Home office essentials

Now that you've carved out some space for your home office, make sure you make it as comfortable as possible with a few well-chosen items. Here are iVillagers' home office must-haves

'Lighting is a major issue. I have two lights behind my desk, one of which is a halogen desk lamp that I swear I cannot live without. Not only does it provide extremely bright lighting, it uses very little power.'

maiw

'The two things I did splurge on were an executive chair and a cordless headset phone. I've only had the phone for a few months, but I can't believe I didn't buy it sooner. I do spend a lot of time on the phone, and not having that awful crick in my neck has definitely been worth the investment.'

Cacoolmom

'The one item I can't do without is a five-foot folding table. It has room for my 17-inch monitor, large hard drive, printer, document holder, an old CD for a coffee mug coaster and my Palm synch cradle. It sounds crowded but it works. I also splurged on an executive leather chair.'

Akristine

'I don't think it's necessary to have a fancy desk or matching furniture, but two things I didn't skimp on and I think are vital: good lighting and a comfortable chair that is designed for prolonged periods of sitting. Trust me, it really makes a difference. You'll be more inclined to work longer and be so much happier while doing so.'

Rabecbrown

'I think some of the most important elements for a true home office are a comfortable climate (temperature and environment), safe and abundant electrical outlets, adequate lighting and comfortable furniture. I had an electrician install an outlet with surge protection for my heavy equipment (several printers, a monstrous Xerox copier and tonnes of other little devices including two computers).

'Even though my home office room has an overhead light, I never use it because the distance from the ceiling to my desk is just too far to provide efficient light. Instead I have several task lights - one mounted on my computer and another on the opposite side. Both are plugged into my surge protector and turned on with the flick of a button. Then I also have a floor lamp on the opposite side of the room. With all three lights on, it sometimes looks like Christmas!

dzinwiz