Setting up a home office that works

A spare-room office used five days a week needs different kit from a corner of the kitchen table used on Fridays. Before buying anything, note down:

• How many hours a week you work at home.
• Whether you spend most of the day typing, on calls, or on screens with lots of detail.
• Whether the space has to turn back into something else in the evening.

Full-time home workers should put most of their budget into the chair. Occasional home workers can often get by with a good cushion, a laptop stand and a separate keyboard.

You will notice a poor chair long before you notice anything else. When comparing office chairs, look for:

• Seat height adjustment so your feet rest flat on the floor.
• Seat depth adjustment, or at least a seat that leaves a little gap behind your knees.
• Adjustable lumbar support that sits in the small of your back.
• Armrests that move down far enough to slide under the desk.

If you can, sit in a chair before buying, and check the returns policy if you cannot. Retailers' own measurements for seat height range are worth comparing against your desk height.

Aim for your forearms to sit roughly level with the desk when your shoulders are relaxed. If your desk is too high and fixed, raise the chair and add a footrest.

For screens, the top of the display should be at or just below eye level, about an arm's length away. Working directly on a laptop all day pulls your head down, so a laptop stand with a separate keyboard and mouse is one of the most useful small purchases you can make.

A standing desk is worth considering if you like to change position through the day, but it is a bigger purchase. A simple desk riser can tell you whether you will use one before you commit.

Put the desk side-on to a window where possible, so daylight is not glaring on the screen or behind you on video calls. Then add a task lamp for darker afternoons. An adjustable arm lets you aim the light at paperwork without it bouncing off the screen, and a warmer setting is easier on the room in the evening.

On video calls, light from in front of you does more for how you look than any camera upgrade.

A headset with a decent microphone makes calls clearer for everyone, especially in a shared home. Closed-back or noise-cancelling headphones help if the office is also a through route for the household.

If your Wi-Fi drops in the room you work in, a mesh Wi-Fi system spreads the signal more evenly around the house. A wired connection from the router is even more dependable if the cable run is practical.

A cable tray under the desk, a few clips and a single extension lead with its own switch will make the space feel calmer than any decor. A drawer unit or a shelf keeps paperwork off the desk surface.

If the budget is tight, work in this order: chair, screen height, light, sound, then storage. Flairmingo's Home catalogue includes office chairs, task lighting, desk accessories, headphones and mesh Wi-Fi. Tell us your home taste, including how much the home office matters to you, and you will see them ranked by fit.