BERKELEY, CA - As the number of Americans working from home continues to rise, the need for functional workspace has grown as well.

Helping to meet that growing demand, Galvins, a family-run business based in the San Francisco-area assists consumers looking to set-up offices in the home.

While Galvins has been in business for a quarter-century, the company made the decision in the mid-1990s to focus solely on designing small and home offices.

During that time, Patrick Galvin, president of Galvins, has seen his customers obtain a better understanding of what they want from a home office. While the nature of home office equipment such as furniture and seating has become more functional, today's consumer is focused on bringing style and fashion into the home office.

"Those who want to work at home are seeking furniture that fits their needs. They no longer want to work on the kitchen table," he said.

"There were many who thought the growth of computers would make us a paperless society," Galvin recalled. "However, people are seeking workstations that give them more workspace and allow them to spread out papers and documents."

Galvin noted the importance of adjustability in home office furniture. This allows the user to position the keyboard and monitor at comfortable heights.

According to Galvin, the typical desk, at a height of 29 to 30 inches, tends to be too high for the average size person who works on a keyboard.

In addition, some furniture manufacturers are designing computer workstations that position the mouse closer to the user, placing less stress on the wrist.

Perhaps the most important, yet overlooked aspect of any home office is seating. While the focus tends to be on comfort for the wrist when keyboarding, Galvin noted that much of the time spent working at home is done while sitting.

"For those who are on a budget, we tell to spend more on seating than any other piece of equipment," he said. "We have told all our planners that if consumers are working with limited funds, have them upgrade to a higher-quality chair, and spend less on furniture."

Generally in the office seating market, vendors looking to meet lower price points being sought by some retailers will remove a number of features and support systems in chairs. The result typically is a chair that has little or no back support, static arm rests, and is unable to adjust to the height of the user.

Also important is the location of an office in the home. While many are seeking furniture and other items that resemble the look, feel, and functional nature of an office, Galvin noted that separating an office from the rest of the home is something many prefer.

"The consumers we deal with want a dedicated sanctuary for working in the home office," he added. "They want the office to be set up in a place in the home that prevents them from looking at work during non-work hours."

Consumers are also focused on the look of items for a home office as well. While recent product introductions from RTA furniture manufacturers have included combinations of wood and metal, or metal and glass, Galvin noted that wood looks continue to be the most popular.

"We continue to see people being attracted to finishes like maple and cherry woods," he said. "There also appears to be a growing interest in coffee colors."

Down the road, Galvin feels furniture for the home office will offer more ergonomic features, based on products he has seen in Europe. "In some Scandinavian countries, it is illegal to install a work surface that does not offer height adjustments. I would expect to see more of these types of products in the U.S. market within five years."