The most fashionable women I know eschew gender boundaries and shop the men’s section in equal measure. A great piece is a great piece: who’s to say who gets to wear it?

And as it turns out, when it comes to furniture shopping, the same principle applies €” or at least according to interior designer Megan Baker. She recently let us in on a little designer secret: It doesn’t matter what the label says.  

Maybe that’s common sense. But as we’re in the thick of Work-From-Home 2020 and dreading the boring functional upgrades our home offices require, her philosophy comes as a welcome reminder that good design transcends design departments. 

A beautiful cabinet can be a dresser in a kids room, bonus storage in the entryway, or a buffet for your spare dishes… or a place to hide your bulky printer out of sight. Dealer’s choice!

As Baker puts it:

“Stop going directly to the ‘office’ tab to find what you need! I think most people assume that because it’s an office, your furniture and accessories for that space needs to come from an office supply store. The best work from home spaces still feel like home, with the comforts of special materials, good lighting and personalized accessories that you love.”

No offence to OfficeMax, but this hot tip just opened up a whole world of possibilities. Storage units, filing cabinets and desks can be pieces that are as inspiring as they are functional. 

“When sourcing the furniture and pieces for a home office, look at shelving that would come from a living room or storage drawers typically meant as a dresser to create something that feels way more special than a cubicle,” suggests Baker.

It’s a piece of advice that’s so simple, we feel a little silly we didn’t think of it ourselves. But we’re shaking off that sheepishness€”we’ve got an office to design.

Non-Office Office Furniture We Love

CB2’s Elston Rattan credenza is a beautiful alternative to a clunky filing cabinet.

AndLight’s Orbit table lamp elevates task lighting to a work of art.

Is this New Format Reduction vase a vessel for flowers… or the perfect place to hide away your power cord and charger when they’re not in use?

BoConcept’s Sydney trolley was designed to be a bar car, but no one can stop you from using it to wheel your work supplies and files out of the dining room when 5:00 rolls around.

A Jeff Martin Joinery Bronze Shaker console table can double as a slim work station with some serious style.