As technology improves and the world gets more and more digitally connected, many companies are doing away with traditional offices in favor of remote options. And while that saves them a lot of capital and allows employees to complete their work from the comfort of their own home, it does present a unique opportunity for said employees: building out a home office.
Whether you’re gainfully employed and switching to remote work or you’re on the verge of starting your own company, there are a number of things you’re going to need to make sure you’re equipped to do it right. From a desk and chair, to a computer and printer, and so much more — this is all the essential gear you’ll want to transform your home into a bonafide office.
Skype
Whether you need it to chat with clients, coworkers, or vendors, Skype is one of the most valuable communication tools anyone can use. And it’s a favorite of major corporations across just about every industry. But if you’re working from home, you can also use it — because all it requires is a download. Use it for simple text-based chats, video conferencing, file sharing, and more. And it won’t cost you a dime.
Satechi Desk Mat & Mate
Serving both to give you an adequate writing surface — protecting your desktop from unsightly pen indents — and as a home for your keyboard and mouse, the Satechi Desk Mat & Mate is a simple addition to your home office that can make it look more put-together and help you keep things properly organized. It’s also available in 10 different colors, so you can match it to the rest of your office gear, and it’s super easy to clean when the need arises.
Just Mobile Headphone Stand
If working from home means having to deal with excess noise — be that from friends, family, or the city outside — you’re probably going to want to keep a pair of headphones handy. But when you’re not using them, you don’t want to just toss them haphazardly aside. Instead, keep them safe and elevated with the Just Mobile Headphone Stand. Built from high-quality aluminum, it’s a stylish and simple way to keep your desktop uncluttered — whether working from home, in a shared space, or at the office.
Mophie Charge Stream Qi Charger
As time goes by, more and more tech is being imbued with wireless charging capabilities. If that includes the gear you carry every day and some of the stuff you keep at your desk, you’ll probably want some way to take advantage of it. And you’ll do no better than the Mophie Charge Stream Qi charger. Compatible with both Apple and Samsung quick-charging, this desktop device will keep your phone, watch, and whatever else powered up and ready to go at all times.
Craighill Desk Knife
A cutting tool is a useful thing to keep on hand, especially if you’re deep into design or architecture work. However, most utility blades are not exactly something you’d want to leave out in the open for everyone to see. The Craighill Desk Knife, however, is a rare exception. Made in the USA, this Japanese-inspired knife is beautifully crafted from solid stainless steel and features 0.5″ reference markers along its length. It’s so beautiful, you’ll never want to put it away.
Maxx & Unicorn Rectangle Valet Tray
Whether you need a place to put your everyday carry when it isn’t in your pockets or just a handy organizer for paperclips, pens, etc. you can always rely on a solid valet tray. And there are few that are quite as useful and beautiful as Maxx & Unicorn’s Rectangle Valey Tray. Crafted in the USA from American walnut, this desktop organizer is perfect for all of your loose gear and tchotchkes. It even has a handy cutout to accommodate a charging cable for juicing up your smartphone.
Craighill Jack Puzzle
Although the fidget spinner craze has all but died out, it’s still worth considering that desktop oddities can be an excellent way to get the mental juices flowing. Perfect as a means of challenging yourself, killing time, and clearing your head, Craighill’s beautifully-machined Jack Puzzle is a superb addition to any home office. It’s also made in the USA from solid brass and comes with instructions — in case you get stumped while trying to solve it.
Eve Energy Strip
Even if you only need to plug in your computer, a surge-protecting power strip is an absolute necessity for any and all home offices. But the Eve Energy Strip has quite a few legs-up on the competition, as it is a lot more than just a multi-outlet surge protector. It also comes loaded with smart features to help you save energy, track your usage, and has outlets that can be turned off individually to keep from wasting energy on devices you aren’t actively using. It’s also compatible with Siri, making this perhaps the most easily-controlled power strip ever made.
Grovemade Walnut Monitor Stand
There are two very good reasons to elevate your monitor and/or computer above your desk. For starters, it can help improve your posture and makes for better overall health. It can also allow for more usable desktop space — so long as your monitor stand has space under it, like this one from Grovemade. Constructed from beautiful American black walnut, this simple and gorgeous accessory serves to literally and figuratively elevate your workspace. If you appreciate its looks, Grovemade has an entire catalog of other desktop gear to match.
Inventery Modular Pocket Fountain Pen
Beautiful enough to keep out on your desk, versatile enough to replace all of your other writing utensils, and compact enough to add to your everyday carry loadout, Inventery’s Modular Pocket Fountain Pen is unlike anything else out there. Boasting an interchangeable tip system — including fountain, ballpoint, and stylus tips — as well as nine refillable ink cartridges, this is a remarkably useful device that covers a wide variety of different ground. It’s also lightweight, has a secure screw-on cap, and is constructed from durable machined brass.
