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Here are some tips on decorating a home office.

You might be lucky enough to have a room in your house that you can use as an office, or you might be going to convert a shed or a garage. You might even have a space under the stairs or in the corner of a hallway that you need to use. Whatever the size of your office, you will need to minimize the cost of decorating it. Here are some tips for the things you will need and the things you can do without.

Don't waste all your cash setting up a beautiful office to work in - save your money to put into the business itself. When you are making lots of money, you can spend it on your home office. Of course, if your clients will be meeting you in your office, you will need to spend more to make it look like you are successful.

WALLS

Paint is the best option for walls. If you can't find the color you like, add acrylic paint to plain white. Make sure you mix it well so you don't get stripes, and make up as much as you need because believe me you'll never be able to repeat the color! Use a washable one for cleanability.

A plain color is best for a home office, as it won't distract you. Go for something neutral but warm like a deep cream. It is a temptation to go for a cold color like gray, but this will depress you over time.

FURNITURE

To start with, any furniture can be drafted in for use as a desk. You really need a proper computer desk with a keyboard, so try to pick one up from Yahoo's freecycle groups or from a charity shop. Sometimes local papers have 'under $20' sections, or a neighbor might have a garage sale.

It's worth paying out for a proper computer chair with an adjustable-height seat.

Any shelving units will do. If you opt for a New York loft apartment design to your office, you can incorporate the metal shelving that is sold for workrooms/garages.

STORAGE

One thing you will need a lot of is storage. To start with, you can re-use any chest-of-drawers and cupboards from around the house. If you know someone who is taking out a kitchen, ask if you can have the old units. Even the work surface can be installed as a desk area, using legs at the front so you can sit right up to it. Mount wall cabinets as you would in a kitchen.

Plastic boxes with front openings and roller wheels are ideal. You can push them under places and stack them on top of each other while still having access to the contents. These are rather expensive, and if you don't need constant access to your things, then use cardboard boxes.

CD/DVD cases make ideas storage for smaller items. Look at the Ikea range for lots of ideas.

PICTURES

Don't forget to brighten up your working area with some prints and photos - just to remind you that there is a world out there waiting for you to finish!

FLOOR

The floor should be easy to clean. Strip and paint the boards or stain them. A dark color is best, as it won't show marks so badly. A laminate floor is easily swept clean.

ACCESSORIES

Brighten up your office area with some brightly-colored plastic accessories. These are cheap and cheerful and will keep you alert and happy. Choose a color scheme for these things, like bright yellow or shocking pink, and buy a mouse mat, a staple and some folders all to match.

Good luck with your office decorating, but don't make is so nice that you spend all day in there!

Learn more about this author, Susan Hibberd.
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