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Instructions

1. Choose your color scheme and style. Warm colors, such as deep beige or mocha shades work best to create a welcoming mood in a large space. The kitchen and great room should complement each other since they are open to each other. Paint the entire space in one color or use complementary colors to create accents and details that are pleasing to the eye.

2. Create "zones" to function according to your family's needs. One zone should be the eating area, another can be used for media and another for games or a quiet reading space. Arrange your furniture in these zones, while allowing a natural space for people to move in and out of the room.

3. Separate your zones with area rugs. Situate your sofa and chairs across from your entertainment center with a large area rug in the center. Another area rug can be placed under the dining table. Set up another grouping of chairs and tables around another rug for a conversation or reading area. Keep your "quiet" areas in one corner of the room and your noisy game areas in the farthest corner.

4. Accessorize the room with practical items, such as lamps that also add to the decor. For example, if your great room is decorated in a modern style, keep the "extras" to a minimum. Add modern lamps and artwork to complete the room. Include enough lamps to light up each area. Plants and trees--artificial or real--will liven the space and make it more visually appealing.

Decorating a Small Living Room

1. Paint the walls in a darker shade than the great room. Choose a cool shade like blue to create a spacious ambiance.

2. Use petite furniture instead of bulky pieces. Place small chairs in front of large windows and place shelving or a media cabinet that hides your TV against a wall, giving you a place to add decorative accessories without using too much space.

3. Keep knickknacks to a minimum to avoid creating clutter; rotate your favorite pieces, instead. Use a large picture rather than a group of smaller ones. Keep your windows unobstructed by hanging curtains in a way that allows the entire window to be seen when they're open. Adequate lighting will keep the room from feeling "boxed in".

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Look for a living room set with an oak frame. Less expensive couches or chairs have pine frames. However, pine breaks more easily and does not last as long as a couch with an oak frame.

2. Step 2

   Select couches or sofas with separate seat cushions, as less quality sets have sewn cushions. Additionally, couches with attached backs are also more durable. The backs generally have buttons to keep the foam from shifting or sagging.

3. Step 3

   Ensure that the arm rests on the living room set you're considering are tight. Gently move the arm rests to ensure that they’re not shaky or loose.

4. Step 4

   Consider a neutral color like taupe. If interior design colors change, you can update your living room décor with new pillows and other accessories. The color taupe goes well with any color such as any shade of blue or green—currently popular in interior design.

5. Step 5

   Mix and match if you find a good deal on a living room set and you like color. You can buy a floral-print sofa and a solid-color side chair or vice versa, as long as the chair matches one of the colors on the floral print. They don’t have to come together as a set.

6. Step 6

   Opt for oak coffee and end tables if possible, as it's more durable. Pine furniture looks great but it tends to scratch easily if not careful. Keep in mind that you can incorporate iron and glass or iron and wood tables in traditional or modern decor, depending on the design.

There are many benefits to using ergonomic office furniture, both for employees and as an employer. Here is how ergonomic furniture can help companies make more money and employees get raises.

As an employee if you are using furniture that has been designed with ergonomics in mind you will be more comfortable at work, you will enjoy your job more, you will be more productive and because you will be happier and more productive this could all lead to a raise.

As an employer, if your employees are using ergonomic office furniture they will be more likely to perform at higher levels because they will not be sore or aching. They will be less likely to lose work because they enjoy their work station and are less prone to repetitive motion injuries. All of this can save and make an employer more money in their business.

The office is probably the place where most people spend a majority of their day. And in this era of computers and workstations, most people spend their day sitting at a desk. Such is the repetitive nature of tasks that they can actually cause serious health concerns if proper care is not taken. Thus, in today's world, ergonomic office furniture is an absolute must.

The most important ergonomic piece of furniture needed by a modern day office is the chair. A stiff and badly designed chair can lead to a lot of back problems for the employee who sits on it. It is common today to hear even young people working only for a few years developing significant back-pain, stiffness and possibly even serious spinal problems. With ergonomic office chairs, you get furniture that is designed keeping in mind the curvature of your spine. Additionally they are comfortable enough for not being painful even after many hours of continuous usage.

