Not many years ago, the thought of working from home was considered a fantastic vision of the distant future. However, with more and more people setting up home offices every day, it is clear that future has arrived earlier that many expected.

You may be interested in a home office because you are starting your own business, telecommuting or in need of space to tend to household paperwork such as paying bills, doing taxes or keeping tabs on investments.

Depending on your needs, a great office may be a pull-down desk in kitchen or a fully furnished setup in the basement. Still, no matter what type of home office you want to create, the goal is the same: a home office should have a comfortable, logical design that makes it easy to do the business at hand.

In essence, a home office is a fairly simple concept, but arranging one requires some careful consideration and planning. You will need to select a location, choose lighting and purchase office furniture and desk accessories.

Without a game plan, you may end up with a home office that is inefficient and impractical, and more expensive that you had planned.

A home office can take many forms, some of them quite simple. What is sometimes called "kids workstation" often includes a child desk and chair, a computer and drawer or two. For general family use, having a large desktop may be more important than setting up elaborate storage and filing systems.

But if you are planning to start client meetings, you will need a full array of office equipment, and you will need to set aside space for a conference table and perhaps even a reception area.

Before you begin to spend hundred or thousands of dollars on a home office, it is well worth taking some time to think about what its primary use will be.