Contemporary home offices appeal to a personal sense of style and productivity. Just like relaxed living rooms or efficient kitchens, home offices now command attention to design details that make them uniquely satisfying for their inhabitants.

“Good examples of workplaces have one thing in common: they represent more for their inhabitants than merely a place to suffer work. There’s a personality about them. . .” writes Neal Zimmerman in his book At Work At Home: Design Ideas for Your Home Workplace (Taunton Press, 2001).

Cindy Shineholft of Work IKEA, a maker of workspace solutions, says that the borders between home and office are becoming increasingly blurred.

“As important as integrating work with life, is the ability to separate the two,” says Shineholft. “The ideal home workspace allows you to be productive when you’re working and relaxed when you’re not.”

That trend means home offices often feature comfy, overstuffed reading chairs as well as swivel chairs at a desk. Lighting extends beyond overhead fixtures to incorporate task-specific lamps and floor lamps that chase shadows out of corners. Furniture styles found in casual family rooms are being duplicated for home offices.

“Consumers don’t have to worry that home office furniture is cold or commercial in its look, or that one size fits all,” says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association (AFMA). “The wide variety of home office furniture and accessories available today can reflect your lifestyle and personality, and even complement other rooms in your home.”