Spending longer hours at the office? You might as well spruce it up, since you're practically living there anyway.
As the line dividing business and leisure grows ever thinner, the office has become less of a workplace and more of a life space - especially for round-the-clock entrepreneurs. In such surroundings, finding the right decor becomes vitally important, not only for your productivity, but also for your mental health. Here are some of our selections for sanity-saving office furnishings:
MAGIC CARPETS
Hand-woven in unique patterns passed down through generations of skilled artisans, Oriental rugs are zealously coveted treasures that have graced the homes of the wealthy and powerful for hundreds of years. They also make stylish alternatives to traditional mouse pads. Available in a variety of woven designs, the Lextra MouseRug from Fiberlok Inc. is coated with a highly durable, colorfast fiber that offers a soft, comfortable surface that keeps the moving parts of your mouse clean.
Price: $19.95
OUT OF THE WOODS
When you spend $2,000 on a top-of-the line computer with all the bells and whistles, you can't just plop the thing down on a milk crate and expect people to take you seriously.
Every aspect of the Barrington Computer Desk from Computer Furniture Direct is designed to enhance your computing experience, from the pullout shelves for your keyboard and printer to the built-in power manager and magnetic pop-out back panel that offers ventilation and wire access. Hewn from oak, the Barrington Computer Desk holds a 21-inch monitor with room to spare. The desk's optional hutch includes a CD storage area, extra space for stereo speakers and a handy, built-in fluorescent light.
Price: $3,048 (includes hutch, delivery and setup)
IN YOUR DREAMS
The Sleeper Chair by Frontgate could turn out to be the ultimate office accessory for all you workaholics. Upholstered in top-grain leather, the Sleeper converts from chair to bed in mere seconds, revealing a comfy 4-inch-thick mattress concealed beneath the chair's cushions.
The chair's rolled, padded arms and underseat webbing system provide much-needed back support, and its frame is hand-built from kiln-fired hardwoods for durability.
It's available in black, brown, burgundy or tan.
Price: $2,500 (with matching ottoman)
TRASH WITH CLASS
Appearances can be deceiving. With its flowing, sensuous lines, Umbra Inc.'s The Garbo may look like a work of art, but it's actually a fully functioning trash can, capable of holding up to five-and-a-quarter gallons of office-type rubbish. Made of high-impact polypropylene, The Garbo features a rounded interior bottom for easier cleaning and helpful, built-in handles.
Price: $12
BOOK 'EM
Steering your way through change is the focus of this month's roundup of new books.
Bruce Judson and Kate Kelly's HyperWars: 11 Strategies for Survival and Profit in the Era of Online Business (Scribner, $25) plugs into the growing influence of the Internet in business.
Further playing up the importance of changing with the times is Thomas Petzinger Jr.'s The New Pioneers: The Men and Women Who Are Transforming the Workplace and Marketplace (Simon & Schuster, $25), which argues the obsolescence of almighty leaders and the emergence of a more humanistic approach to business.
Lastly, Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets (The Free Press, $27.50) outlines a shifting landscape for selling products and services - and turns much of conventional wisdom on its head. Philip book is as good a compass as you're likely to find.
- D.P.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