Hence, with such chairs, employees find it easier to work and the end result is a two pronged advantage. Not only are you allaying the risks of any employee suffering from back problems and missing work, you are also increasing productivity at work. But chairs are not the only pieces of furniture you should pay attention to. There are hundreds of reports everyday of people complaining from repetitive exercise related problems such as the carpal tunnel syndrome where the nerves around the wrist get elongated due to long hours of typing.

These can be serious problems since anyone diagnosed with problems such as the carpal tunnel syndrome will subsequently be unable to work on the keyboard at all. You should consider specially designed wrist rest pads and must ensure that the computer tables in your office are at a perfect height that causes the least strain to the user. Ergonomically designed wrist pads can go a long way in a world where typing on a computer is one of the primary activities of almost every employee. Using the proper desk is also important. Desks must be ergonomically designed to be at the proper height so that employees do not feel uncomfortable sitting around them.

An ergonomically designed desk will allow every person sitting to have the largest possible view and reduce strain on the neck from having to continuously turn in order to be able to listen to or interact with people. Additionally, projection boards and white boards are parts of office furniture must be installed at the right height and on the right wall so that viewing is comfortable and writing or pointing out objects requires minimal effort. It is critical not to underestimate the importance that ergonomic furniture has in a typical office. Both employers and employees will come out winners if there is ergonomic office furniture in use.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Sit on chairs and sofas the way you would at home before you purchase them. Make sure that your feet can touch the floor when sitting in your typical position. Lie on a sofa if that is how you use it.

2. Step 2

   Look for lumbar support in your seating. A second lower cushion or a stiff bowed out back on a seat can provide good support while you sit in your living room. At least buy one good ergonomic chair for yourself and your loved ones.

3. Step 3

   Check the reach to the occasional tables with the sofa and chairs you are buying. Move them in the store if they are not near your seating. You want to easily reach your drink or the remote while sitting. Some end tables are too short for the sofa arms, making you bend your back out of shape. This position will prove unhealthy over time.

4. Step 4

   Purchase matching ottomans if you do not have an ergonomic recliner in which to sit. A footstool or ottoman will help to take pressure off the backs of your legs, one of the first places to feel the effects of poorly fitting furniture.

5. Step 5

   Purchase matching ottomans if you do not have an ergonomic recliner in which to sit. A footstool or ottoman will help to take pressure off the backs of your legs, one of the first places to feel the effects of poorly fitting furniture.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Whilst each environment and office space will be different, there are certain guidelines from The European Directive on Working with Computers and Safety Legislation which calls for an office working environment to be ergonomically modified to best serve each individual’s specific needs. Office furniture in the UK is tested and certified to either British or European standards which satisfies the requirement for the furniture to be safe and stable and not expose the user to possible risk of injury.

2. Step 2

   Workspace The workspace needs to be the best available space when taking into account the following requirements: The workspace needs to accommodate all equipment and paperwork required for the user to do their specific job properly. The workspace also needs to fit the anatomy of the user and the tasks they need to perform. The workspace needs to do both of these things as well as take into account the other users’ workspaces that may be adjacent or around it in the whole office space. Workspaces can be all shapes and sizes depending on the above factors.

3. Step 3

   Clearance underneath With most office desks being around 720mm from the floor to the top of the desk and having a usual desktop thickness of 25mm - this leaves 695mm from the floor to the under side of the desktop. 650mm is usually considered the minimum height to the underside of the desk and can only be achieved using a height adjustable desk at its lowest setting.

4. Step 4

   Clearance along length 600mm is considered to be the absolute minimum width of legroom beneath a desk. 1000mm would be the ideal minimum to allow some movement space for the users legs.

5. Step 5

   Work height Most office desks with have a standard height of around 720mm from the floor to the desktop, this is judged to accommodate around 90% of the population. A height adjustable desk will usually have a range from around 650mm up to 1200mm - this type of desk can be used for wheel chair users or tall users. A height adjustable desk is also beneficial for users with bad backs and users that have a job that benefits a change in working position from sitting to standing on a regular basis. Users that are shorter will benefit from a footrest under a normal height desk to achieve a standard working position.

