Photo gallery: How to give your home office a face-lift

Great tips to spruce up your home office

Even if you're working with a small budget and an even smaller space, setting up a functional, comfortable home office is easier than you think. Here are five tips on how to create a brand new home-based workspace or simply refresh your existing one.

1. Minimize
Pick up every dried-out eraser, bank statements and broken paperclip and think to yourself, "Does this help me do a better job?" If it doesn't, get rid of it. Going through your existing office papers and supplies right from the start also gives you a better idea of what you type of filing and storage systems you'll need.

2. Prioritize
Think through your everyday tasks and make sure the tools you need to carry them out are within arms' reach. Do you make a lot of telephone calls? Do you need to print off documents regularly? Your office may be small but limiting the times you'll need to get up and down throughout the day will help you be more efficient.

3. Organize
Draw a floor plan of your office space on a piece of graph paper, making sure to included doorways, windows and power outlets. Cut out the shapes of your desk, chair, shelves and electronics, and move them around on your floor plan until you find the perfect configuration.

4. Compartmentalize
Eliminating clutter makes even the tiniest spaces seem larger so label and designate containers, folders and shelves for all your office supplies, papers and reference books. Taking the time create a proper place for everything will save you the frustration of searching for items in the future.

5. Personalize
Remember, you don't have to follow office rules at home. This is your chance to create a space that is uniquely yours so have fun with it. Frame family photos, put up an inspiration board and choose a colour theme.

Having colour coordinated office accessories will help tie your workspace together, so consider the following chic workspace necessities.