The Killer Home Office—for Under $2,500

By Sep. 5, 2007, 4:00pm PT 9 Comments

Many a web worker gets things done in a home office, and if you spend a lot of time in one, this post is for you. I’m going to run through an inventory of ultra-cool items you can get for the ultimate home office—for under $2,500. This post will assume you already have a computer and printer, but will hopefully include other items to put straight on your wish list.

Mobility for Monitors. If you haven’t gotten into using multiple monitors, this blog has done some good material on how they can improve productivity The ultimate, cool accessory for use with a couple of monitors is the Steelcase FYI-2, shown here:

The FYI-2 has arms that let you move multiple flat panels around for useful variations. You can get a one-monitor version of it for under $250 and a two-monitor version for under $500.


Kick Back. One of the coolest computer chairs I’ve sat in is the CX-O from Nightingale. You can find it online for $699 It has a knee-tilt swivel mechanism with infinite position tilt lock, an adjustable seat slider, adjustable arms and lumbar support, a foam headrest, and more.

Ultimate Lighting. For soothing, blue-white light in your home office, consider LED light bulbs, available at ThinkGeek for $36. These are very easy on the eyes, and may also boost your karma.

Skype on the Move. The Linksys Skype Cordless Phone is a very cool way to place Skype calls from your office, anywhere in the house, or most other places. It’s available for $99.99.

Conferencing Phone. Polycom makes outstanding speaker phones, and if you do meetings from your home office a lot, you should get one. The phones look cool, have several very sensitive microphones, and give you lots of options. You can find one for about $200. Here’s a photo:

Comfy Keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards come in all shapes and sizes, but I’m a fan of the Microsoft ergonomic keyboards because of the way their handrests are placed. You can get one for around $50. Here’s a photo:

Get a Headset. Plantronics rules when it comes to great headsets for telephone use in the home office. You can find an excellent version to fit you for under $60.

Hyper-Fast Web Scroller. If you have not yet tried the Logitech MX Air mouse, you’re in for a treat. This makes a great addition to a home office, and you can get one for under $150. It has motion sensors that let you wave it in the air for tasks like hyper-fast browser scrolling–even from across the room. Here’s a shot:

There we go. Even if we assume that you need to pick up a second monitor for under $500 for use with the FYI-2 dual-monitor setup, then those items plus everything else in this post come in at under $2,500–for the ultimate, tres chic, techie home office.

Do you have any good tips on stocking a cool home office?

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