If you work from home, chances are you sit in a chair for a large part of the day. But it doesn't have to be this way. Here is the Lazy Geek's Cushion, an adjustable floor cushion from Geekstuff4U with five level settings. Look how happy she looks. That could be you.
Another nifty little workstation construction, ideal for the smaller garden office or for some mobile shedworking, the Out-Of-Box comes from Planet 3 Studios and combines two workstations in one. The full spec includes two cabinets, monitors, keyboard rests, stands and all the cabling. And it's on wheels. And it has a handle.
One of the keys to a successful shedworking setup is the ability to have a siesta to recharge your batteries. The Nappak means you don't need to settle uncomfortably into your work chair nor nip back into the house. Merely inflate and lie down. It rolls into a small tube for easy storage.
If you loved the light-emitting wallpaper, imagine the possibilities of this light-emitting glass from Saazs, especially considering how much window space is built into the normal garden office. At the moment it's only being used in tables and shelves, but they're working on something a bit bigger.
USB ports can be useful for many work-related tasks, but they can also help you enjoy your shedworking experience that little bit more. Gogo-gadgets are among various suppliers of USB-based fun including the mini Retro Desk Vac pictured above and the mini fridge and mini greenhouse pictured below. Simply plug and play. And work of course.
A marvellous article from The Chap magazine looks at the correct attire for working from home - a dressing gown (as shown here in plaid by Tennessee Williams). Here's an excerpt:
"When it comes to dress, one of the luxuries of home working is that every day is dress-down Friday. You can take this a step further by not getting dressed at all, and spending the entire day in your bedclothes. For the men, a pair of Wynciette pyjamas, a silk dressing gown and a pair of monogrammed velvet slippers are ideal. The ladies can spend all day sheathed in Chinese silks far too expensive to wear outside the house, and enjoy the sadly neglected delights of the bed coat. This splendid woollen garment maintains an even temperature on the arms and shoulders, while permitting the erratic flourishes of the professional writer's pen."Well worth a browse.
Regular readers will be aware of Shedworking's pet delights (rotating garden offices, interesting bookshelves, strange workdesks/chairs) and here's a welcome addition, the Daybed from Humanscale Design, made of 10% recycled materials and 95% recyclable materials, with non-fabric components constructed of aluminum, steel, and polycarbonate. Their goal was to come up with "a comfortable, ergonomic home workstation solution in a contemporary visual design to complement home décor". Apparently it's:
"designed with total comfort in mind and may be easily adjusted to suit users of virtually any stature for light home office use. The reclining backrest keeps the upper body and spine healthy and relaxed while the attached ottoman slides upward or downward to accommodate users of different heights. Daybed’s high back curves around the user’s head to provide neck support and privacy, while built-in speakers positioned at ear height may be connected to a laptop computer or other peripheral device. While reclined, the backrest also supports the elbows, reducing stress in the arms and shoulders."Humanscale have also come up with the Ciclu which combines a personal computer with a stationary bike so you can burn off calories while reading Shedworking. I know which one I like best.
Via Born Rich who also have a rundown of the 10 swankiest workstations(some of them already profiled on this site)
For the right person, this would be the right accessory. From The Refined Feline. Look how happy that homeworker is in the 'after' shot, how sad she is in the 'before' frame. Here's what they say:
"We love our cats... and they seem to love walking across our keyboards! You can't blame them, they just want to be near us. With the Kit-In Box, cats have a place to rest that's out of the way, but still an arm length's away from a scratch on the belly. The Kit-In Box can attach to the side of a desk or be placed on top it. Felt pads protect the desk top. Cats are drawn to the soft cushion and the high walls, which are perfect for nesting. The Kit-In Box can support a 20 lbs cat and even small dogs!"Via Cubeme
We covered a USB-based coffee warmer in The Shed magazine recently and here's another marvellous little add-on, the USB Mini Desktop Aquarium which comes complete with two 'tropical fish' and blue LED for when you shedwork in the dark. Water not included.
Via ThinkGeek
Like many shedworkers, I'm also a laptopworker and often use a cushion when my MacBook Pro threatens to set fire to my trousers. You can get various cushion-type protectors (such as the marvellous Belkin Cushtop) or indeed use a cushion, but here's an alternative, Cool Feet from bluelounge. These are little 'feet' with suckers to stick onto your laptop. As simple as that. You can also adjust their height by using tall feet or short feet. As they say: "Elegant, simple to attach and detach, they raise the laptop just enough to allow a constant cooling airflow." Bluelounge have other rather cool accessories on their site.
