks behind her and blew out the whole background, giving me an eyefull of a hairy, saggy, shirtless old man walking by. I wasn't recording the call, but I know I didn't control my eye reactions very well.

Seriously people, yes you are home, but this is business.....have some decorum
 
In my office, the wall and table behind me are often messy, its like a catch-all for files, papers, layouts, etc. But the other side is really nice. So I put my monitor on a lazy Susan and added a skinny desk on the other side of mine. So when I need to do a more professional Zoom call or podcast interview I turn the monitor around and use the "nice side" of the office as my background. I have it lit with neon too.
 
glvsav37 said:
belljr said:
You guys don't blur your background on zoom calls?
Click to expand...
nope and no virtual backgrounds either. Study says if you want to be taken seriously, don't use them

I had a prospect call with a woman prob 10 or so years older than me (so putting her late 50's). She had a bad virtual background on that was so cheesy to begin with. In the middle of the call, her 1/2 naked husband walks behind her and blew out the whole background, giving me an eyefull of a hairy, saggy, shirtless old man walking by. I wasn't recording the call, but I know I didn't control my eye reactions very well.

Seriously people, yes you are home, but this is business.....have some decorum
Click to expand...
I'm not customer facing and I've been at this job for 20 years. I really don't give a s*** of people don't want to take me seriously but mine is just blurred it's not an actual background
 
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We just renovated our 1st floor, and I got a brand new office space. I love my new spot. It's in the corner of the house, right next to the pantry (another plus!).

To answer your questions -
What is your favorite thing about your home office? For me, it's the corner windows. I bought/built a custom L shaped standing desk that fits in the corner windows, and have dual 27" monitors stacked vertically that sit in the corner. I look basically at screens and out to my yard. Really nice.
What is your least favorite thing about your home office? My space is small - by choice. I prefer a dense, functional office to a spacious one. I do wish I had more wall space to hang art and such.
What are some essentials that I should be sure to have? I'm a huge standing desk guy - I don't sit. So that's #1...I got a frame from iMovr, and then had a walnut top built by a local mill. The top is nicer and way cheaper than buying from iMovr. I also added a TV this time to follow CNBC (and sports when applicable). I also got a Dyson air purifier/heater as my space can get cold sometimes. A good set of speakers is a must - both for calls and music.
What did you buy for your home office but rarely use? So far, the only thing is a lamp - it sits on my desk, but I get so much natural light that I rarely use it. Maybe in the winter when it gets dark earlier...
Any other suggestions for general setup that a newbie might overlook? I'm a firm believer in WIRED ethernet - it supports more bandwidth and is more reliable. If you can, try and hard-wire your set-up. Also a huge fan of this mechanical keyboard I got. Really is worth the $$ over a basic one. That's about it.

ETA - I love my lamp now. It's a must have for the shorter days of winter. Not essential in summer, but invaluable in the winter if you don't want harsh overhead lighting.
 
Last edited:
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Funny this just popped back up. I just bought a couch for my home office this past weekend.
I just took a nice nap on it over lunch. :zzz: So, I would now also recommend one of those.
 
belljr said:
Any standing desk recommendations?
Click to expand...

I have an iMovr desk...sort of. I bought their L-desk legs/motors/control from them, but then had a local wood shop build me a custom walnut top. It was thousands cheaper than paying iMovr's price for a solid-wood top, and I was able to customize the dimensions and even add some holes for grommets.

The iMovr legs/motors/controls are fantastic. Very stable, quiet, and aesthetically nice. I'd highly recommend. I've been using it for about 9 months or so since I renovated my office. If you're not picky about the surface, you can get full set-ups from iMovr. They aren't the cheapest, but based on what I've read, their quality is top notch and I'd agree based on my experience.

Getting a custom-made top was very easy if you go that route, and the iMovr legs are very easily adaptable to whatever you want to screw into them.

ETA - I stand because my back doesn't like sitting all day. I'll typically stand for 60-70% of the day, and sit the other portion. I have a QOR360 Ariel wobble-stool for when I sit. It's still a far higher seating position than most desk chairs, but it allows me to maintain an upright posture, and take a load off my feet. Highly recommend that too.
 
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Lehigh98 said:
Any suggestions for a good chair that's more on the $300 level than the $1,000 level?

I'm probably looking at the "budget" pick here but it would still be the most expensive office chair I ever bought:
NYT Wirecutter - The Best Office Chair
(Not great recent reviews on Amazon though)

Here's current bestsellers on Amazon.
Click to expand...
I know you said 300, but that Herman Miller $1200 chair can be had, used, for 600-800 here in Los Angeles. It was even lower until about 6 months ago. You'll likely have to pick it up yourself, but most are for sale in bulk at warehouses that took over office buildings no longer occupied.
 