Seagate Expansion 8TB External Hard Drive
Even if your computer has ample room on the hard drive for everything you need to store, it’s still a good idea to keep an external hard drive on hand as a backup and for overflow. Seagate’s Expansion, with its available range of 3-10 terabytes of storage, is probably overkill in its capaciousness for most, but it’s also reliable, easy to use, and handsome enough that you’ll feel comfortable leaving it out on your desktop. Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, this plug-and-play external hard drive won’t let you down.
Gather Desk Organizer
Without some way to keep all of your nick-nacks in order, your home office can get very cluttered very quickly. A simple desktop organizer is a superb way to counter that. Gather’s offerings, while easy to use, are anything but simple in their brilliance. That’s because they offer a modular system that makes them super easy to customize for everything you need to keep organized. Available as a Basic Set or a more comprehensive Extended Set, this system includes pen holders, a phone mount, a post-it tray, and options for a whole lot more.
Netgear Nighthawk X4S Wireless Router
Whether you’re only using the internet for work or you also use it in your spare time for video gaming and/or streaming television shows and/or movies, a powerful router can make all the difference in your connectivity. This wireless option from Netgear offers lightning-quick speeds (obviously, dictated by your service provider) of up to 800+1733 Mbps — enough to seamlessly stream 4K video. It also works with multiple users simultaneously, prioritizes bandwidth to keep your most important data flowing, and can be controlled simply from an included app.
HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Portable Printer
Even just as a means of printing out photos, letters, or to scan-in miscellaneous forms, an all-in-one printer is a necessity for any office — home or not. And HP’s OfficeJet 250 is simple to use, relatively compact, and loaded with helpful features to meet all of your needs. It can be plugged directly into your desktop computer or laptop but also boasts a mobile printing option for wireless use. And if you’d prefer controlling it directly from the device, it also features a simple and straightforward touchscreen control display.
Sony Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Excellent as a means of helping keep you on-pace — with the help of your favorite tunes — or to drown out the ambient sounds of the world around you, Sony’s WH1000XM3 Bluetooth-enabled wireless noise-canceling headphones excel. With their over-ear design and cushy ear pads, they’re comfortable for all-day wear. They also feature smart technologies and Alexa connectivity for easy control. And they offer quick charging — giving you five hours of playback with just a 10-minute charge. And that’s just a small sample of everything they have to offer.
Dyson Lightcycle 60-Year Lamp
Obviously, good lighting is essential to getting your work done without negatively impacting your vision and overall health. And while there are a number of desk lamps that can serve that purpose, there are none that compare to the Dyson Lightcycle. Offering smart features that help customize the lighting to the individual user and with light quality that’s good for 60 years, this isn’t a desk lamp — it’s a lifelong work tool that can help distinguishably improve your life. That might sound a bit hyperbolic, but we’re confident that it’s true.
Herman Miller Cosm Chair
Herman Miller is an institution of design — both when it comes to household and office gear. And the firm’s designs aren’t just timeless, they’re also specifically designed to serve you in a positively impactful way. That means they’re beautiful, as well as comfortable. And their Cosm series of office chairs are certainly no exception to that rule. If you work at your desk all day — whether you’re at your home or in a crowded office — do yourself a favor and invest in a Herman Miller chair. They’re pricey, but they’re also more than worth it.
Apple iMac Retina 4K
The standard across a number of industries — especially those that focus on design — Apple’s computers occupy a unique space in the world of technology, in that they are extremely well-equipped from a hardware perspective but are also beautifully-built functional pieces of art. And their hardware has recently gotten even better thanks to the inclusion of a Retina 4K display option that offers up crisp and clear imagery on a level previously unheard of. Loaded with top-of-the-line processors, a baseline of 8 gigs of RAM, a standard 1TB hard drive, and more — you can’t go wrong with an iMac for your home office.
Shinola Bookshelf Bluetooth Speakers
If you’ve been blessed with the good fortune of having a home office space that you don’t share with anyone else, you might want the option to play music that doesn’t reach your ears via headphones. A pair of bookshelf speakers is an excellent way to make that happen. And they don’t get much better than Shinola’s you see before you. Beautiful in their design, superb in their sound quality, and with Bluetooth wireless capabilities, these will turn any home office into your personal concert hall.
Sean Woolsey Studio Wolf Desk
The foundation of any home office, your desk is the core of your workspace and, as such, deserves extra consideration. Equal parts a gorgeous centerpiece, a sturdily-built platform for all your office gear, and made specifically for uncluttered organization, the Wolf Desk is unparalleled in its beauty and quality. Made in the USA from black walnut and featuring a mid-century design, this is the ideal desk for anyone who takes their work seriously.
12 Best Mobile Office EDC Essentials
For those who never stay in one place, a standard loadout of office-ready everyday carry gear might not do the trick. If the road is your office, then you’ll want to have a look at our list of the best mobile office EDC essentials.