Most desks don't stand out from the crowd, not a criticism which could be levelled at the Vision One. Here's what the manufacturers say about it:
"The Vision One Computer Workstation is the ultimate home entertainment computer desk. The V1 computer desk can be used as a computer gaming chair, flight simulator, racing simulator, cad workstation, video editing workstation, sound editing workstation, personal movie theater, surround sound music environment and more."Via Trendhunter
Regular readers of shedworking will know how much we like interesting bookshelves (about which more next month...) and combining furniture ideas to make the most of a small space. Pictured above is a design by Stanislav Katz from Latvia which would not look out of place in any shedworking atmosphere.
Via MocoLoco
There's nothing worse than being too cold/hot in your shedworking environment. Thank heavens then for Herman Miller's C2 which they say provides micro climate control in a desk top personal appliance. They claim the C2 is an "environmentally friendly, energy saving solution that enables individualized temperature control". It is 10" tall and looks a bit like a white pear, using technology from the automotive industry so that at the touch of button you get a personal stream of cooling or warming air, with temperatures ranging from 65 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. It also includes an air filter to improve air quality and because it uses thermo-electric technology there are no exposed coils, chemicals or harmful emissions. You can run it continuously. "We know people are most productive and satisfied in their work when they have the tools and personal control that allow them to work in the comfort and manner they prefer," says Robyn Hofmeyer, General Manager of the The Be Collection, Herman Miller's range for workers in all offices.
A very interesting article in The Enquirer by Teena Hammond Gomez looks at the work of designer Christopher Lowell for Office Depot in producing home office furniture (pictured above) specifically for women that wasn't all pink tassles and clichés. The original line - whitewashed desks, antique hutches and decorative bookcases - is now being expanded to include smaller, movable pieces that give women the options of working throughout their home or garden office, wherever they find the space e.g. furniture on wheels that converts into laptop stations, wardrobes that turn into home office stations with retractable cords. Here's what Lowell says:
"Unlike men, who need a sprawled-out space, women work well in smaller spaces. They are more compact. We found that women had been so used to working in small spaces in the home that was just theirs, that they had developed the organizational skills that men didn't have, especially in the home. We wanted it to look like a terrific piece of furniture when it wasn't in use. We looked at the end of hallways and where, we knew, if it was a great-looking piece of furniture, women would say, 'I can work here'."I find the idea fascinating and admit that I've never considered that some home office furniture is gender related/biased. I'd be very interested in your comments.
It's very important that your shedworking atmosphere smells good to inspire your creative juices. And what better way of giving you that extra lift than spraying a little essence of In The Library from Christopher Brosius' CB Experience (part of his I Hate Perfume line)? The main note in the scent is taken from a Signed First Edition of one of his favorite novels in Russian & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish. Here's how he describes the experience:
"I love books, particularly old ones. I cannot pass a second hand bookshop and rarely come away without at least one additional volume. I now have quite a collection… Whenever I read, the start of the journey is always opening the book and breathing deeply. Don’t you find there are few things more wonderful than the smell of a much-loved book? Newly printed books certainly smell very different from older ones. The ink is so crisp. I’ve also noticed that books from different periods & different countries also have very different smells. And then there are the scents of different bindings: leather is marvelous of course but I find a peculiar pleasure in musty worn clothbound books as well. Perhaps just a hint of mildew…"
Make your shed look busy with this marvellous Expected Curtain by Mino Kodama: the screen printed silhouettes of people on a white curtain disappear during dalight and become visible at night when you turn on the lights inside.
Via CubeMe
Two marvellous shedworking pieces of furniture from the man who also produced the faboulous Walden. First, Lese+Lebe, which Nils describes as "‘Hieronymus im Gehäuse’, a beach chair on the sea, a Lokomotive dining compartment... An escape in the room, which invites you to just sit down and relax while having a cup of tea and browsing in your favourite book." It's a two-seater with fold-down table, shelf, drawers and extendable footrests. Very nice.
And then the Bookinist a chair on wheels with room for 80 paperbacks in the arms and backrest plus reading lamp and hidden compartments for bookmarks, pencils, pencil sharpeners and pocketbock. Also very nice.
Just because you work in a garden office, it doesn't mean that you can't have some really lovely office furniture for your shedworking space. Here is an example of Ligne Roset's home office designs, a white gloss lacquer desk and coordinating filing cabinet, part of the Hyannis Port office collection, designed by Eric Jourdon.
Via Blinkdecor
Brighten up your shedworking atmosphere with a nice computer wallpaper which tells you the time. This is what the always excellent Lifehacker has to say about it:
"Freeware applications Wallpaper Clocks and Desktopia set time-specific wallpapers to your desktop, providing you with a fun and effective way to keep an eye on the time with attractive wallpapers. First, Wallpaper Clocks refreshes your wallpaper every minute to display the current time and (when applicable to the wallpaper) date. Alternatively, Desktopia changes your desktop wallpaper at user-defined periods for an effect similar to iGoogle's sunlight-to-moonlight themes (though you could set completely different wallpapers to remind you to change work modes or tasks). Wallpaper Clocks and Desktopia are freeware, Mac OS X only."
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