There are many people who do not even have a designated home office space - but they manage to do their work, and they somehow survive. There are people who do their work while on the road - whilst traveling and/or staying in a hotel. There are people who use a table at Starbucks as their “office.“ There are people who trade stocks and make massive amounts of money, while sitting in the park.

So... you have seen what you like and don’t like, as you have been perusing various pictures with home office setups on Houzz. So... really... just set your own home office up to the high standards of perfection that you personally require in order to be able to function .

Wow, @freedomplace1--really? Having set up several YOUNG staff members with truly expensive ergo mitigation setups because prior employers and managers had neglected their safety, I think I know which camp you're in. And as someone who is over 70, I assure everyone that it is unethical to set up your staff for llfelong injuryies with horrible office ergonomics, at work or at home. Certainly foolish to set up your personal home office so that you have skeletal and visual injuries as well. Many of these injuries will follow the user for the rest of their lives.

I’m with you Mare. Houzz offices are totally unrealistic. They either look like bill paying areas of a kitchen or a dedicated room that looks like a therapist’s office where all you need to do is sit and talk.

Work related injuries are serious business. Just because people work in Starbucks and on a plane doesn’t mean those set ups are smart for the body 60 hours per week.

You mentioned graceful ergo chairs. Can you please share some examples? We are looking for one for my husband’s home office and they all seem pretty hideous.

Thanksfly his emplyer will pay for decent at home office furniture. As they should - they are saving a boatload on Manhattan real estate by nobody coming into the office anymore.

Don’t people have green screens and fake bookshelves and ring lights for home offices now? And some kind of adjustable snake stand to position the device they use for zoom?

I think of a home office as being more like a studio with headphones and microphones and sound equipment, etc.

Exactly, @kendrah and @kelli_ga - as a science writer, I have to have large external display, external keyboard with wrist pad, turboball for moving fast and with least harm. A webcam (I don't have to look great, so haven't gone to ring light mode). @kelli_ga, I'll look for some chairs. They change all the time. Biggest thing is to have a guarantee you can ship it back within 30 days, whether you order online or in a chair store. Without a discount, you can end up spending $400-800—and if you're really tall or have a really bad back already, it will be at the high end. But good chairs can last 8-10 years, so worthy investment.

We have certainly paid well over $800 in massage therapy for my husband’s terrible back pain from bad chairs. We’d pay that much or more for a good chair that is not an eye sore. We’d probably pay that much or more for an eye sore that actually helps his back, but he has never experiemced a chair that has been helpful, ugly or otherwise.

Very good idea to get one with a 30 day return. Sitting for 10 minutes in a store really is not enough time to test drive. What brands allow this? We eagerly await your suggestions! He is currently using this as a desk chair and says it is no worse than any of the fancy ergonomic chairs he has had in his offices over the years.

PS - Science writer rock! Thanks for contributing to such an important profession.

My DH really likes the Herman Miller desk chairs from Design Within Reach. Pricey, but they last a long time.

https://www.dwr.com/office-chairs/aeron-chair/2195348.html?lang=en_US&sku=100075476

I have a Recaro office chair ... made with a racing car seat design! Bought it when we lived overseas. I've had it for 14 years and still looks and sits like it was new. It was expensive, but since it has lasted so long, it turns out it was a good purchase!

https://shopeu.recaro-automotive.com/us/swivel-chairs/574/recaro-classic-lx-star-corduroy?c=35

Agree that ergo is so important! My DH kept complaining about neck and shoulder pain - and I finally lost it and asked "do you think it has anything to do with you sitting in a bad chair, hunched over your tiny laptop, all scrunched up to type on that teeny tiny keyboard?!" 🙄

So we elevated a large computer monitor for him so it's at the correct height, got an ergo keyboard and the Herman Miller Sayl chair and he's a new man (he kept stealing my Sayl chair but didn't want "to spend the money" on one for him - but finally he broke down)

https://www.dwr.com/office-chairs/sayl-chair/2294.html?lang=en_US&sku=100077501