Office Overhaul

Making over (or building up) your work-at-home space

You might work full-time out of your home, bringing home the bacon from the comfort of your office, which just happens to be down the hall from your bedroom. Or, like many, you might lug home a briefcase full of unfinished files and incomplete projects with you from work. Maybe you can happily leave your employment back at the office (where it belongs!), but still need a quiet place to sort through bills and reply to an overflowing inbox.

No matter how you use your home office, working out of your house is an art — one made considerably easier with the appropriate environment. Bombay and Co.’s creative director Cindy McCleery, and David Miller, manager of the nationwide chain’s Hyde Park Centre, Oakville location gave Lifestyle the lowdown on how to achieve home-office excellence.

Lifestyle: Let’s start with the obvious: 2009 has been the year of cutting back and saving money. What advice would you give to someone who is creating a home office, but needs to work within a budget?

David Miller: Go with a major component… and add other pieces that accent it, versus buying the whole collection. Spend your bucks on your desk and then maybe accessorize with smaller accent tables. I would also encourage our guests to look for sales.

Cindy McCleery:You don’t have to buy the whole thing at once. Look for key pieces… Just buy what you need now.

Lifestyle: What is a common issue that customers tend to forget when they are decorating their home office?

David Miller:One of the most common questions I ask a guest is, “If I’m in your office, what am I seeing?” In modern homes, people really want the office to flow with the rest of their house. So, am I seeing any woods in the home? If I’m walking into a hallway that’s all very contemporary, then we’re not going to look at the traditional Statesman collection. We’re going to look at the more modern, Stanton collection.

Lifestyle: What are some key home-office trends for 2009?

David Miller:We’re seeing a lot more acrylic glass and a lot more granite pieces — there’s a big influence of granite. I think basically, as far as colour trends for the season, it’s very much that chartreuse green and varieties of blue.We have a lot of accessories — florals, accent pieces and pictures — in that colour scheme.

Lifestyle: So that means it’s easy to change your office with accessories as the trends change, rather than having to change your furniture?

Cindy McCleery:Yes. Wood is wood and it’s very classic and traditional, so you can change the colour scheme of your room with paint and accessories.

David Miller: I think the other major trend, really, is price. In this market, people are shopping economically. They’re waiting for sales. Also, a lot more people are downsizing. And that’s why the Stanton collection is great — it’s very compact and there’s a lot of storage in a small space. •

To see the Stanton and Statesmen collections and more, visit bombay.ca

Presto Change-o!
Perfect for your work space, these great Bombay pieces will also flow seamlessly into the other rooms in your house.

Chair Flair
This bronze bombshell will look equally smart in your living room as it does behind your desk.
Benton Silk Chair, $599

Power Player
Recharge your phone, iPod or camera on this charging station. Place it on your desk or your nightstand.
Electronic Charging Station, $149

Functional Photos
These picture-perfect accessories will come in handy in the library, den, office, bedroom or kitchen — anywhere you keep books.
Marquetry Photo Bookends, $49

Classy Card
Add old-world panache to your grand, home-office desk with this business-card holder, or bring it into work and liven up your cubicle.
Map Business Card Holder, $29

Double Duty
A home-office centrepiece in a larger home, this antique-mahogany desk could serve as both work space and kitchen table in a smaller space.
Richmond Desk, $1,099