Fat Nick said:
belljr said:
Any standing desk recommendations?
Click to expand...

I have an iMovr desk...sort of. I bought their L-desk legs/motors/control from them, but then had a local wood shop build me a custom walnut top. It was thousands cheaper than paying iMovr's price for a solid-wood top, and I was able to customize the dimensions and even add some holes for grommets.

The iMovr legs/motors/controls are fantastic. Very stable, quiet, and aesthetically nice. I'd highly recommend. I've been using it for about 9 months or so since I renovated my office. If you're not picky about the surface, you can get full set-ups from iMovr. They aren't the cheapest, but based on what I've read, their quality is top notch and I'd agree based on my experience.

Getting a custom-made top was very easy if you go that route, and the iMovr legs are very easily adaptable to whatever you want to screw into them.

ETA - I stand because my back doesn't like sitting all day. I'll typically stand for 60-70% of the day, and sit the other portion. I have a QOR360 Ariel wobble-stool for when I sit. It's still a far higher seating position than most desk chairs, but it allows me to maintain an upright posture, and take a load off my feet. Highly recommend that too.
Click to expand...
Thanks.... I just realized I posted in the home office thread not office.

I need something to fit in a cube. But yes I have 2 herniated discs and doctor suggested it
 
belljr said:
Fat Nick said:
belljr said:
Any standing desk recommendations?
Click to expand...

I have an iMovr desk...sort of. I bought their L-desk legs/motors/control from them, but then had a local wood shop build me a custom walnut top. It was thousands cheaper than paying iMovr's price for a solid-wood top, and I was able to customize the dimensions and even add some holes for grommets.

The iMovr legs/motors/controls are fantastic. Very stable, quiet, and aesthetically nice. I'd highly recommend. I've been using it for about 9 months or so since I renovated my office. If you're not picky about the surface, you can get full set-ups from iMovr. They aren't the cheapest, but based on what I've read, their quality is top notch and I'd agree based on my experience.

Getting a custom-made top was very easy if you go that route, and the iMovr legs are very easily adaptable to whatever you want to screw into them.

ETA - I stand because my back doesn't like sitting all day. I'll typically stand for 60-70% of the day, and sit the other portion. I have a QOR360 Ariel wobble-stool for when I sit. It's still a far higher seating position than most desk chairs, but it allows me to maintain an upright posture, and take a load off my feet. Highly recommend that too.
Click to expand...
Thanks.... I just realized I posted in the home office thread not office.

I need something to fit in a cube. But yes I have 2 herniated discs and doctor suggested it
Click to expand...

I got you there too...I use one of these Ergotron Workfit-SR set-ups on my in-office days. Most of the folks in our office use those sit-on-top designs that you just place on your desk. I don't like those as they're kind of ugly and take up a ton of useable space. This one is nice because you can actually mount dual monitors to it directly, so they all are stable and move together with the work surface. Also important to me was a large surface area so I could have notes and stuff also on the same level. Lastly, I liked ones that connected to the desk via the BACK, so I could still utilize the space under the desk when standing if needed. Our cubes work with that set-up, but I recognize not all cubes will. You have to be able to slide the attachment bar between the cube wall and the desk surface.

Ergotron has a lot of permutations - with/without keyboard tray, on-desk models, clamp-on models that attach to the front, clamp-on models that attach to the back (like this one), and the arm-type ones that you can position all over the place. Really anything that suits your preference.

One more tip - get one of those gel mats to stand on. Your feet will thank you.
 
My wife and I both work for the same company (hey thats where we met) and we decided its best I work out of the garage. Work for a freight brokerage and I'm screaming/yelling at truck drivers and dispatchers while also punching my desk and screaming obscenities into the void for most of the day. So its so much better now that I'm in the garage.

Setup:

Desk with 3 monitors, lots of wires, but also have a side table for other stuff like eating my meals and/or going thru my sports cards while I'm in down times.
I"m in Socal/Long Beach, but still, the mornings are still pretty f****** cold sometimes and the space heater I have surely is not adequate enough to warm the entire area, so there is a downside to it.

But overall, pretty happy with this set up - been out here a month now. Definitely looking to add a couch and eventually a TV so I can watch sports and fakenews in the background.
 
I've had dual monitors at home forever, but I just upgraded to an ultrawide on Black Friday and I love it so far. In terms of screen real estate, it's equivalent to (2) 27" monitors but no bezels. Then I use the Microsoft PowerToys app to carve my monitor up into 3 regions where I can snap stuff to each region super quickly using hot keys.
 
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