Home improvements experts across the pond are using National Work From Home Week (4-10 October) to highlight some of the easiest ways to "set up shop" away from the office.

Members of America's National Association of the Remodelling Industry (NARI) say a comfortable chair and "as much counter space as possible" are two home office features that people regularly underestimate.

Design specialist Marianne Kohlmann further underlines the benefits of a custom-designed desk which can "hide" office printers, faxes and similar equipment.

She also recommends installing separate office spaces, whenever possible, when both partners in a marriage intend to work from home at the same time.

Home office veterans from the Closet Concepts store in Wisconsin confirm that individuals working from home need to be "as organised and professional as anyone in their field" – and they require an element of quiet space.

"They also need multifunction space so they can get personal work done, such as paying bills, for their own home," they observe.

Other advice from the NARI, when planning the construction of a home office, includes making sure there are enough electrical outlets and telephone jacks in the space and assessing how comfortable the lighting is likely to be.

"A lot of times in home offices, the lighting used is the fixture in the centre of the ceiling, which creates glare and does not make it a comfortable place to work," explains Best Electric Service president Ed Prasser.

Specialists in home office design have previously highlighted the disadvantages of halogen lighting in particular, since it creates extra heat and may affect certain office machine chemicals.