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What a difference a chair can make! You can see it to the left -- it's the black one. I recently got a new chair for my home office (paid for from my separate business checking account). This chair is much better than my old one. I am more comfortable, and more productive. And my arms and shoulders hurt much less (read: not at all).

Here are some of the great things about the new chair for my home office:

* Better padding/more comfortable.
* Better back support.
* Sits higher, so that my arms and shoulders are in a more ergonomic position.
* Puts me in a better place to view my computer screen.
* Has wheels, so I can get to my files more easily.

Have you recently acquired some home office furniture that makes your life easier?

When it comes to your home office, it is important to make sure that you are comfortable, and that your workspace is practical for your needs. But it can sometimes be difficult to create that space in your home if starting a business is a relatively new development.

While you can force your home office into an existing space, another option is to do some remodeling on your home in order create the ideal home office space. There are advantages to building home office space:

*It can help you avoid having to hunt for available space in the house.

*A dedicated home office space comes with tax benefits.

*You can create an area that is just right for your home office.

*It can increase the value of your home.

When building a home office space through remodeling, though, it is important to find knowledgeable help and advice. There are several Web sites (like Cal Finder) that can help you find remodeling contractors, and it is important to also call around to find the best options in your local area.

This is a great video promoting telecommuting. A funny way to spread bet work from home message.

Happy Friday!

Sometimes it is worth it to have a home office, just to escape some of the weirdness that is possible in office decorating. (Or maybe you embrace the weirdness in your home office.)

At any rate, Kathy over at Shak & Jill sent me a link to 10 interesting offices from PoPFi. Really, this is some great stuff.

Does this stimulate your creativity? Or stymie it?

Your environment can actually affect your productivity. This means that it is important to set up your home office in such a way as to allow you to maximize your productivity. This is especially important if you are a work at home mom or a work at home dad. I know that every minute of productivity counts for me.

There are some great tips on increasing productivity with home office design from Darrell Zahorsky. Here are five things he suggests:

*Create a home office that matches the "brand" that you offer -- even if no clients ever see it.

*Limit the amount of noise that enters your home office while you work. (This is why I do most of my work early in the morning and while my son is at preschool.)

*Add nature to your home office. A window, plants and pictures can be soothing and helpful.

*Make sure there is a barrier between your home office and the rest of the house.

*Think of ergonomics when you are setting up and furnishing your home office.

If you are looking for the lighting of a 40-watt bulb, but are concerned with making your home office a little greener, you might try this gravity powered lamp. I saw it over at My Organized Biz, and read about it in greater detail at Science Daily.

Hmmm...with Earth Day coming up in April, this might be just thing to spruce up your home office while being kind to the environment.

(Image credit: Clay Moulton)

Today's Friday Fun Video is one of my messy desk. It's for a contest over at MyFax. Hurry up and send a picture or video of your messy desk over for your chance to win up to $10,000. The deadline is Monday the 25th at noon Eastern.

Every now and again I come across something hilarious in terms of home office equipment. My latest favorite? The Hip Office. This contraption allows you to work on your laptop while standing. I suppose it might be useful, but if I leave my home office to do work on my laptop, I prefer to be sitting. Here is what engadget has to say about the Hip Office:

Yes, it's just the thing to match your loveless evenings alone, fluorescently lit cubicle, and unfashionable pleated pants. Watch out, cellphone holster.

I think the refrigerator qualifies as the vending machine for a home office. However, there are times when the stock in your refrigerator does not match up to what a vending machine has to offer.

Medical Transcription: What's in it for you? tells us about "Hanging around the water cooler" in her home office. She has some great ideas.... especially the part about George Clooney. Yum!

'Oh, but I just thought of something else my home office needs now...a vending machine. I'll start small, maybe buy a bubble gum machine from the toy store, and then work my way up to a full-fledged vending machine with badonkadonk butt candy bars, little packs of musty potato chips, squishy sandwiches, maybe even packs of over-priced cigarettes for my husband. The vending machine would need someone to come and restock it regularly; I picture a handsome man, tall, a full head of wavy dark hair, a twinkle in his eyes. Yes, George Clooney would come by regularly to restock my vending machine. I'll put this on my goal-setting worksheet for the year."

This is the unofficial "Ask Kelly" section. I am interested in learning about our readers. This is a call for as much reader feedback as you can throw at me.

Here are some things that I would like to know:

1) What type of work from home job do you have?

2) How long have you been working from home?

3) Do you have your own business or do you telecommute for an employer?

4) What topics would you like to read about here?

