Once you have selected the right location in your home to set up your home office, it’s time to determine the best furniture layout in that room or space. Choose a layout that allows for proper placement of furniture and equipment, with consideration for practicality, function, and your ultimate comfort. How you arrange your furniture and equipment can dramatically maximize workflow and efficiency.

As an architect and interior designer, I like to begin by considering the tasks that will be done in that home office and how to best lay out the furniture for ease of flow and efficiency. For example, do you need a printer? If so, are you printing often? If you are, you will want a printer that is within reach of your seat so that you will not be forced to get up from your desk too often. That will be the most efficient.

Other considerations are, will you have clients that come to your home office to meet with you? Will they simply need a chair opposite your desk or is a conference table better suited for your meetings with them? Perhaps a couch is a more comfortable setting for your type of work. When clients do visit, will you be doing a presentation that may need a blank wall to display the presentation or a large television screen or monitor for a digital display?
There is no one-answer-fits-all when it comes to the best layout for a home office. Each room is different with varying sizes and locations of windows and doors. It would be impossible to evaluate each space to determine its most efficient layout. To provide you with a variety of excellent options for room layout, I have included an assortment of floor plans in a future chapter of this book. Make sure to review those and see if one best suits you. Whether you find a suitable layout in this book or not, there are key elements you will want to consider in determining the best layout for you. It is not comfortable, nor is it Feng Shui-recommended to place your desk so that your back is to the door of the room. It is a vulnerable position as it can catch you off guard when someone comes into the room unexpectedly. That will undoubtedly make it an uncomfortable and unguarded position which will affect your ability to plunge into work with utmost focus. It is always advantageous to either face towards a window or to have a side view of the window. Depending on the room’s configuration, facing the window may put you in a vulnerable position with your back to the door, so instead turn the desk so that your side faces the window, and your other side faces the door. That will enable you to enjoy the view without sacrificing your space’s Feng Shui. If you are the type of person who becomes easily sidetracked, you should consider positioning your desk so that it faces a wall which can dramatically reduce distractions.

- Karen Webb