This is a continuation of the list of office furniture and equipment you must have for your budget office design. For each piece of office furniture or equipment, I’ve given an “on the cheap” alternative to help you par down your office design budget if necessary, just as I did on the previous page of this article.
6) Multifunction Printer
Instead of buying (and finding the space for) a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine, invest in one multifunction machine. A multifunction printer or copier not only saves money, but takes up a lot less space in your small or home office design. If you do a lot of printing, choose a laser multifunction printer; you’ll save money on consumables. For a selection of my recommendations for multifunction printers, see Top Multifunction Laser Printers and Top Multifunction Color Inkjet Printers.
On The Cheap – Decide what features you want, and look for the multifunction printer that does exactly what you want it to do. Why pay for a multifunction printer with a built-in fax when you rarely fax anything, for example? Watch for sales.
7) Printer Stand
Incorporating a printer stand in your office design gets your printer off your desk, creating more usable desk space, and gives you some extra storage space. Inexpensive printer stands of the standard design with non-enclosed shelves are available from office supply chain stores for less than $50. (Fancier versions with enclosed shelves and/or drawers cost more.)
On The Cheap – It doesn’t have to be called a printer stand to be a printer stand. You could use a microwave cart, an end table or just about any drawer unit that’s the right height. Measure to get the dimensions you need for your printer and your office design and then take your creative eye to garage sales and surplus stores.
8) Desk Storage
Assuming you’ve taken my advice and not bought one of those puny computer workstation desks, you’ll need some type of desktop storage unit. I like open shelves because they make it easy to find things visually. Retail chain stores such as Staples and Ikea offer all kinds of small shelving units at reasonable prices.
On The Cheap – Go for the cube. Look for storage cubes in the department store chain retailers. They’re often in the kitchen storage section. You can get a set of four plastic storage cubes that stack and interlock for less than $20.
9) Desk Accessories
Little things matter when you’re trying to stay organized and get a job done. Two desk accessories that you’ll have to have are desk trays to keep your paperwork sorted and some sort of container for your pens and/or pencils. Office supply stores and department stores offer all kinds of desk trays. I prefer plastic, interlocking stackable ones, which are inexpensive.
On The Cheap – An (empty) coffee can or old mug works great as a pen/pencil cup.
10) Phone
De rigueur for today’s small or home office, so plan for space for your phone on your desk in your office design. I recommend getting a speaker phone, as the hands-free option is a real boon to productivity. You can get a good speaker phone for less than $100.
On The Cheap – Look for open box, floor models and/or repaired speaker phones at phone retailers, which are often discounted, although there’s nothing wrong with them. Or, of course, go with the traditional non-speaker phone, choosing one without extra bells and whistles.
11) Bulletin Board
Whether you choose a traditional cork board, a chalk board or a magnetic type, a message or bulletin board gives you a place to personalize your office design and keep yourself organized. An 18 by 24 inch bulletin board cost about $20; cost increases with the size and style of the bulletin board.
On The Cheap – Watch for sales on these in office supply or department stores. Discount chain stores sometimes carry bulletin boards.
Stop here. Everything else you may be tempted to buy for your office design is not actually necessary to create a workable, comfortable small or home office. That doesn’t mean that you should never buy it; just that you need to pause and think of your office design and your budget before you do.
You won’t end up with the kind of office that impresses visitors with its opulence if you stick to the rules and the list of necessary office furniture and equipment above, but you will end up with the kind of office that you can work in comfortably, and that’s what good office design, budget or otherwise, is all about.