5) Do you have a great work from home story to share?

6) What do you want to know that will help you with your business?

If you ask me to research a particular topic for you, I will! If you have something interesting to share, send me an email with the story and I might share it here. Now please, bombard me with your stories and your interests and let's get the unofficial "Ask Kelly" section started!

You can comment here and you can also send an email to me at kb@kellfinder.com. Thank you and I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Until September 26, there's a cool contest going on over at Shak in Style. Here are the rules:

*Leave a comment on this post about your favorite home decor accessory. There will be other posts that refer to the UncommonGoods Giveaway but only comments left on this post will count as an entry.
*Link back to this post using the "UncommonGoods Giveaway With Shakinstyle" banner in a post on your blog or site.
*If you do not have a blog, leave your e-mail address and tell your friends. Your e-mail address will automatically register you for the UncommonGoods Newsletter.
*All comments must be entered by midnight, September 26th.

This means that you need to go over to the Uncommon Goods post at Shak in Style. Go ahead. Think about that great touch that makes your home office great. Then let others know about it!

I love the TV show The Office. So yesterday, when Season Three dropped on DVD, I went to get it. And since Best Buy was having a special discount on the gift packs, I bought one of those. Now, my home office is adorned with a Dwight bobblehead and a Dundie Award.

One of the things that can really make your home office (or any office for that matter) yours, is to add whimsical items that are relatively unobtrusive, but that can give you a little reason to smile while you are working. Every time I look a little to my left, I feel a little lift. I just hope the Dwight bobblehead doesn't distract me too much...

Jim is always pressing Franki to get a better desk chair. She may want to know that I found this really cool blog called Urban Kinetics that featured the Elfo Chair by Gruppo-Sintessi.

Honestly, I don't think a home office can get any more modern and stylish than this and sometimes you just have to accept style over comfort when it comes to accessorizing your home office. I mean, isn't that what ice packs and massages are for?

Can you imagine going to work in an office like this? LisaJay totally thinks we should...Because We Can!

Does this stir your soul like it does hers? It should. Why? Well, because it should...

"The authors of this artistic brilliance bill themselves as a "design-build firm," but as we see in the pictures they are in fact magicians. The "they" in question is Because We Can, a "mash-up of designers and builders" led by Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup."

Evidently, this photo is of their full office environment with custom one-of-a-kind desks. I want it! And I would like it as soon as possible! I could totally work better in this type of environment. Oh, who am I kidding? They have a blog I can read though, that will have to do for now.

From Alexandre Boucher, the Levitation desk is a minimalist approach that creates a sense of openness above as well as below the table. Very modern. Very unique.

Carefully balanced on one offset pillar, from some angles this table appears to be levitating. Do you think it would tip over if someone were to sit on the end? Who cares, it sure looks good!

via cribcandy

Lindsey, over at Black-Eyed Suzies is on a mission to find little goodies across the globe that make our houses homes and keep our bank accounts in tact. And to say the least, she has done it again by finding these really cool home office accessories. 

The MacBeth Collection features funky clipboards, stylish paper weights, decorative file folders, and custom designed Kleenex box covers that can turn any mundane home office into a functional, fashionable and sophisticated work space.   

Every time my 5 year old plays in my office she turns over the plastic chair mat that my office chair sits on. Then when I walk into my office I end up stepping on all the little hard plastic spikes that are on the bottom that hold it in place on the carpet. I have got to think of something else to use to protect my carpet as well as my feet.

John, at the Organizing LA Blog, has found a wonderful, green way to protect my carpet, still roll around in my chair and protect the environment at the same time. It will also save my poor tootsies.

This Asian Pacific Hardwood mat, from Businesschairs.com, is a great way to protect your flooring since Bamboo does not use the spikes to hold it in place. It is made from all natural hardwood products so while it will protect my tootsies, and my floor it is also protecting our environment. Now, that's good business sense!

The Seville Desk from Barguenos. Perfect for a modern home office.

Brush up on your French though, as the company is in Paris, France and the whole site is in French.

via Cribcandy

My buddy, Stan, over at The Home Rejuvenation Blog thinks this is a knockout home office structure in terms of form and functionality.  I would have to agree.

The Infinity Home Office, created for Statements International by Rick Lee Designs, is quite stylish when it comes to contemporary design. Their products are designed to capture the essence of modernity and truly make a statement in your home office habits. I know this would make a huge statement in my home office.... I might never stop working.   

My husband has one of these in his home office but I think he should get one of these.