6. Step 6

   Working depth The main criteria for the depth of an office desk, is to ensure that the user is not too close to the computer monitor. Most computer monitors are now the thin TFT or LCD style which can be situated on or mounted to the desk in varying ways. (See the Monitor Height Section Below!) As these types of monitors are in their nature thinner than the old style CRT monitors it gives greater scope for designers to produce desk depths from 600mm which is classed as narrow to 800mm or 900mm in depth. The basic rule of thumb should be that from the user side of the desk there should be approximately 100mm of clear desk before the keyboard for the user’s wrists to rest on whilst using the keyboard. A keyboard is usually about 150mm in depth leaving 350mm depth to the back of a 600mm deep desk or 550mm on a more standard 800mm deep office desk for the monitor.

7. Step 7

   Monitor height Each user will have different requirements for the height of their computer monitor, although it is generally recognized that the top of the monitor should be aligned horizontally with the users vision unless altered for a specific task or adjusted to avoid glare from light. In order to get the correct adjustability as described above, it is usually necessary for the monitor to be mounted on an articulated monitor arm. The monitor arm can be mounted to the edge of the office desk or through a cable port via a clamp or bolted directly through the desktop. (Not really recommended as this will damage the desk!) Another style of monitor arm can be mounted to a free-standing or desk mounted screen, although the screens will need to have two toolbars in order for the bracket to attach.

8. Step 8

   Laptop height In some countries, legislation limits laptop use to as little as two hours, although there is no such legislation in the UK. It is always a good idea to adjust posture and not stay in the same working position for any length of time – especially when using a laptop. Taking on board the same theories for making a normal TFT monitor work in an ergonomic fashion, if a laptop is placed on a stand and used in conjunction with a separate keyboard and mouse, it enables the laptop user to achieve a better viewing distance and working posture thereby avoiding fatigue in the arms, hands, neck and eyes.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Prioritize your needs. Decide what specific things are most important for the functionality of your office space before you go furniture shopping. If you need space for a computer, a secure location to store paperwork or room for reference books, remember these things when shopping.

2. Step 2

   Exercise practicality. Of course you want your office to be stylish, but it also needs to be beneficial and help you get work done. The 10-foot Italian marble desk might look good, but it will be of no use to you if it has nowhere for you to store files and is so big that nothing else fits in your office.

3. Step 3

   Look for storage options. Depending on whether your office is utilized for business or personal use, you will need to store books, bills, paperwork, files and other materials so look for furniture with lots of drawers and storage space.

4. Step 4

   Consider security options. If you are storing sensitive materials or material containing personal information, such as bank records or credit reports, these items need to be kept secure. Look for desks and filing cabinets with hidden compartments and drawers or steel-reinforced locking drawers whose key can remain in your possession.

5. Step 5

   Match the room. Your office should look smart and well put together so consider the décor of the rest of the room when buying your office furniture. Match pre-existing woodwork and compliment paint or wallpaper on the walls. It is not necessary to buy all of your furniture as a set but look for pieces that match and look good together.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Measure the area where you will be putting your home office furniture. Knowing the size of the area you are working with makes it easier to determine the size of the furniture you can purchase.

2. Step 2

   Look for comfort and functionality above looks. Having furniture that is comfortable is far more important that having a desk that is too large for your purposes or sits to high for you to reach things comfortably.

3. Step 3

   Consider the material the desk will be made of. Some materials such as metal hold up longer and are less prone to damage than desks made of wood. Consider this especially if you have young children who might be using the desk. In this case you will want something easy to clean.

4. Step 4

   Understand your budget and don't go above it. Before you head off to the store set a budget and stick to it. Having a budget will help you avoid impulse purchases that could mean a long term financial commitment.

5. Step 5

   Choose a chair that is comfortable, adjustable, and easily rolls on all types of floor coverings including carpet.