Don't limit yourself to furniture; many of my clients have appreciated acres of counter we've given them by using inexpensive laminate countertop, mounted on an occasional drawer base or file cabinet and corbels. You can have separate work areas set up along the way, and just roll back and forth between them.! I remember one math professor we gave 25 linear feet of desk space in this way. But when I went over about a week after he moved back in, every inch of the counter was covered with paper and I couldn't get the photo I wanted?

Think about how much space you need- organization and filing or storage needs, flooring
(I have carpet and hate it with my chair that I roll around on), lighting conditions etc. Compare prices and check what is available in your area. I would not expect anything to be perfect....you will most likely end up tweaking it some after it is set up.

I used 2 countertops from Ikea for my home office as I could not find a desk set up that I really liked. I went with an L shaped set up. I wanted lots of work space for stacks of papers, desk top filing folders. etc. They are very thick and great quality- best deal out there in my opinion. You can get any legs for their tables to use for support in the front.

Keep researching and getting ideas before jumping in!

I'd recommend you start out as minimal as possible. Just like an office or work station, you can't believe how fast things get cluttered as you add "must have items" you forgot or need as you grow. If you start out by leaving yourself room to grow, you'll be in good shape. Good luck!

As the saying goes form follows function. Think carefully about how you will use the space and what you want to store and hide (e.g., paper files, printer, office supplies). In our office, I didn't want to see any clutter, so the cabinets were carefully planned to hide everything. Outlets were put in the inside of the lower cabinets where items like printers needed to be plugged in and cables were run through the wall. Also leave spaces for things you might get later, it's better to have more storage you can grow into. Don't forget space for decorative objects, plants and/or pictures. If you spend any time in there you will want it to be a pleasant space. I added some floating shelves to display some art glass.

I installed a shelf in my bedroom closet about 3 feet from the floor. My closet had double doors so closing them concealed most of my peripherals - 2 laser printers, server, fax/acanner, and network router. Closing the doors kept all of the equipment out of sight. Under the shelf I had 2 drawer file cabinet and a shreader.

Then i used an L-shaped desk from IKEA for my workspace with a desktop Mac. but a wireless laptop would remove even more of the clutter.

For first time office space needed at home...I really like Bill Louden's advice...

Furniture plan! You can design without one. Take some time to mull over it and it will get better over time.

Space on top of desk would be my first priority.

Thanks for all your tips and suggestions guys, I feel much better equipped now. Lots of great stuff here to think about, my favourite tips coming from cabingirl13, Doug Walter, Bill Louden.

If you plan on making a living out of this space, you need to feel successful when sitting at your desk. You might not be able to afford the desk of your dream, but position the desk so that you can see the door. Plan the space carefully but be flexible as your needs might change. Surround yourself with artwork that is inspiring, a vision board is a great addition. You want to be excited to sit in your newly designed office!

A home office needs to reflect the person using it; I think. I've always thought your home is the one place where you make the decisions of what's comfortable to live with. I once used Sta-Flo and covered two walls with fabric. It accented the corner area where the desk was angled. Surround yourself with the things you love.