The Framed Frosted Glass Message Board, from Pottery Barn, is a stylish alternative to typical white dry erase boards. This 24 x 36 message board comes with a special pen and is perfect for leaving messages and taking notes. At $129.00, this board is a classy home office bargain.

via cribcandy

Room and Board has gone and done it again...their Linear Credenza is one of the best looking pieces of office furniture we have seen yet!

Tim Struck, at Struck Reviews, gives this credenza a 5 out of 5 for it's quality construction and excellent design.....

"I've been working from a home office exclusively for the past three years so high quality office furniture is important to me. The Room&Board Linear Office Credenza is a great addition to my home office. The credenza offers plenty of storage space and has helped me to get organized. This piece offers high quality construction with beautiful solid cherry wood. The Room&Board Linear Office Credenza is also fully customizable to suit your specific needs."

I personally love Room and Board. Their furniture is high quality and very reasonably priced. A great place to go for a modern home office look.

With it's Mac-friendly minimalist aesthetic, the Milk Desk is simply a user friendly home office must have.  Four multi-functional slots provide homes for a fish tank, cables, and of course your Mac. With an electronic height adjustment, the bloggers at PadStyle think that the Milk Desk is a  "geek's wet dream".

Celee, at Dress Your Nest, loves the Milk Desk's "hot, white, lacquer", and talks about the desk's bells and whistles.....

"A few bells & whistles include a hydraulic raise/lower feature, cable drawers and wire exits throughout, an innovative box feature along the left that serves as a place for a small fish tank, pen holder, trash bin and storage box."

This desk is currently not available in the US but if you go to the website you can enter your name to their mailing list.

Every home office that I have ever seen needs some sort of storage. The neat thing about home offices nowadays is that storage is not only for functional uses but for decor as well. We have found some nifty storage ideas that we think would make any home office not only easy to navigate but adds so much style you'll want to work all the time.

These stripe boxes are great for festive storage and decorative gift giving from Paperchase.

These IKEA magazine files bring a stylish storage solution to all of your magazine files. The "Lingo" magazine file comes in a set of 5 for only $3.99

The classic "Me Box" from Design Within Reach. Great for labeled storage and cool looking too. A set of 6 boxes for $55.

The Palm Leaf Storage Basket from BoConcepts is truly a gorgeous storage choice for any home office.

Clutter is no match for the new Flora Fabric Tote Box from
The Container Store.

This is a great, simple filing cabinet that is easy on the pocketbook from CB2. The bloggers at Better Living Through Design, totally agree and note that for $149 you get "stainless drawer grips, four casters with front drive brakes, and two drawers top a letter/legal file". 

Mechanic Shop Chic in storm finished sheet metal makes this Trig File Cabinet a must have for the modern home office. File under "industrial".

For the month of March, CB 2 Go is having a contest for a Cool Office Set. A $250 value, gets you a trig desk, people bookends, red sand hour glass, folio magazine holder, and folio storage box.  You can enter by texting GETGO to 50799 or by signing up on line. There are also two $50 CB 2 shop cards being offered as runner-up prizes. 

Enter again in April and May for more chances to win some other fabulous prizes for your home and entertaining purposes. The Grand Prize drawing for The Gaucho Floral Chair, a $500 value, will be May 31st. You can find out more about CB 2's Spring Collection by checking out our guest blogger, Sarah, at Shakinstyle.

Recently we wrote a post regarding Niels Diffrient's ergonomic task chair being one of the most inventive and comfortable office chairs on the market. Imagine my delight to find his "Freedom" chair available through an on line office chair retailer for a significant amount less.

Sit4less has a comprehensive selection of chairs ranging from the Herman Miller Eames Chair, Aeron chair, and Mira chairs to Humanscale's "Freedom" chair.  The prices are greatly reduced from designer furniture store prices, for example the "Leap" chair from SteelCase, is a significant $800 less than list price and the Eames chair is $500 less than list.

Sit4less' brand new executive chairs, task chairs, and office chairs, come with free shipping, but if you're looking for an even greater discount on designer office chairs, check out the clearance section with discontinued and refurbished chairs, allowing you to sit for even less.

Nothing quite makes you feel like you actually have a successful business like having the right office chair.  Those of us who have used make-shift kitchen chairs, benches, or that rickety wooden monster that's too short, has one an old cushion tied to the back, and is missing the bottom crosspiece know what I'm talking about.

For those who can't afford Herman Miller, or can't figure out where to buy used ones (anyone know good places?), HomeOffice Buddy gives us some ideas on what to look for:

Office Chair Basics

1.  Make