Home.Work: Setting Up an Office at Home

These two books help prioritize the steps involved in setting up a successful home office, a task that can be daunting. Freelance graphic designer Evans focuses on selecting the appropriate equipment and furniture for her line of work, and throughout she includes visits to the studios of other successful designers. But she also covers every other aspect of establishing a home business, including financing, zoning, taxes, and the like, making her book useful for anyone who wants to set up a home business. Sweet gives an overall look at setting up a home office with considerations for personal and professional needs. However, Lorrie Mack's Calm Working Spaces (LJ 1/01) gives more practical, solid advice then found here. Evans's book is essential for any graphic design collection and, given the comprehensive information on working at home, recommended for public libraries. Purchase Home.Work where there is a continued interest in creating home offices.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Designer Terence Conran is known for his trendy furnishings, innovative merchandising, and chic restaurants. He also started his own publishing house more than a decade ago using colorful, high-quality, large-format books to showcase interior design concepts. Now the home office gets the same glamour treatment as Conran's kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Sweet is a journalist specializing in architecture and design, who has been working from her home for more than 10 years. She balances the pros and cons of working from home and explains how to assess one's office needs. Sweet examines chairs, desks, and worktops; she considers storage, lighting, color, and layout. She even offers tips on time management, maintaining a low-allergy office, recycling, and ergonomic exercise. Along with Sweet's helpful advice, there are dozens of photographs that stylishly illustrate examples of sleek but utilitarian workspaces. David Rouse
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