Back to School Furniture...for Educational Purposes, of course

While everyone is looking forward to the official last long weekend of summer, there is another annual event looming on the horizon that is generally greeted with mixed emotions. Parents love it but kids, not so much. Yes, it’s time to get ready to go back to school.

Getting their children ready to go back to school for most parents, means buying new clothes, school supplies and all those electronic devices necessary for learning and playing. But what about getting ready for school at home? It is important for children, especially older ones, to have a place to do homework, do research on the internet and somewhere to store stuff and get organized for the next day’s activities. With all the other expenses involved with getting your children outfitted for the back-to-school trek, you might be reluctant to consider buying furniture right now. Tempting as it is to reclaim your dining table or kitchen counter, a new computer desk is a low priority. And besides, you really don’t have the space.

But it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Cymax Stores offers a number of neat (and inexpensive) solutions. There is such a wide variety of computer desks to choose from that you are sure to find something that will meet all of your decor and budget requirements.

An unused corner in your teen’s bedroom or in the family room is the perfect place for a corner desk. Corner desks can have all of the features and conveniences of an executive-style desk, but are more compact. In addition to drawers, a place for the CPU and a pull-out keyboard tray, they can include other useful features like built-in organizers, a hutch and a CD holder.

To make your computer desk even more convenient, choose a computer station with casters, or a more compact version, a computer cart. This gives you and your family the option to move the computer desk from one place to another; even from one room to another as needed or necessary.

If you have younger children and feel more comfortable if you can keep an eye on them while they are doing their homework, especially when using the computer, consider purchasing a computer armoire. They provide an ideal work environment, again, with many of the features found in a standard desk, but when homework time is over or dinner is ready, you can close the doors, effectively hiding the computer (and any other clutter you don’t want to see).

And don’t forget to organize yourself. There are a number of easy storage solutions, such as desk organizers for all of the paperwork your child will bring home. Having someplace conveniently in sight where you can keep consent forms, permission slips and other school-related documents, will make it painless (well, almost) for everyone involved.

A Home Office or a Guest Bedroom? Why not BOTH?!

There's one room in your home that doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. Originally, you intended to use it as a home office, so you bought a desk but when relatives came for a visit, you stuck a bed in there as well. Currently the room is being used as a storage room, and now there's barely enough room to sit down at the computer. With a little bit of creative planning, you will be able to transform it into a functional dual purpose space that will be a welcoming place to work and an inviting room for guests.

Decide first what the room will be mostly used for. If you have a home-based business, or use the computer on a regular basis, then choose the home office as the room's primary purpose. The room's emphasis will determine the type of furnishings you buy and how they will be arranged.

The most important piece of furniture when planning a home office is the desk. Select the smallest size of desk you will be comfortable with. You might be tempted to choose an impressive looking executive desk, but when decorating for a dual purpose room, you will want to use your available floor space sparingly so that you can fit everything in.

To make the room as warm and inviting as possible when used as a guest room, choose enclosed storage wherever possible. Putting office-related peripherals, such as the printer, fax machine and the CPU behind doors, not only controls clutter but helps to make the atmosphere less business-like.

Bookshelves are an excellent choice when decorating a dual purpose room. Even if they are used mostly for manuals or reference materials, a shelf full of books tends make the room look comfortably lived-in. It is also a great place to display mementos and collectibles. When guests are over, place baskets or storage trays in a section of the bookcase or shelving unit to use for items they would like to keep close at hand.

Of course, your home office/guest bedroom will need someplace for your guests to sleep. There are so many alternatives to choose from but the three main categories are sofa beds, futon sofas and daybeds.

Sofa beds, also called sleeper sofas or hide-a-beds, are sofas with a bed frame and bed built into the unit. As needed, it can be unfolded from inside the couch and then retracted when not being used as a bed. Due to the bed mechanism, sofa beds tend to be heavier than regular sofas of the same size.

Because they can be used as a sofa by day and a bed at night, futons are ideal for dual purpose rooms. Once used to decorate dorm rooms and basement bedrooms, today the futon is a popular choice for the living room, family room, den or guest bedroom. Since the mattress sits directly on top of the futon frame, it tends to be lighter and more user-friendly than a sofa bed.

Daybeds resemble a standard sofa, with a back and two arms. They function as a bed and generally do not transform into a couch. During the day, daybeds can be used as a sofa. Since they are essentially a kind of bed rather than a couch, they utilize bedding linens and accessories such as skirts, throw pillows and comforters, and can look quite decorative. For a dual purpose room where the home office is the primary use, a daybed might not be the ideal choice, especially if you need to meet with clients or business associates.

Filing cabinets come in all shapes, sizes and designs. Select one that is stylish enough to be used as a nightstand or end table. If you will be storing sensitive materials in your home office, choose a lockable filing cabinet.

If there is closet space, consider adding a chest of drawers or a small dresser. When not used by guests, it will be a great place to store extra office supplies such as copier paper, notepads, etc. If there is no closet, consider adding a wardrobe armoire. Should that be out of the question, put hooks on the back of the door so that your guests will have someplace to hang clothes, etc.

These dual purpose room design tips will help you create a space in your home that is an ideal work environment for you, but a comfortable place for guests whenever they come to stay.

Inflexible Walls

There is something of basic human nature in the need for many of us to make use of every last piece of space available to us, just the same way as it is for others to discern the value of openness in relation to optimum efficiency and general well-being. For business owners in today’s increasingly-impinged office spaces, finding a happy medium between the two is a challenging necessity.

I’m reminded of an ongoing issue in my own family, and likely many others. My mother is more of a pack rat while my father is every bit a ruthless purger. Her solution to any and all items that do not fit into being located somewhere specific in the home is that they be placed in the garage, with the logic “that’s what the garage is for.” This is decidedly to the chagrin of my father, who sees it as his automotive / yard works sanctum with an ordered chaos to it that needs be understood by he and he alone.

Similarly, it is quite likely that the interests of productivity and work climate in the office may come to be at odds with each other as concerns space management; particularly as a host of factors make the modern office smaller and smaller all the time. Add to the conflict the fact that employees are more frequently wearing more than one hat and need greater technology-thus-space at their disposal, and owners or managers are obligated to give more thought to office layout than they likely ever have before.

In much the same way Rubbermaid (tm) tubs and stackable plastic shelving have created harmony between Ma and Pa, modular office desks and workstations from Cymax Stores are an ideal means to ensure finding that balance. Further, the convenience of online shopping at Cymax means you can re-coordinate your office without leaving it should you so choose.

Impressive advances in modular design mean it is easier than ever to combine office desks with a Bush hutch and / or a peninsula desk or return bridge to accommodate employees’ ever-growing need for more work surface space. Built to be sturdy, durable and a quality hybrid of function, style and ergonomics, Bush office products are sure to meet your every criterion.

Similarly, a corner desk or corner office suite is an optimum means of utilizing space in a most efficient manor. Adding a corner hutch adds vertical storage / filing capacities, and although most offices today are striving for at least some semblance of the open office concept, cubicle panels are another office staple to be found at Cymax Stores.

As much as the Christmas decorations will be a fixture of my father’s garage for 55 weeks of the year, an

ever-increasing quantity of office workstations and related items are sure to be an inevitability of your office. As your business grows, so will your office. However, your office space will most certainly not and the inflexibility of those walls will dictate you either move to one more spacious or make the best of what you’ve got.

For those who would choose the latter, a visit to cymaxstores.com may well be in your future.