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| My office on day one of my return to full-time freelancing. I didn't even bother to straighten up. |
If you are like several writers I know, your writing space is an afterthought. It’s the kitchen counter, one end of the dining room table, your lap in the living room, a large closet with a desk shoved into it, or the corner of a multipurpose room you share with family members often engaged in distracting activities.
If you’re among the luckier writers, you have a room designated as your office. It’s an attic space, a room in the basement, or a bedroom once used by your now-grown-and-moved-away child.
Regardless of what the actual space is (or was before you laid claim to it), it likely has been furnished on a catch-as-catch-can basis. You found the desk at a yard sale and the filing cabinet at a discount office supply store. The bookcase came from Aunt Marge’s house and the chair with the wobbly wheel had been thrown out by your employer when they redecorated some muckety-muck’s office. In short, you’ve made do.
But what if you could gut your writing space and start over? And what if money were no object? What furniture would you choose, what equipment would you want, and how would you arrange the space for maximum comfort and efficiency?
These are questions Temple and I have been wrestling with ever since we decided I would return to full-time freelancing. We have been poring over office-furniture websites, examining photographs of other writers’ workspaces, and trying to determine exactly what I need and want.
There are limits to what we can do, of course. We can’t change the location of the window, the closet, or the door, and it’s unlikely we could reroute the HVAC vent. And no matter how big we dream, there likely will be a limit to how much we can spend.
In fact, this weekend’s purchase of an office chair may have blown the entire budget. After much research and a test sit, we ordered a Herman Miller Embody chair, an ergonomic chair consistently rated among the best office chairs for those sitting long periods.
For now, though, on day one of my return to full-time freelancing, nothing has changed. I haven’t even taken time to straighten things up before diving into the pile of work on my desk.
So, because we’re still in the planning stage, how about giving us some advice about furniture, fixtures, and office equipment? Or just share your dreams about what your office would look like if you could gut it and start over with an unlimited budget.
I look forward to learning about your experiences and your ideas.
I’ve been fortunate that company clients often gave me office space and one even gave me furniture, a couple of ancient desks. But that was BC… because consulting. I hadn’t started writing seriously and corporations weren’t paying me for fiction. Thus my home office was wedged in a spare bedroom amid other projects.
ReplyDeleteBut as companies hired India for their computer outsourcing, I began to build my home workspace. I cleaned out a spare bedroom. I searched ages for the perfect paint and finally found ‘Robin Hood green’, the ideal forest green. Brass switch and socket covers and doorknobs complemented it along with wood trim. I discarded bifold doors from the closet and built in a desk for my girlfriend’s bookkeeping. One client, Westinghouse, auctioned off executive furniture, and I snapped up a huge L-shaped walnut desk, cabinets, and bookshelves.
And then… this being Florida… as I prepared to move in, hurricanes struck. The beautiful yet-to-be-lived-in office was gone in minutes.
So now, my office is a laptop.
Oh, Leigh - that is truly my worst nightmare, a hurricane or (up here) a tornado... Excuse me while I go back up everything everywhere all at once.
DeleteYow! It hurt just to read about losing your office. Many years ago, when I was living in Chicago, the basement flooded and I lost some of my files. Luckily, my office and most of my files were on the second floor.
DeleteI use an old table for my desk, 3 filing cabinets that I've had since Hec was a pup, and milk crates for bookshelves (they're portable that way). And I admit, I picked up my office chair at the local Hotel Liquidators outlet. However, I spent (for me) a lot of money that I think was well, well, well worth it on a Kinesis Gaming Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard, which keeps your shoulder and neck from hunching over the keyboard. And that really works. I love it. Takes a while to get used to the fact that the "delete" button is above the "home" button, but details, details...
ReplyDeleteI once had bookshelves made of peach crates liberated from a local grocery store. They were easy to move and rearrange, but water seeped into the basement room (not the flood from my response to Leigh; water has not been my friend), and the peach crates acted lick wicks, sucking the water up and causing damage to books three and four levels up.
