Mangaging your expectations requires a little bit of forethought. Consider what you want the end result of any home office decorating to be. Do you want to spruce up and existing home office (a redecorate) or are you emarking on a new decorating project?

Let’s assume that you already have a home office that you work from and are looking to redecorate to achieve your goals. In order to manage expectations properly you first must consider the end result. There are really two schools of thought regarding a decorating project. The first school of thought suggests that you focus on the aesthetics (or form) of the office. The other way to look at it is to concentrate on the usability (or function) of the room.

It is the goal of all decorating projects, whether conceived and carried out by a hobbyist or a professional interior designer, to achieve a blend of both form and function. However, at some point in the home office decorating project you will be forced to choose between the two. Therefore it is imperative to decide what you want your first priority in the design will be.

I always place the form slightly ahead of the function. I want a home office that imparts the look (when it’s clean) that I want it to impart. If I had to choose between a leather chair that fit the look to a T or one that sat extremely well, I always go for the chair that looks right in the room. However, this is a personal choice.

But, as I said, if you want your home office decorating project to go smoothly, then you need to come to a place whereby you know what you want and what you might have to sacrifice to get there.

I always recommend that the two elements, form and function, work in tandem. One is always first and foremost however the other element must still play a part in your design thesis. You don’t want to get so carried away thinking about the asthetics of the room that you design an office that is totally impractical.

How does this relate to expectations? It governs them really. You see, if you expect an office that looks like a chief executive’s office then you might only be satisfied with the redecorate if you achieve a stately, professional, and executive look. The same is true about an office that wish to achieve maximum functionality. If you are a writer and want a peaceful work environment and comfortable surroundings, you may be disappointed if you create a sharp, modern office environment.

The other element that you need to keep in mind when embarking on a home office decorating project, is your attitude about the whole thing. You need to ask yourself several pertinent questions. The first things that you may consider are as follows.

• Do you have a proper eye for design?
• Do you enjoy brainstorming possible looks and possible design elements?
• Do you have the necessary budget to make your dream office a reality?

This just a starting point and you may wish to jot down several more questions. Do you enjoy shopping for home accent pieces and furniture? If you do not you may want to hire an interior decorator to make the process flow more smoothly. If you do outsource the design work you essentially eleiminate a entire schedule of looking for, buying, and transporting the office pieces that will make up your home office decoration.

Therefore, you may not even want to embark on a home office decorating project if you are not sure you will have the attitude that will allow you to enjoy yourself while creating a more palatable work space. If, on the other hand, you view home office decorating as a chore, why not farm out the work to someone who enjoys the redecorating process so much that they have decided to do it for a living?

Hopefully, you have both the right attitude and have properly calibrated your expectations. In this case you need to begin to focus on your office decorating ideas. You need to get down to the nitty gritty (and in my opinion super fun) process of making design decisions. This part of the process, for me, is really the icing on the cake where I can take a home office decorating project and make it my own.

If you think like I do then you are no doubt aware of the journey that lies in front of you. Here’s to wishing you the best in your home office decorating!