In an era when working from home is becomingly increasingly common, there's a great chance that at least one member of your household occasionally works remotely. That means there's probably a home office (or, at least, a desk and chair) tucked away somewhere in your apartment. If you want to make your work-from-home space a more pleasant workplace, here are four components you should add.

1. An office chair that's both chic and comfy. Any chair that you'll be sitting in all day long should be equal parts aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. So when you search for your home office chair, don't prize form over function, or vice versa—they're both important. Test drive as many chairs as it takes to find the one that keeps you comfy and jives with your office style.
2. A lamp emitting warm light. When you work in a standard office, you're forced to make do with whatever the lighting situation is there. But when you work from home, you have the final say over the atmosphere in which you spend your day. So instead of accepting harsh overhead lights as an unavoidable reality, find a cute lamp that cloaks the room in a warm, glowing light to make working more enjoyable.
3. A set of floating shelves. If you're running out of room in your desk drawers to stow those stacks of post-it notes, improvise more storage space by adding floating shelves. They're not only functional pieces, but also a design statement—plus, the display will force you to keep the office supplies organized.
4. A coffee maker. Okay, so a coffee maker isn't a design element first and foremost, but it can be if you choose the right one. Find a coffee maker with a four-cup pot in a hue that suits your space, and fire it up as soon as you start working in the morning. It might help you dive into the day a little bit easier. You can also opt for a an espresso machine or electric tea kettle, depending on your caffeinated beverage of choice.

Essentials for a Home Office [The Every Girl]
17 Surprising Home Office Ideas [Real Simple]
5 Mistakes Everybody Makes Decorating Their Home Office [Apartment Therapy]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr ienjoysushi

Whether you work from home or in a traditional office, it takes no time at all for your desk to go from spic and span to dusty and disorganized. Even if you take special care to put things in their proper place, you need the right organizational tools to keep up a tidy workspace. Here are four hacks that will add both style and organization to your desk.

1. Pick one pen and one pencil. If you're guilty of having an unnecessary abundance of pens and pencils—yet you can never seem to find one when you need one—it's time to downsize….your pencil cup. Pick just one good (working) pen and a single pencil, and keep the rest tucked away in a drawer. Put them in a specific spot and return them to their home as soon as you use them to avoid the clutter of multiple writing utensils.
2. Hang cute clipboards for paper clutter. Stacks of paperwork aren't exactly a style statement, but hanging clipboards can be—if you decoupage them with scraps of wallpaper first. Then hang them in rows on your cubicle wall and assign each clipboard a specific job—one for junk mail, one for outgoing paperwork, etc.
3. Organize office supplies with a pegboard. In a similar vein, you can hang a pegboard on your wall and stock it with pouches and pegs for various office supplies. Scissors, tape, maybe even a stapler can all hang in plain view, just keep the arrangement organized.
4. Opt for accordion folders. Instead of constantly dealing with a slew of manila folders, make the switch to accordion folders. They come in cute colors and patterns, and they can hold the equivalent of many manila folders, which makes them much more useful for organizing.

Office Organization Ideas for Disaster-Zone Desks [Martha Stewart]
10 Good Things for a Highly Efficient Home Office [Martha Stewart]
12 Tips for an Organized Desk [Productivity501]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/ProFlowers