DeleteI have an L-shaped desk, which offers two desks in one, and I use every bit of that space, so I recommend a desk with a lot of surface area. I have a shelf above my desk with my favorite books on writing and I often reach up to refer to them, so I recommend a shelf within arm's reach. Good luck on the new office!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! My bookshelves are close, but not quite within arm's reach. In previous offices, I have had shelves above my desk, and I've been considering trying that again.
DeleteWe hadn't even considered that, Noreen. Our house is more than 20 years old and the HVAC system is less than 10.
ReplyDeleteBest thing I ever did was buy a coffee table from Ikea's junk room. (cost $147.00) Seems someone had put the dining table legs on the coffee table top. It is perfect for a desk...long but narrower than a dining table and oh so sturdy. I use it on a semi-L shape with my old computer desk which gives me access to computer and desk from the same chair.
ReplyDeleteI also purchased four Barrister bookcases (not sure where from now) on the cheap. ($79.00 each, I think) Hubby had a heck of a time gluing and screwing them together, but they are heaven where dusting is concerned. Cut my book dusting down considerably.
Got my huge, long two-drawer file cabinet when my former boss closed up the office. Wish I'd asked for the paper cutter also. My chair was on sale at Staples and a birthday gift. (cost: Free)
The Frankenstein dining table/coffee table/desk seems like one of those never-to-be-repeated perfect finds.
DeleteOur house was built in 1900. My office is a little room off the kitchen, in the "wealth" area of the house according to Feng Shui. I actually did inherit a little money so maybe there's something to it ... the room was probably intended for a pantry, but nobody ever did anything with it until we got here. I wired the room for electricity following husband's instructions. I use an old computer desk with no drawers, & the chair is some old junk that we found on a curb somewhere (I think). I finally broke down & bought a file cabinet.
ReplyDeleteFeng Shui? I hadn't even thought about organizing my room with Feng Shui in mind...
DeleteMichael, I've been fortunate over the years to have had a variety of different rooms in the different houses we've had ... sometimes an extra bedroom, sometimes simply an extra room. My main requirement for the room's location is that it be as far away as possible from the normal traffic flow of the house, so I typically take a corner or an upstairs room.
ReplyDeleteAs for how that room is set up ... as the years have accumulated (and as my books and papers have expanded), I've added furniture haphazardly, but here are my current "must haves:"
1. either an L-shaped surface or a desk in front / credenza behind arrangement - I find that having 2 discrete surfaces allows me (in theory, at least) to keep the writing surface clean(er) and let me put other things elsewhere; while I've had nicer desks in the past, right now, I'm using a door panel held up by 2 filing cabinets, and a white table as the credenza;
2. bookshelves (for sure!);
3. even though I'm trying to store docs on a hard drive or in the cloud, I still need some filing space for older works and articles that I want to retain; and
4. a space somewhere for office supplies (pads, pens, staplers, stickies, etc.) not currently in use
Good luck re-setting your office, and congrats on returning to full-time freelancing!
Chuck Brownman
My offices have been in all kinds of rooms in all kinds of living arrangements, including two short stints in efficiency apartments where my office took up most of the living room.
DeleteHave you considered having two monitors? Some risers for computer monitors have drawers so that your tools are nearby but out of sight? Do you want a desk that adjusts from sitting to standing? Is there a window or fan for air? Do you have places for photos of those you love? Do you need a giant whiteboard? Do you have a large water or coffee mug with a tight-fitting lid? How can you set up your lighting so there’s no glare?
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I have considered two monitors, but my current desk/writing space doesn't have room for two. I actually have three computers—my main desktop in my primary office, a laptop that moves around the house with me, and a desktop in my secondary office that actually belongs to a client and is only used for that client's work.
DeleteI've been lucky enough to have my own office. The first even had a little library area. Space, yes, lots in a relative term. I had a long corner desk too. I kept everything, spread out all my projects..space for file after file. What a mess. Writing progress ok but too busy with life to be a full time writer. Now i share an office with my spouse. Less space but all the necessities. Limit what i buy now and what i keep. Most important lesson. Space doesn't help, clutter is harmful, a good chair and two screens or 2 computers are great. You are successful, Michael, now just go for comfort and pleasure.
