Getting the home office right

I’m still getting used to the feel of my new and improved Natick fixer-upper.

We moved into the new addition back in early May and while the furniture is in and the carpet is down, there is still a lot to be done to make it homey.

One of the nice surprises, though, has been the home office.

It’s the smallest room in the house and the one that I probably gave the least thought to beforehand.

Of course it is also where I now spend the most hours in any given day.

The great part has been finally to have a dedicated space to work out of.

I left the Boston Herald last fall to pursue full-time freelance writing. With the back end of my house torn off and my new addition taking shape, that meant several months working away on my laptop perched on the dining room table.

That got old fast.

But now that I have my own space, I am torn on what kind of feel it should have.

I don’t really want the traditional office look – that just reminds me of the dimly lit dumps I toiled away at during two decades in the newspaper industry.

So I vetoed my wife’s suggestion of an adjustable chair – I never managed to get one that actually worked. The same for file cabinets and other office like props.

Yet I work here all day, so the space has effectively functioned as an office, even if I don’t want it to look like one.

I’ve ended up with a hybrid, one half office, one half reading corner.

One end has a kitchen like counter running from wall to wall on which I can put my laptop, phones, notebooks and files. There some old kitchen cabinets and shelving above and below.

On the other side of the room, I have placed a bookcase and a rocking chair we bought before we had our first child.

I like that end of the room, but I am not in love with the office side, even if it does its job quite effectively.

So I am tempted to beef up the reading corner, so to speak, maybe even pulling the rocking chair and putting in another bookcase.

Then again, maybe I am just creating a hopeless muddle.

Muddle or no muddle, though, the best thing is I get to choose.