SETTING UP A STYLISH HOME OFFICE

2011 saw the growth of the hybrid worker - employees that have a desk in the office, but also work from home regularly and need access to corporate IT equipment. You might work from home one day a week, in the evenings or may just need the ability to print professional documents when you're out of the office.

This may mean that many of us are setting up a room or more likely, a spare corner to act as a home office, furnished with some well-chosen, reliable office furniture and equipment such as a laptop or desktop computer and printer. With space at a premium in most homes, how can you ensure you set up a professional space, without compromising on your home's look and feel? Here are some ideas on what to consider when kitting out your office:

Location, location, location: Even in the smallest flat, it's important to try and find a quiet corner to set up your home office. Ideally look for somewhere with plenty of natural light and fresh air. Do you work best in silence, or with background music? Think about how you will be most productive, and shape your space accordingly.

Compact designs: Technology gets smaller and smaller, so finding smart, well-designed equipment for your home office needn't be expensive. Brother's mono laser printers offer the professional functions that you would expect from an ‘office' machine but with the cost and smart, compact design of a ‘home' machine.

Make the most of multifunction: There are some fantastic multifunction machines that combine printing/scanning/copying and faxing without taking up acres of space in your home. The ability to scan reports, contracts and order forms is becoming increasingly important for hybrid workers, as this means they don't have to traipse into the office to upload vital documents.

A3 ability: A home office now doesn't just have to act as a hub for basic tasks - the range of simple, user-friendly design software and equipment mean that professional quality collateral can be produced from your living room. Brother's compact, multifunction A3 printers enable you to produce posters, blueprints, detailed financial reports or marketing content to help bring your business to life.

Freedom to roam: A wireless connection to your home internet is an important consideration as it means there no need to cram equipment around the one plug socket next to your router. Mobile printing is also an important consideration. The Brother iPrint & Scan app enables you to print documents and images directly from your smartphone - both iPhone and Android handsets. If your organisation is moving towards a cloud computing model (where documents are stored within huge shared servers from providers rather than within the office building), you can effectively work from wherever you and your laptop are. Throw in a printer that offers cloud computing functionality and you really drive your productivity levels through the roof.

Keep it cost-effective: Just as a business tracks its costs, it's important that a home office functions as cost-effectively as possible. Set up simple features such as automatic power saving for laptops and computers, duplex (double sided) printing as standard, and look at using free tools such as Skype to keep in touch with office-based contacts and clients.

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