ReplyDeleteA large flat workspace inside my office is one of my dreams. When I need to spread things out, I take over the dining room table. Temple is quite supportive, but there's only so many consecutive days I can monopolize the dining room before I wear out my welcome.
DeleteMichael, I was about to mention SleuthSayer Dixon Hill put a 'man shed' by his pool. There he keeps an armchair and writing materials.
ReplyDeleteBut large, flat workspace… (how wonderful)… a couple I knew who specialized in graphic arts and publishing lined the walls of a spare bedroom with plain, hollow-core doors about waist-high, supported, I suppose, on something like sawhorses. It could be disassembled in minutes and the doors stored in the closet. Imagine a contiguous workspace of 6 or 7 encircled desks. THAT is living!
The closest I’ve come was thanks to a lazy-ass who left a massive dining table when she moved. The thing was so heavy, it took two men and a boy to lug it. You could have parked an SUV on it, but its lateral support was astonishingly poor. Apparently the original owner had found out the hard way and snapped off a leg. Fortunately epoxy and several 7-inch same-color deck screws invisibly solved that problem. While I had it flipped over, I mounted electrical sockets behind the skirting, turning it into an electrified lab bench. I’d say it’s still attractive enough as a dining table, except it’s covered in computer parts, soldering irons, and microscopes. (It’s the mad scientist in me.)
Photos:
1. wiring layout
2. finished at night
3. daylight assessment
Temple and I have discussed building a he-shed in the backyard. The advantage is that would be a clearly designated space for writing. The disadvantage is that it would change how I work. Though I'm trying to establish a regular work/writing schedule, I have for many years written on an erratic basis. I might knock out a page before breakfast or pop up from the couch mid-evening and wander into my office to write a couple of paragraphs. Having to walk outside to the he-shed means being more deliberate and would involve putting on clothes appropriate to the weather.
DeleteI used to write on a laptop while sitting in a recliner, but I like a larger monitor. Finally I got a monitor and wireless keyboard and a swivel arm for the monitor. It holds the monitor above my head, so I'm looking up at it when I write. It's perfect. Plus, the arm is clamped on the desk (a homemade thing) so the entire desktop surface is free for whatever. Not right for everyone and I still have a separate laptop I use for taking outside, and I have two AlphaSmarts I take when I go camping. So it is a versatile arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI've tried to write while sitting in my recliner, but just couldn't settle comfortably. On the other hand, this past year I've been doing some writing on the back porch. When the weather cooperates, it's quite a pleasant experience.
DeleteI like to think I can write anywhere but when we moved into our current home, I was thrilled to have "a room of my own." My husband built interlinked bookshelves so there are no holes in the walls, he gave me an old office chair, I used an old dining trestle table for my desk, and my grandfather's cast-off rug. What could be better? Over the years I've replaced the table with an old desk and gotten a new rug (the dog dug holes in the old one). Having my own space tells me every day how fortunate I am. No more kitchen table, no more bumping into the bed when I sat away from the makeup table (another apartment), no more filing on the floor (well, less of that anyway). Good luck with your new office, Michael. May the gods shine on your space.--Susan Oleksiw
ReplyDeleteHaving a writing space that is yours and yours alone is one of the greatest gifts a writer can receive, or create for themselves.
DeleteI went with ultrafeminine lavender and lace. My husband supported me and I agreed to paint (although he did the fine detail). I even have a "fainting couch" where I put my feet up and read. It's almost too comfortable because I sometimes drift off, but I wouldn't give it up. My husband took the smallest room (apparently a nursery) for his cave den. He went with hypermasculine, navy blue and brass, and I love it too. He's commented his ideal would be an imaginary English club with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a fireplace.
ReplyDeleteI've not certain I could handle an ultrafeminine office, but your husband's imaginary English pub would be amazing!
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